chill, it was "my poor son." "He's dying," she said, "and God knows what I shall do without him." "Well, I don't see how I can help you." I said. I was angry, because he'd been dying once before and she'd done everything but actually bury him. I imagined it was the same sort of dying this time, the sort a man gets over. I'd seen him about the week before on his way up the hill to see the big-breasted girl at the farm. I'd watched him till he was like a little black dot, which stayed suddenly by a square grey box in a field. That was the barn where they used to meet. I've very good eyes and it amuses me to try how far and how clearly they can see. I met him again some time after midnight and helped him get into the house without his mother knowing, and he was well enough then -- only a little sleepy and tired.

The old vixen was at it again. "He's been asking for you," she shrilled at me. 

"If he's as ill as you make out," I said, "it would be better for him to ask for a doctor." 

"Doctor's there, but he can't do anything." That startled me for a moment, I'll admit it, until I thought, "the old devil's malingering. He's got some plan or other." He was quite clever enough to cheat a doctor. I had seen him throw a fit that would have deceived Moses. 

"For God's sake come," she said, "he seems frightened." Her voice broke quite genuinely, for I suppose in her way

• I find this section interesting because they say that the son has been dying once before and then he sprung back…Also why was the narrator watching the son? That sounds kind of creepy to me. I think that the situation also gets a bit more serious when the old woman says that the doctor is already at the house and can't do anything.
• I am now starting to question the relationship of the narrator to the son of this woman he dislikes. It seems as if he does not take the notion of him being sick seriously. He does seem to care for the son somewhat as when the old woman says that the doctor cannot help he becomes startled. I wonder why the son would be asking for the narrator and what he could possibly do to help?
• This section cut out the possibility of it being a girlfriend, however it could still be a possible love interest or perhaps even the father of the son. That would also explain the disdain for the mother if they were divorced.
• Here we can sense that some kind of trouble is coming and that maybe just this time the women has good intentions.
• It sounds like the woman exaggerates on her son's well-being, especially when she says he is dying.. again. The narrator suggests that the son is good at embellishing sickness to make people think he is worst off than he actually is. It also sounds like the narrator and the son are quite close.
• At this point I don't know whether the son is actually in any sort of harm or not, the man says things like this have happened before, but at the end when he starts to second guess himself I as the reader also kind of second guess myself as well. Maybe there actually is something wrong with him.
• This woman sounds like she really cares about her son either that or she's talking complete nonsense to persuade this man to come to her house for reason I don't know. At this moment I can;t tell if the son is really sick or not.
• So the narrator isnt a doctor, who is he in relation to the vixen's son? now we have another harsh word to describe the women. We still dont know what the son is sick with.
• Another break in the sentence? Well then.
• Wait a second, why is this story called "The Second Death" anyway, because I'm starting to see its potential paranormal factor here, through the use of words like "devil" for all that matter, and "throw a fit that would have deceived Moses." Who is the person this old lady is talking to anyway? Is he a priest? No, he can't be, this person seems too young and meddles in the lives of young teenagers.
• So this has happened before it seems, but why? The author I'm going to assume wants us to be questioning the womans motives and of course who this narrator is. It amusing to see his/her irritations with the old woman.
• this man seems to think that the woman is lying to him and tricking him, but why? what does this woman want from him. im not quite understanding the story yet but maybe as i read more it will become more clear.
• The author expects us to feel a little pity for the woman because of the like "Her voice broke quite genuinely". We now know the relationship between the narrator and sick man as well as we are expected to believe the boy is deathly ill, but not in a way that the doctor can heal. I feel like the narrator is a preist of some sort and is going to heal the man, by like getting rid of evil spirits inside of him.
• the man is obviously friends with her son, and the author wants us to be curious about what's going to happen to her son.
• What is the relationship between the man and the son and the author wants us to wonder what is going to happen to her son and the direction the story is going
• It is obvious now that this man did have a relationship with the woman's son. The woman seemed to be very persuasive as well at getting the man to want to come to her house. Why was he helping him sneak into the house without his mother knowing? He was so sick that he needed a doctor? Well what is wrong with him... and how did he "cheat him"
• the mother is seeking her sons friend as he is ill to the point the doctors cant do anything, but I seems that the friend doesn't want to go see him, I wonder why. I understand he has seem him lately and looked less then ill. As the man said, the mother didn't do much the first time he was ill, why caring all the sudden. He does say he is mad about that.
• I don't understand what he means when he says the little boy had been dying before. Is the mother just being overly dramatic about the whole thing and making him feel bad for her? If the boy is only a "little sleepy and tired" he's obviously not legitimately dying. I also find it strange that he doesn't seem to care much about her as well as her son. Maybe there is some sort of past with him and her son as well.
• This part of the story shows the concern of the mother about her son which is very ill. The mother cares and loves his son.
• Why is it that her son cannot be helped by the doctor?
• This guy seems very critical of this woman and her son. I think the author wants us to pity the mother but not the son because the guy says that he is quite clever enough to cheat a doctor