Marion Receives Help
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
Marion breaks down
After she had to put down an injured sheep
I was sitting on a log crying like a baby when somebody put their hand on my shoulder and said, "I don't blame you one bit. It's a drastis business; a dirty business". That was Mr. Proctor. He come back with Frank. We took him over the pasture some. We found those 3 in the corner and we tried to get them back to the Lodge. We would load some into the car and take them up to the Lodge. As fast as we found any we thought we could do something for we took them up to the Lodge. We didn't know at that time that a dog' bite was poison to sheep. We worked on those sheep and the next day we had to go over again and do some more of it. That night just about the time we got the last ones brought over to the Lodge 2 women showed up that wanted to stay overnight. Oh boy, I just wished we had never had the trail or the lodge. I didn't want to see anybody, but, you know, they took hold and said, "Now we'll help you with the supper. What has happened?" We told them and they said, "We'll help get something to eat, then we'll help you with the sheep". These 2 women were Fitchburg girls. I had never known them before but we were friends from this time on. One was Elso Hunock and one was Alice Thayer. That night we worked until one o'clock clipping wounds and putting on pine tar because that time of year flies could bite.
Photo Archives
Misty day at Wapack Lodge
James Roger diary entry - Pullets 18
13th January 1913
Hard frost, 10 above, fine day with cool NE to E winds. David chopping in pasture in forenoon. Daniel helping him in the afternoon. I fixed Hall in morning for the lecture on Wednesday and chopped some old wood in the barn. Also went to afternoon mail, paid telephone a/c (account), also box rent. Mrs. Tucker told me a number of people were sick. Mrs. Searles of Greenville is dead, and Mr. Bucknam called to see if David would help to dig grave. Mrs. Flagg and Mrs. Tarbell, also Mrs. Cushing are sick, and some folks about Smithville and G.S. Wheeler and his housekeeper are sick also. Pullets 18. David got 2 nice letters from night mail: one from Mrs. Spofford; the other from Mr. (?) Gordon.
Angels are said to arrive in unexpected and strange forms sometimes and the Lodge guests Hunock and Thayer seem to qualify. As well as the neighbor who helped her load and tend the wounded sheep. Marion spent so much of her life helping others, whether two-legged or four-legged, and it’s good to hear that people arrived to help her.
I feel Marion's sadness. It seems unfair that innocent individuals (2 legged or 4 legged) should suffer like this. It makes it more difficult to endure when one feels partly at fault for not having done something that may have prevented this. I've experienced this. I'm sure Marion felt that she somehow had let her sheep down, although it wasn't her fault.