The Story of Doctor Dolittle | Page 7

sight to see farm-animals wearing
glasses in the country round Puddleby; and a blind horse was a thing

unknown.
And so it was with all 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 a 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 were so many that came that he had to have special doors made
for 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 a separate door--even the mice had a tiny tunnel
made for them into the cellar, where they waited patiently in rows for
the Doctor to come round to them.
And so, in a few years' time, every living thing for miles and miles got
to know about John Dolittle, M.D. And the birds who flew to other
countries in the winter told the animals in foreign lands of the
wonderful doctor of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, who could understand
their talk and help them in their troubles. In this way he became famous
among the animals-- all over the world--better known even than he had
been among the folks of the West Country. And he was happy and
liked his life very much.
One afternoon when the Doctor was busy writing in a book, Polynesia
sat in the window-- as she nearly always did--looking out at the leaves
blowing about in the garden. Presently she laughed aloud.
"What is it, Polynesia?" asked the Doctor, looking up from his book.
"I was just thinking," said the parrot; and she went on looking at the

leaves.
"What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking about people," said Polynesia. "People make me sick.
They think they're so wonderful. The world has been going on now for
thousands of years, hasn't it? And the only thing in animal-language
that PEOPLE have learned to understand is that when a dog wags his
tail he means `I'm glad!'--It's funny, isn't it? You are the very first man
to talk like us. Oh, sometimes people annoy me dreadfully-- such airs
they put on--talking about `the dumb animals.' DUMB!--Huh! Why I
knew a macaw once who could say `Good morning!' in seven different
ways without once opening his mouth. He could talk every
language--and Greek. An old professor with a gray beard bought him.
But he didn't stay. He said the old man didn't talk Greek right, and he
couldn't stand listening to him teach the language wrong. I often
wonder what's become of him. That bird knew more geography than
people will ever know.--PEOPLE, Golly! I suppose if people ever learn
to fly--like any common hedge- sparrow--we shall never hear the end
of it!"
"You're a wise old bird," said the Doctor. "How old are you really? I
know that parrots and elephants sometimes live to be very, very old."
"I can never be quite sure of my age," said Polynesia. "It's either a
hundred and eighty- three or a hundred and eighty-two. But I know that
when I first came here from Africa, King Charles was still hiding in the
oak-tree-- because I saw him. He looked scared to death."

THE THIRD CHAPTER
MORE MONEY TROUBLES
AND soon now the Doctor began to make money again; and his sister,
Sarah, bought a new dress and was happy. Some of the animals who
came to see him were so sick that they had to stay at the Doctor's house
for a week. And when they were getting better they used to sit in chairs

on the lawn.
And often even after they got well, they did not want to go away--they
liked the Doctor and his house so much. And he never had the heart to
refuse them when they asked if they could stay with him. So in this
way he went on getting more and more pets.
Once when he was sitting on his garden wall, smoking a pipe in the
evening, an Italian organ- grinder came round with a monkey on a
string. The Doctor saw at once that the monkey's collar was too tight
and that he was dirty and unhappy. So he took the