Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-05-11
sequel as I gathered it through my
investigations.
THF Grateful POODLE.

6
THE GRATEFUL POODLE.
One day a benevolent physician (who
had read the bOOks) having found a stray
poodle suffering from a broken leg, con-
veyed the poor creature home, and after
setting and bsndaging the injured limb
gave the little outcsst his liberty again
and thought no more about the matter.
But bow great was his surprise, upon
opening his door one morning, some days
later, to find the grateful poodle patients
ly waiting there, and 10 its company with
another stray dog, one of whose legs, BY
some accident, had been broken. The
kind physician at once relieved the dis.
tressed animal, nor did he forget to
admire the inscrutable goodness and
mercy of God, who had been willing to
use so humble an instrument as the poor
outcast poodle for theinculcating of, etc,
etc, etc.
Sequel-The next morning the beneY.
client physician found the two dogs, beam
ing with gratitude, waiting at his door,
and with them two other dogs-cripples.
The cripples were speedily healed, and
the four went their way, leaving
the benevolent physician more over.
come by pious wonder than ever. The
day passed, the morning came. There
at the door sat nowthe four reconstructed
dogs, and with them four others requiring
reconstruction, This day also passed,
and another morning came; and now
sixteen dogs, eight OF them newly Grip
pied, occupied the sidewalk, and the
people were around. BY noon the
broken legs were all set, but the pious
wonder in the good physicians breast
was beginning to get mixed with inyol.
untary profanity. The sun rose once
more, and exhibited thirty-two dogs,
sixteen OF them with broken legs, occu
plying the sidewalk and half of the street;
the human spectators took up the rest of
the room, The cries Of the wounded.
the songs of the healed brutes, and the
comments of the on looking citizens
made great aud inspiring cheer, but
traffic wssinterrupted in the street. The
good physician hired a couple
Of assistant surgeons and got
through his benevolent work before
dark, first taking the ~precaution to
cancel his church membership, so that
he might express himself with the
latitude which the case required.
But some things have their limits.
When once more the morning dawned,
and the good physician looked out up0n
a masssd and tar.reaching multitude of
clam0rous and beseechiug dogs, he said 1:
{" might as well acknowledge it, | have
been fooled by the books; they only tell
the pretty part of the story, aud then
stop. Fetch me the shotgun; this
thing has gone along far enough"
He Issued forth with his weapon
snd CHANGED to step upon the tail
of the original poodle, who promptly
bit him in the leg, Now the great and
good work which this poodle had
been engaged in had en~gendered
in him such a mighty and augmenting
enthusiasm as to turn his weak head at
last and drive him mad, A month later,
when the benevolent physician lay in the
death throes Of hydrophobia, he called
his weeping friends about him and said
Beware Of the books, They tell bat
half az the story, Whenever q poor
wretch asks you for help, and you feel a
doubt as to what result may flow from
your benevolence, give yourself the
benefit Of the doubt and kill the appli.
can't"
And so saying he turned his face tC
the wall and gave up the ghost,