TIlE THE VILLAGE SICK WATCH I spent mine in a New England vil vii vils lage age said s ld the quiet man when asked I about his vacation by a New York Sun Sue L reporter I knew no one in the town I 1 had never been there before In fact I it t was the first time I was ever in New Ne England I wanted to rest I did not t twant want to camp out or rough it I I I stopped at the inn the only one I be believe believe lieve in the town City people have havo an idea that a village is a place where everybody knows everybody bus busness business mess iness ness and where nobody talks of any thing else Perhaps I had no business but I wish to certify that no one In this village evinced the slightest curiosity to find out what I 1 was or from whence I 1 came caine If anything I was the curious 3 one I 1 found myself making roaRing inquiries inq iries This brings me to my m story I was sitting on the big porch one night rather later than was my cus custom custom tom torn The stillness was broken occa occasionally occasionally by one person passing and later another and so on until I 1 had hadI seen several men and women go AO and I come out of a house within my view I noticed that these people were alone I In coming and going I thought they the walked rather more lightly on the side sidewalks sidewalks sidewalks walks than people usually do This however may ma have hae been b en a fancy fMC While I was wondering what t meant the landlord of the inn stepped upon the porch I had bad seen him come out of the house in which I had be become become become come interested but did not recognize him until he came upon me I en encouraged encouraged him to stop and he sat down As soon as I could do so with propriety ety I 1 told him that my curiosity had broken the bounds of conventionality and had almost prompted me to go to the house from which he had come It is nothing Lothing new with us he said almost in a whisper but I guess you city people dont have anything of this sort to do Its just a case of sickness Its a young man of our village who was taken down several weeks ago and it finally fin nv turned out to be a case of the doctors say He is the only son of the family Finally his own people got worn out attending him and then the villagers took It up We divide ourselves into watches of four or five in this case four You see most of us are arc old people in this vii vil village 11 lage There are arc not a dozen young people in the place Old folks cant sit nit up all aU night ni ht so we go down there oneat a time and sit up with the pa patient patient patient tient until the next watch relieves us We carry catTY out the doctors orders and give the patient any attention necessary necessary sary san There is hardly a man or woman in our village who has not been a watcher by bv some sick bed at time We consider it our duty We dont know whose turn will come next Our doctors are like most of us a little old fashioned and they dont furnish nurses as your our city doctors do And we never have had a hospital here be because because because cause It Ir pay and amI most of us kind o believe that within a few more years yeats there wont be anybody left to be besick besick besick sick No strangers stran ers ever move Into this community and none of our people has left here alive in years Before it the landlord passed in and I 1 was again alone Pret Pretty Pretty Pretty ty soon I 1 saw another watcher vatcher come c me out of the house down the street and walk away rather briskly A later he returned with another I sur surmised surmised surmised that the thc other was the doctor doctorI I 1 learned later that my m surmise was correct Another hour passed and an another another another other watcher came He was met at atthe atthe atthe the door by the doctor who talked with him a few moments and then they went away The village watch at another sick bedside was over The rhe he second day dav the few stores in the place were vere closed and andI I 1 heard the tolling of the bell in the of a little church I 1 felt it my duty to speak to my roy land landlord landlord landlord lord of the incident and was struck by his reply 4 Yes he said Its too bad If it had been one of us old people neole Deo le we have thought anything any thins about it but for lot a young person to die in our is Quite cuite a blow Just seems as asI asif I I if we cant spare em cm