When Joseph was 10
years old, he began assisting his
mother in her duties as a licensed midwife
and obstetrician. Joseph's role was that of
stable boy and buggy driver. At all hours of
the day or night, Joseph's duty was to hitch
up Old Meg to the buggy and drive his mother to
the home of the patient. In the daytime or summertime,
this work was pleasant. But in the nighttime
or wintertime, the work was more challenging. Sometimes they traveled
through rain, sleet, or snow in their well-ventilated buggy. And often, upon reaching
their destination, Joseph would wait in the buggy
while his mother performed her duties inside. Sometimes I nearly
froze to death. I marveled that so
many babies were born in the middle of
the night, especially on cold, winter nights. I fervently wished
that mothers might time things a little better.