Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-25
DIR. D0RRITTS FATE.


''No; you can go; but don't bring DR..
Dorritt back with you, 10 matter how
badly he wants to come"
''Dr. Dorritt is pig" she explained to
her guests-"a pet pig, the property, or
rather the friend, of Fonny The boy
dotes on him, and the pig returns the dot
ing with interest. You should see him
follow Fonny about like dog when we
are at home. He can do several smart
little tricks, too; but he will obey nobody
but Fonny. He was named in honor of a
stubby little doctor in picture book.
Fonny traced a resemblance to this gen.
tleman in the pigs face and figure, and
christened him accordingly. He is GER
tainly the most unattractive of his race;
but is perfect in Fonny's eyes. Intellectu-
ally, he ranks high for pig. Before we
came to this place Fonny wept for days
because he was told that he could not
bring DR.. Dorritt. Father relented at
last, and said the pig might come if
Fonny would find homo for him in the
country Accordingly Dr.. Dorritt boards
at the Wildly McGeary's,' mile or more
directly west"
Fonny went away light Of heart,
''whistling a foolish tune, and thinking
of the joys in store for him. 1t would be
no exaggeration TO say that Dr. Dorritt
was his bosom friend No other creature
looked up to him as to q superior being.
Dr. Dorritt did And where is the human
being, male or female, on whom this does
not have it's effectf 1t is something to be
worshiped even by pig.
DR.. Dorritt was one of the chief figures
in the boys mental kingdom today. 1t
pleased Fonny to assume that the doctor
ably sustained his title. When he felt
Ike sitting at the feet of wisdom he pro-
pounded the deepest and most unanswer-
able questions to him, and the doctor al
ways threw light upon them.
DIR. Dorritt has deepness in him." the
boy would say, when others ventured to
doubt the pigs mental ability. When
together Fonny and the doctor spent
much time in this kind of dialogue:
Or. Dorritt. what do you think of the
eypostulation of science as elevated by
the discumbency of prehensie astronomy
and disgorged by the integrity and to-
tality of the neurological universe?"
Although this was question which no
man could either understand or answer,
the learned doctor cleared it right up.
His small eyes would almost close and
his nostrils go upward in snorts of dis
dain at the ignorance which was unable
TO cope with SO simple a problem. His
opinion then came forth in a succession of
decisive grunts. These Fonny translated
as a most lucid explanation of the ques-
ton, whatever it was. Indeed, if tho
boys opinion of the pigs wisdom was cor
rect, he was able to throw light on the
darkest problems which affect the race of
men. He was equally learned in law,
logic, theology, philosophy and all the
physical sciences; but in law he was abso-
lutely without peer.
Fonny's interTogatories were generally
made up from the big words lie heard in
Judge Garnett's home or Office and in
church, thrown together without regard
to Conference or relevancy. As in the case
of all who assume. learned attitudes, this
trifing obscurity of style was no draw
back to the doctor in expounding his
views thereon.
Sometimes question would take this
form: Whats your opinion Of philos-
opher who rode cucumber to the horse
fair and came home without his supper"
The gruDts which followed this query
would be echoed by Fonny in this form:
"a fool fool! fooll quite agree with
you. doctor"
Fonny was an unconscious satirist. The
doctor and his wisdom satirized the hui
man family terrifcally; but the boy took
a curious pleasure in pretending that both
questions and answers were correct and
serious. He always came away from
long talk with the pig greatly stimulated
in mind and fairly bullying with learning
The doctor was also his oracle on the
small.affairs of every day life "WiH it
come out so and SO, or will it happen
thus2" he would ask of his four footed
friend, and the reply was always to his
entire satisfaction. In fact it could not
be otherwise when he acted as interpre-
ter. In this way ali the boys perplexi-
ties were made plain. And who shall say
that his oracle was less wise than that of
many presumably learned men, who go
sometimes for guidance in temporal affairs
to advisers of as questionable ability as
DR.. Dorritt?
When Fonny was deprived Of the COM
forting society of his pet and mentor, and
needed counsel. he caked him up in
imagination and p-opounded his questions
with much the same result. Have we
not been told a thousand times that beauty
is in the eye of the beholder? That we
see in others what we have within our
TO make its own world. 1t can even
endow an animal of the grossest tastes
md coarsest instincts with the attributes
of superior being. Fonny was not the /
first of his race to idealize pig, nor will /
he be the last.
Today he had many things to lay before |
his wise friend So as he sauntered along /,
and imagined himself accompanied by the |
or,I
freely. Mark you, when he was with the /
doctor. either in fancy or reality, he was
no longer the humble serving boy, ready .
to fetch and carry and run at the call of .
another. 4 grave and reverend seignior,
a Roman statesman. or mighty monarch
was he; and the pig, though so learned
and infalible, was somewhat beneath him
In rank.
This assumption of greatness made him
happy and in no way displeased
the pig. Is it remarkable that strong
friendship existed between them? Each
had his self respect fostered by tho defer
entail attitude of the other. Each felt
that the other saw him as he really was,
and not as the dull and commonplace
beings about them saw him. Each for
the time believed himself the great per-
sonage he assumed to be.
Are not most friendships built on
similar foundation? We seek the society
IF persons who keep Us in love with our
selves. We like those who see the good.
aot the evil in us. The friend who tells
is of our faults may have the welfare Of
,ur immortal souls at heart; but for the
life of us we cannot love him Us we love
.he friend who never chides.
Thecsfore, the affection of the meanest
animal has IN il quality soothing and