Edith Smith VanKleek | Courtesy of Diane Grainger

At age 15 , I was the first one in High Prairie to get the flu . We didn ’ t know it was the flu . I had been staying with the owners of the hotel , the Spauldings , and I was in bed for a week before Christmas 1918 . There was no doctor or medicine .

They put mustard plasters on me , and when my skin blistered , they changed the mustard plasters to fried onion poultices on my chest and back . They gave me some little white pills , which I now believe were aspirin .

After I got over the flu , the Spauldings ’ daughter got it , and after Christmas the flu became the terror of the community . Mr . Spaulding had some medical training and gave all his time now to visiting the sick .

Never since the Black Death in England had there been an epidemic where people died in such numbers . With his driving team , Mr . Spaulding drove around the country every day , checking on homes and helping those who got the flu — taking food and aspirin , of which he seemed to have a big supply ( likely bought from Eaton ’ s catalogue ). The fresh air must have been good for him , as he didn ’ t get the flu . My family at the homestead didn ’ t get it either — they just simply quit coming to town .

Five miles out in the country , Mr . Spaulding found the Hanna family all in bed with the flu : father , mother , and three small children . He didn ’ t know what to do . So many were dying now . He was desperate . “ We just can ’ t let that little family die out there alone ,” he said , but nobody would go there . Everyone either had the flu or were terrified of getting it . Finally , he hit on a solution . “ How about taking Edith out there ? She ’ s had the flu and won ’ t get it again .”

I knew little about nursing , but Mr . Spaulding told me what to do , and came out every day to see how we were getting along . He would give me instructions on how to care for flu patients from what he had learned about caring for the sick . “ Keep the house warm ,” he said . “ Put mustard plasters on them the same as we did on you and use onions on the small children . ( One child was a 2½-year-old .) Keep their bowels open with Epsom salts . Try to get them to eat something .”

An eighteen-year-old neighbour boy did the chores , set two full pails of milk on the outside edge of the porch for me to carry in and separate , and also brought our water supply — but only to the edge of the porch . I had to carry it into the house . If I opened the door to talk to him , he retreated , fast .

I had no appetite since I had recovered from the flu , so I didn ’ t get my strength back . I made some porridge for the sick every day that they tried to eat . I had to feed the children , as they wouldn ’ t eat by themselves . They would sip boiled milk , and that saved them . About all that I ate were slices of bread with cream and sugar on them . I had never liked boiled milk and wasn ’ t interested enough in eating to cook anything . Mr . Spaulding kept us supplied with

36 | arta . net