The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-04-23
DR.. Holmes to n Rev.

The kindly autocrat, DR.. Oliver Wen
dell Holmes, has been writing, says the
New York Tribune, a pleasant letter to
Master Holmes Dunlan, an eight-year
old Tennesseean, whose parents so ad-
mired the doctor that they gave their
son his name. The little fellow wrote
pretty childish letter to the autocrat,
adding this postscript: "P. S.-My lit
tie sister said to mamma, AS Buddy is
writing to a poet, | think shall write to
Shakespeare" And thus DR.. Holmes
answered: "My Dear Little Name.
sake: Ihave SO many letters that can
not do more than answer yours in a very
few words. 1 am glad that you 90 to
school, and have already learned to
write, and do sums, in arithmetic and
find places on the maps. I suppose you
know where Boston is, where I live. 1t
is pretty large city, but what do you
think l saw this forenoon out of the win
dow Of my library? It was flock of
wild ducks in the Charles river, SWIM
ming about just as much at home as if
they were tame ducks in a pond. We
have had very great snowstorm. Yes
terday saw boy, not much bigger, l
suppose, than you are, standing on top of
snow-drift, and his head was as high as
the street-lantern on the top of the tall
post where it was placed I am sorry
that cannot do everything that every
good little boy wants me to. am sorry
that cannot write you speech, but you
have written you letter. Be good and
industrious and obedient, and then you
will do credit to the name your father
has given you. Kiss your little sister,
and tell her there are no postoffices
where Shakespeare is now. Your friend,
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
Kindness Of Animals to One Another.
Hardaoicke's Science Gossip publishes
couple Of interesting anecdotes il]ustrat-
i've of the kinder impulses which the
lower animals often exhibit toward fee
bic creatures, even of widely-diferent
species. In the first instance, cat
which had been bereft of her young kit
tens few days before was allowed to
remain at the fireside, where five or six
little chicks just out of the shell were
placed until the remainder of the brood
should be ready to leave the nest. Pussy
Immediately expressed the deepest inter
est in the motherless chicks; and, "wish-
ing to see what would take place, the
owner allowed her to come near, when
she began to stroke them down with her
paw. in the most affectionate and tender
manner, and, after awhile, lying down,
gathered them we'll under her" The cat
remained brooding the little chickens in
this manner Ill the day. In the evening
the younglings were taken from her; but
the next day she again brooded them in
the same careful way. On the third day
the chickens were taken from her and
given to the proper mother, who had
now safely Matched her entire family.
In the second instance, a hen was af-
tlicted with total blindness, and could
only find food when it was placed close
beside her. She was this way enabled to
pick up enough to sustain life; but the
other barn-yard fowls, observing her dis
ability, oppressed her with continual ill
treatment. Shortly before her blindness
the hen had been purchased from a
neighboring farmer, together with an
other of the same brood. The latter had
young family to provide for; but, on
returning at night, she would her
blind sister, and gave the disabled one
shelter, along with her four little chick
ems, under her wings. This was con-
t.nued for several weeks, or until the
blind hen was killed by murderous
crew.