New-York tribune., 1922-10-29

AS soon as the Cat's-Meat-M Man had told
every one that John Dolittle was going 20
become an animal doctor old ladies began to
bring him their pet pugs and poodles who had
eaten too much cake, and farmers came many
miles to show him sick cows and sheep.
One day plow horse was brought to him,
and the poor thing was terribly glad to find a
man who could talk in horse language.
''You know, Doctor" said the horse, 'ethat
vet over the hill knows nothing at all. He
has been treating me six weeks now-for
spavins. What / need is spectacles. am
going blind in one eye. There's no reason
why horses shouldn't wear glasses, the same
as people. But that stupid man over the hill
never even looked at my eyes. He kept on
giving me big pills. / tried to tell him, but
he couldn't understand word Of horse IAN
guage What / need is spectacles."
"Of course, Of course" said the Doctor. "T'u
get you some at once"
ssT WOULD like pair like yours" said tho
horse, "only green. They'll keep the Gun
out of my eyes while I'm plowing the Fifty
Acre Field"
Certainly" said the Doctor. Screen ones
you shall have"
"You know, the trouble is, SIR" said thu
plow horse as the Doctor opened the front door
to let him out, the trouble is that anybody
thinks he can doctor animaIs-just because the
animal don't complain. AS matter of fact,
it takes much cleverer man to be a really
good animal doctor than it does to be good
peoples DOCTOR My farmers boy thinks he
1rr,ou oil oto,{ Y ,,srt,
him-hs face is so fat he looks as though he
had no eyes-and he has got as much brain as
a potato bug. He tried.to put mustard plas-
ter on me last week"
"Where did he put it?" asked the Doctor.
"Oh, he didn't put it anywhere-on me-, said
the horse. "He only tried to. 1 kicked him
into the duck pond.
"Wel, well.' said the Doctor.
'In pretty quiet creature as rule" said
the horse; "very patient with people-don't
make much fuss. But it was bad enough to
have that vet giving me the wrong medicine.
And when that red-faced BOBBY started to
monkey with me just couldn't bear it any
more"
"Did you hurt the boy much7"
"Oh, no." said She horse. 81 kicked him In
the right place. The vets looking after him
now. When will my glasses be ready7"
"I'l have them for you next week." said the
Doctor. Come in again Tuesday; good morn-
ing"
Then John Dolittle got fine, big pair of
green spectacles, and the plow horse stopped
going blind in one eye and could see as well
as ever.
And soon it became a common sight to see
farm animals wearing glasses in the country
around Puddleby, and blind horse was q
thing unknown.
60 1T was with the other animals that
were brought to him. AS soon as they
found that he could talk their language they
told him where the pain was and how they felt,
and, of course, it was easy for him to cure
them.
Now, all these animals went back and told
their brothers and friends that there was q
doctor in the little house with the big garden
who really was a doctor. And whenever any
creatures got sick-not only horses and cows
and dogs, but all the little things of the fields,
like harvest mice and water voles, badgers and
bats-they came at once to his house on the
edge of the town, SO that his big garden was
nearly always crowded with animals trying
to get in to see him.
There We're SO many that came that he had
to have special doors made fer the different
kinds He wrote HORSES" over the front
door, COWS over the side door and
SHEEP" on the kitchen door. Each kind of
animal had separate door--even the mice had
tiny tunnel made for them into the cellar,
where they waited patiently in rows for the
Doctor to come around to them.
With the animals doing the housework for
the Doctor and economizing in every way
they could things went along all right for a
while, but without money they found it very
hard
Then the animals made a vegetable and
flower stall outside the garden gate esld sold
radishes and roses to the people that passed
by along the road.
"Ths Adventures of Dr. Doliftle' uM "a
soati,ssssd IN the Magasisse Section of
). eeas Sundays Tribu.s