The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-08-12
BL ERNIE PYLE NEA Service Special COrTe-
 HpOndent

spondent
 Callander, Ont, Aug. 12.-Dr. Da- foe came to the door himself when I rang, and said Where you been?" We've been looking for you for a week."
 So I said, "Well. you ought to know I'm always Q week late, and sometimes I never get any place. What's the difference?"
 We sat down and talked. was keen to see how much, and in what way Dr. Daoe had changed since I saw him three years ago.
 At that time the north woods country doctor who attended the birth of the Dionne quintuplets still wore a funny short-billed cap. g sweater, old pants, and put his feet on the desk and just chatted away.
 He is still friendly, and full of sly humor and little jokes. He still smokes his pipe. He still talks fast, and quite bit. But he has changed. It couldn't be otherwise.
 Tn appearance, he is now indistin- guishable from big city doctor. His gray suit fits him, and he looks fine in 1t. He doesn't look dressed up"; he just looks well dressed. The change is not all h his clothes, either. He looks younger than he did three years ago. His face is more radiant. And some- how you can sense more sophis- tication in 1t.
 I hardly know how to describe the change in his manner. It's @ change that has to come to all people who ride the hero's wagon. You put up a little shell around yourself, to keep people from kill- ing you.
 I've studied 1t in lots of public flgures-the movie stars, the avia- ton heroes, the haunted politi- clans. It's a veneer diplomacy, al- ways a little on guard.
 There is a little of that in Dr. Dafoe. And a little rush to get 1t over. to conserve his own time for himself. But even this change is very slight. Inside, don't believe he has changed at all.
 HAPPIER
 THAN BEFORE
 While we talked, 8 woman tour ist stopped, reached over the doc tors fence, tore a leaf from a tree, and carried 1t away as souvenir. Dr. Dafoe just laughed, and said they even take sticks of wood of his woodpile as souvenirs.
 I asked him point blank if all the adoration and publicity and streams of hero worshipers en- croaching upon his life has soured him. He said:
 T haven't let 1t. just had to put up the bars. The way things are now I'm not bothered much. | I've got as much time to read now as l ever had"
 Then I asked, Are you as happy | as you were before this thing | ever happened?"
 He said, T believe I'm happier You know I'd got indifferent, didn't | give a damn. This has given me | something to be interested in again. And enough money to put my boy !! through school the way want to-"
 Dr. Dafoe's office and house have | changed but little. The two office | rooms in the front have been spruced up. There's new desk, and 8 French telephone. And on the wall are framed certificates of titles and degrees that have come to him
 Just back of the office is the doctors library. It is large con- fortable room with deep davenports and chairs, plenty of light, and lined with books.
 Dr. Dafoe has always been a fiendish reader, and still is. He reads like lightning. He takes a page in few seconds.
 He reads everything-but especial ly mystery stories. He gets half a dozen books a week up from Toronto. | Friends send him books from all over | the world. Publishers send him many ! complimentary copies.
 THE DOCTORS
 NO LETTER WRITER
 Dr. Dafoe has surrounded himself with former newspapermen. Gordon Moffatt is his secretary, Keith Nun roe is the quints' business man. ager. Fred Davis is the official photographer. All came from the Toronto Star.
 pr. Dafoe still shutters some. And Keith Munroe stutters little too. Fred Davis says that when the three of them get together, they got him to suffering so he can hardly talk, doesn't sutter at all on the radio talk. Oddly enough, Dr. Dafoe doesn't stutter at all on the radio or before an audience.
 MofYatt is the doctors front man. Without him, the doctor would go crazy. He handles all the mail, phone calls and door callers.
 MofYa.t personally answers every letter that comes to Dr. Dafoe or the quintuplets. In two years he has written 15,000 letters on the type writer. Dr. Dafoe has never dictat- ed one. He hates to write letters. Moffatt even writes to the doc tors relatives for him.
 Dr. Dafoe is out to the Quintuplet hospital every morning at 8:30. Later he drives to North Bay to see Nun TO. Tn the afternoon he fills what ever appointments Moffatt has made for him, and reads the rest of the time.
 He eats all his meals at home: his Scotch housekeeper has been with him 12 years.
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