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Show Some Dogs and Some Folks By C. B. WHITFORD g is, Western Newapaper I. Dluu.) "I wish vou would give me something some-thing for what ails me, Doc," said the handsome pointer as be walked Hit-the Hit-the doctor's office. "11 right, I'onto. that's what 1 m here for. just to give out dope for all manner of complaints. But what the matter with you." -Do I look all right?" "Nev-r saw vou looking better. Your coat iJ sleek, your eyes are bright and your pulse beats pretty well." . . "Tlu.t mav all be true, still I am t ri"ht. I wish you would tell me what the trouble is and then give me something some-thing for it." "Thai's about the easiest job we fellows fel-lows have. And it's one of the most profitable, because when we get hold of patients that ain't sick, we just give them a little dope that will give them a x-jw cramps and take their appetue awav. Then we give them something to time them up, and there you are." "Sav, Doc, dogs are a good deal like folks," hut they ain't that bad. I've known dogs that were there with a little lit-tle 'con,' all right. They would sidle up to another dog, wag their tail and smile as though they were tickled uearly to death to see the stranger, and then just as they had got his confidence they would pounce on him and give him a good licking before the confiding dog woke up to the fact that he had been conned. A dog-like dog-like that Is pretty near as bad as some folks. But that bunk of yours Doc, has got anything beat a dog would do. Getting down to business, what can you do for me? I'm a wise dog and won't stand for any game of con." "You're wise are you, Ponto? Now vou are just my kind. You may not know it, but it's the real wise ones that lake the salve in large doses. I don't want anything easier than a wise man or woman who thinks they are sick when they are well. One of "those wise women came in to see me the other day. " 'Doctor,' she said, 'I'm all out of sorts. I wisli you'd see what you can do for me.' "There was nothing the matter with her except that she had too much money and things were coming too easy for her. She was fat and carried car-ried a gloom around with her like a man who was about to he sent to prison. I looked at her, put the light out of my face and slowly shook my head. " 'Is it anything serious?' she exclaimed. ex-claimed. "'Well,' I said very slowly, 'It is a puzzling kind of a case. You really look well.' " 'That's what every one tells me Doctor,' she said. " 'But you ain't well. You have been gaining flesh. That's a bad sign.' Then I shook my head some more and felt her pulse. Worry ! Worry ! Trouble ! You haven't got neuresthenla." " 'My,' she exclaimed with a start. " 'Still, your whole nervous system is affected.' Well to make a long story short when I got through looking different kinds of looks at her and had given various sorts of head shakes, she would have looked in the glass and been Sure she was in a fair way to Tie-come Tie-come a nervous wreck. Of course, you understand, she was a very wise woman, and what is more she had plenty of money, while I was just a little short. I didn't hurt her, but 1 scared her some, made her sick, made her well again and got the money." "I've seen a hungry dog scheme around to steal a bone, but you can't blame a hungry dog much for lying to get something to eat. I know some folks that have got us beat at this game. I guess I had better be going. You are too slick for me, Doc." "That's all right, Ponto. I wouldn't con a poor dog any more than I would poor folks. We fellows are just like you dogs. We have got to live and we must get the money from the rich and help the poor." "Can you really tell what alls me? I know for a fact that something's wrong with me. No bunk, Doc." "You're all right and you ain't all right. You're like some folks. You're in wrong. Here you are a great big fine looking pointer dog trying to live Hhe life of a good-for-nothing pug dog. You're itching all over to go to work at your own job of hunting birds. You're a failure at the job you have, just as a lot of folks get the wrong job. Many a doctor who saws people's bones ought to be sawing wood, and many a poor wood sawer would make a good doctor. -Folks get the wrong job and fret and never amount to anything. They are misfits. mis-fits. Now if you could find a new home and get a chance to hunt birds you'd be all right. Of course you would get wet and cold and come home covered wifh mud. Perhaps you'd bring a ravenous appetite with you and not find anything to satisfy it. Then you might have to sleep In a woodshed, but you'd be more contented con-tented than you are now, living on the fat of the land and sleeping on a soft cushion next to the radiator. F.very man to his graft, Ponto, and the same for every dog. Lots of folks have money they don't know how to use. Tt just makes them miserable." "That .sounds good to me, Doc. I hn'e to give up my soft warm bed and good eating, but what's the use? Something's Some-thing's eating me and I guess it's as you say. I ought to get into my class I and stay tlrere. I'll hunt a new .horns 1 t once. So long. Doc." |