KAREN: So, how often would there be a doctor who would come to town?

AGNES: Hmm, they used to try and come up at least once or twice, whenever they could.

KAREN: Once or twice a month, a week, a year?

AGNES: Year. And now it's four times a year.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

AGNES: Yep.

KAREN: And when you first started were you doing this health aide stuff by yourself?

AGNES: Uh-hum (affirmative).

KAREN: How did you do that?

AGNES: I don't know. Just like working in the hospital. You just went and took care of your patients or person that needed help. And you had to walk a long ways. A couple of miles anyway. Rain or shine, deep snow.

KAREN: Wow.

AGNES: Yep. It's a good thing we were young and healthy then. It's a wonder we never got whatever sickness people had. Colds or pneumonia, ear infections, tonsillitis, all kinds of crazy things.

KAREN: That also was sort of the common things you saw?

AGNES: Uh-hum (affirmative). Except for delivering babies.

KAREN: Yeah.

AGNES: That was something else.

KAREN: So, yeah. Tell me a little bit about delivering babies. Do you remember --

AGNES: I delivered three babies and they were all boys. See, the first one, the first boy I delivered was still in the water bag, they call it. I had to break that.

KAREN: So, you break it before the baby is delivered?

AGNES: Uh-hum (affirmative). 'Cause her water didn't break, her water didn't break. And then when he came out there was cord wrapped on his neck, so we had to make sure it wasn't choking him. He came out and just undid it.

And the mother would try to look, see if everything was going ok. I said: “Jessie, the cord is wrapped around the neck but I've got it. He's ok.”

KAREN: Sounds scary.

AGNES: It was. And then the second one, second boy, he was going to be born breech. But there was an old grandma there, she knew how to shift him so that he'd go to the birth canal. Turned out ok.

KAREN: Good.

AGNES: And then the third one, after the baby boy was born, the mother didn't expel the afterbirth and we had telephones then. And so I called the doctor and he said: “Well, just have her sit in a warm tub of water.” He said: “It should come out.” And sure enough it did. Yep. He's still alive.

KAREN: Yeah. That's great. I would have thought you would have delivered more babies than just three.

AGNES: Oh, no. No, when they had more jet service they have the pregnant mother go in two weeks early. But if they waited too long, they delivered at home. But it doesn't happen that way anymore.

KAREN: Now, those three you delivered were those people who chose to stay home or they just came too soon or something?

AGNES: There was one, the first one, she wanted to have her baby at home and she wanted me to deliver.

KAREN: That's an honor.

AGNES: Uh-hum (affirmative). That one, boy, I didn't start shaking 'til way after. Just thinking about what could have happened 'cause of the water bag not breaking. And worried if maybe some kind of infection -- nah, she was ok.

KAREN: That's good.

AGNES: Yep.