The Washington herald., 1916-03-29

~
a great big, broad-shouldered
man with a roly-poly, Santa
Claus tummy long white whiskers,
erinkly blue eyes and strong. capa-
Die, loving hands that toiled from
morning until night for the benefit
Of humanity. That is why we the
atrical people all came to call him
odd DR.. Happiness"
From morning until late at night,
we would see his kindly, beaming
face, calling out a passing welcome
or au revoir as he drove by in his
little, creaky buggy, which was, like
heshorse, getting very old, rusty and
lopsided
He was the family physician Of
many neighborhoods, but conferred
most of his interest upon the little
brick hospital built at the end of a
long, shady lane-a hospital for Grip
pied children.
Hello, DR.. Happiness" we would
call out as he came chuckling past.
Where are you bound for now?"-
for his arms were not only filled with
medicines which he himself was tax
ing to some patient who could not
afford to buy them Of the druggist,
but strengthening, bulky bundles,
which, if you had taken the trouble
to peek into, you would have found
contained surprising and amusing
toys.
"On my way to see my little ones,
he would always reply, "and if I am
fifteen minutes late l have to stand
for an awful dressing down. Those
little fellows, they sure do believe il
they spare the rod they will spoil the
old man, and I wouldn't disappoint
them for a rainbow with a pot Of
gold at the end of it"
Take me with you" one day ]
called out, as l knew by the burden
children's hospital.
Old DR.. Happiness drew up his
little rig and gave me a hearty in
vitation to climb up beside him, even
allowing me to hold the reins and
drive poor, patient Lucinda Lee, who
had been carrying the doctor around
for the last fifteen years.
What a morning it was! One OF
-
life, far from what you expected from
the unhappy promise of Children
hospital" 1t is true there were a
score of little tykes who could never
put aside their pathetic crutches, and
children who could not even be lifted
out of their long, narrow beds, bound
down as they were by heavy casts
and braces.
But there were no inharmonious
wailing voices to greet us as old DR.
Happiness opened the door-nothing
save the cheeriest and merriest oil
welcomes.
What have you got for me?'
shouted one. why weren't you here
sooner?" called out another. Have
you forgotten M WHISTLE? shouted
a third. 81 want a balloon" came
from the fourth little crib, and, AZ
don't want to take my medicine"
came from the fifth, and who is the
girl with the long curls standing back
Of you: sang out a voice from the
sixth.
"Oh. for shame" stamped the doc
tor, shaking his cane at chem as il
he were bristling with anger and
d1smay. Where are your manners
you young scalawags? Hold your
tongues, every one of you, and if you
don't mind your P's and Q's she
won't tell you all about the pretty
countries far away from here she has
visited and all about the little Es-
<imo, Indian and Mexican children
that | am sure have ever so much
nicer manners than you have"
This convulsed the children with
laughter, and when the last giggle
had subsidized the doctor led me from
one bedside to another. and | clasped
little, hot. Pulsing hands in mine and
felt as if | would gladly give my
own strength to feed their pinched
and wan little bodies.
Later, we formed a club, and each
day one Of US went to this hospital
with old DR.. Happiness, and after he
had made his rounds and prescribed
pills and peppermint candies we
stayed an hour or two to tell them
stories. How grateful little cripples
were and how beautiful it made their
days, which, were it not for old DR..
Happiness, would have been long and
dull and gloomy!
Sometimes l think when women
have organized a club with a serious
purpose for its existence, if they
turned less attention to municipal
charities and went individually to the
Did peoples homes, to read to the