New-York tribune., 1922-10-29
"Pd send oil the
old Dornen Dho
had sick cats or
dogs to yosx''

Puddleby- -on-the-
Marsh. All the folks, young and old, knew
him well by sight. And whenever he
walked down the street in his high hat every
one would say: "There goes the Doctor-he's
clever man"
And the dogs and the children would all run
up and follow behind him, and even the crows
that lived in the church tower would cav and
nod their heads. s] s.s-H2
The house ne lived In on the edge oq the
town was quite email, but his garden was very
large and had wide lawn and stone seats
and weeping willows hanging over. His sis
ter, Sarah Dolittle, was housekeeper for him,
but the Doctor looked after the garden him
self.
He was very fond Of animals and kept many
Kinds OF pets. Besides the goldfish in the pond
st the bottom of his garden he had rabbits in
the pantry white mice in his piano, squirrel
In the linen closet and a hedgehog in the eel
lar. He had cow with a calf, too and an
Old lame horse-twenty-five years of age
and chickens and pigeons and two lambs and
many other animals. But his favorite pets
were Dab-Dab the duck, Jip the dog, Cub
Cub the baby pig, Polynesia the parrot and
the owl Too-Too.
His sister used to grumble about all these
animals and said they made the house untidy.
And one day when an old lady with rheuma-
tism came to see the Doctor she sat on the
hedgehog, who was sleeping on the sofa. and
never came TO see him any more, but drove
every Saturday all the way to Oxenthorpe
another town, ten miles off, to see different
doctor.
Then his sister, Sarah Dolittle, came to
him and said:
SHOW can you expect sick folks TO come
to you when you keep all these ami
mails in the house? It's fine doctor who
would have his parlor full of hedgehogs and
mice! That's the fourth parsonage these ami
mails have driven away. Squire Jenkins and
the parson say they wouldn't come near your
aouse agan--no matter how sick they are. We
afs getting poorer every day. If you go on
Me this none of the best people will have you
for DOCTOR"
But like the animals better than the
best people, Nsaid the Doctor.
You are ridiculous!'' said his sister, and
walked out of the room.
30 as time went on the Doctor got more
ana more animals, and the people who came to
see him got less and less. Till at last he had
40 one left--except the Cat's-Meat Man, who
aldn't mind any kind of animals. But the
eass-Meat-Man wasn't very rich and he got
aes only once year--at Christmas time, when
s used to give the Doctor sixpence for a
pottle Of medicine.
eixpence year wasn't enough TO live on
ssen IN those days. long ago-and If the Doc
'0f hadn't had some money saved up in his
.aoaey box no one knows what would have
happened
and he kept on getting more pets, and, Of
course, 1t cost lot to feed them. And the
money ne had saved up grew hitler and littler.
tnen ne sold his piano and let the mice live
: = 2 bureau drawer. But the money he got
- snat, too, began TO go, so he sold the brown
= sas ne wore on Sundays and went on becon1-
sus poorer and poorer.
Ana now when he walked down the street
/ = ;, n's high hat people would say to one an
ssasr: There goes John Dolittle, M D.! There
3. aas time when he was the best known doctor
L. { me West Country. Look at him now. He
. any money and his stockings are full
-, out the dogs and the cats and the children
s. ssi ran up and followed him through the
sswn---the same as when he was rich.
80. - happened one day that the Doctor was
lung In his kitchen, talking with the Cats
ssSsfasas ~ Hush Setins and grs6'k A. s.okss Ca