Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-10-13
DIR. DORRITT'S FATE.

- D'Hf t"hAFN w Vac ~ opoAi CNl rs
Miss Alice, if you don't want me for any
thing Mrs. Garnet says | may go and see
DR.. Dorritt. You need mef"
mo; you can go; but don't bring DR..
Dorritt back with you, no matter how
badly he ants TO come"
d Dorritt is a pig" she explained to
her guests-"a pet pig, the property, or
rather the friend, Of Fonny. The boy
dotes on him, ana the pig returns the dot
ing with interest. You should see him
follow Fonny about like a dog when we
are ut 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 a picture book.
Fonny traced u 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 Founy's eyes. lntellectu-
ally, hc ranks high for "A pig. Before we
came to this place Fonny wept for days
because he was told that he could not
bring Dr.. Dorritt. Father relented ut
last, and said the pig might come If
Fonny would find a home for him in the
country. Accordingly DR.. DorTitt boards
at the Wildly McGeary's S, q 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 DO
no exaggeration to say that DR.. Dorritt
was his bosom send. No other creature
looked up to linn as TO a superior being.
DR.. Dorritt did. And where is the human
being, male or female, on whom this does
not have its effect? 1t is something TO DO
worshiped even by a pig.
DR.. Dorritt was Il 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
like 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.
"Dr. Dorritt has ~deepness In him" the
boy would say, when others venturcd TO
doubt the pigs mental ability. When
together Fonny and the doctor spent
much time in this kind Of dialogue:
"Dr. Dorritt, what do you think Of the
expostulatiOn Of science as elevated by
the discumbency of prehensile astronomy
and disgorged by the integrity and to-
tally of the Theological universe
Although this was n question which no
man could either understand or answer,
the learned doctor cleared 1t right up.
His small eyes would almost close and
his nostrils 90 upward IN snorts Of dis
dain at the ignorance which was unable
to cope with so simple u problem. His
opinion then came forth In a succession of
decisive grunts. These Fonny translated
rs a most lucid explanation Of the ques-
ton, whatever 1t 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
lutely without a peer.
Fonny's heterogeneous were generally
made up from the big words he heard in
Judge Garnettis 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 q question would take this
form: What's your opinion of a philos-
ophcr who rode a cucumber TO the horse
fair and came home without his support"
The grunts which followed this query
would be echoed by Fonny in this form;
"a fool! a fool a fool | quite agree with
you, doctor"
Fonny was an unconscious ~satirist. The
doctor and his wisdom s~atirized the hui
man family terriically; but the boy took
a curious pleasure in pretending that both
questions and answers were correct and
serious. He always came away from a
long talk with the pig greatly stimulated
in mind and fairly bulgipg with learning.
The doctor was also his oracle OF the
small affairs of every day life. "Wil it
come out 50 and SO, or will 1t happen
thus?" he would ask of his four footed
friend, and the reply was always TO his
entire satisfaction. In fact 1t could not
be otherwise when he acted as interpre-
ter. In this way all 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 rs questionable ability as
DR.. Dorritt?
When Fonny was deprived Of the com
forting society Of his pet and mentor, and
needed counsel, he ca9ed him up il
imagination and propounded his questions
with much the same result. Have we
not been told athousand times that beauty
Is in the eye of the beholder! That WI
see in others what we have within our
selves? Truly the imagination has power
to make its own world. 1t can even
endow an animal of the grossest tastes
and ~coerscst instincts with the attributes
of "a superior being. Fonny was not the
first Of his race to idealize a pig, nor will
he be tie last.
Today he had many things to lay before
his wise friend. So as he sauntered along
and imagined himself accompanied by the
doctor, and they exchanged opinions very
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. A grave and reverend seignior,
a Roman statesman, or mighty monarch
was he; and the pig, though so learned
and infalNble, wa somewhat beneath him
In rank.
This assumption of greatness made him
extremely happy and in nc way displeased
the pig. Is it remarkable that a 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 tho great per-
sonage he assumed to be.
Are not most friendships built on a
similar foundation? We seek the society
of persons who keep US in love with our
selves. We like those who see the good,
MT <ha axy,l sp ,o Thn <~tnvo1 Suhn fa11o