A Dog Doctor

"Canino lnfirmnry. Dr trents all discases of log. 1) i;s cal led on nt their rosldcnces. Offlue houw iVom 'J lill 4." This is the sign irhicli Ikiiijs over the door of ndiirjy litllo shop iu Canal Street. Witlijn the shop, ono side of wlncli is adorned with sliolvos f'ull of bottles, whilu tlio tluve othcr sicles are line l with tlojf ca es, was a smail boy, who said thilj "the doctor" was out'attcnJin,' to patients, but would be in piesently, and would the reporter piense bu soa tod. The reporter would. Tno room is not moro th ui .six by twelve l'oet in diinensione, itn.l even this spücc ií diminislicA by thu do_c cages arranged on tiers ab.mt Ihesiiics. These were ill cleanly kopt, au I thoiigh the oeciipants of' many of ihem were unable to stand u j, ihey rested on wliat seemed to bo comfortable conchos. "The doctor" carne in within a few niomeius. líe is an Afl'icilll, apparoiltlf lifty year-j oid, willi an intelligent lace an I quiot deineanor, and evcry dog iu the room ecoguised hil pres mee with a wag of Jio tait and a wluk, as inueh as tosay, 'He u ode retunda us." With "the doc'tor" was a youiiLf wouian wlio had come from Newark, N. J., to get medicine for a poodle. "Well," said the doctor at his flrst leisure moment, "1 havo treated Uogs oil an J 011 for uvur thirty years. If a dogi got auylhinii' the matter with hiin I eau find out wliat it is mighty quick, and if lie is curable at all 1 c:in tutcb hlm aruuiid as quick as the next one. Now, these dogs whicii you see around here are all patients of mine. That dog is one of my most valuable patients. Thcrc isnoLhing the matter with him. He is merel y stayiug with ne for the sunmier. llis owner is a jroker, who.se family hasgone abroal. and who (lid not want to take care of the dog. ïo-morrow 1 shall seiw him ,o the boarding-housc on Eighly-first streel. Tlie boarding-liouse isa larger Ljlace thaii this with plenty of grass ibout it, where the cios eau spend the summer in gooi eompany, aud get clean food. For a terrier, puií, 01' any small dog, the ratos are$l a week. A pointer paya $2. My quarters up ;here are nearly full now. 1 eiinnot nocoininodate more thau twenty-five or tliirty dogs at a time." "liutabout these sick fellows; how many have you on thu sick list now?" "Well, thiTü are about six or eiglit licrc, not including that setter, wluch will only be here muil her Hule family is soincwhat Slronger. Then I lave about as many moro to cali on. You see, soine of these rich people will not let tlieir dos le.ive tiie house at all, and I go to see theni once a day or once in two diys, as the case roqtiires. 1 charge $1 a viait for patients in town, $ö to Brooklyn, and $1U for out of luwn." "Ever see any touching secnes about adog'sdeatli?" "Why, I should say so. I have seen entire ïamilies wueping over a dying pet. One day last season I was standing at my office door wheii a coach was driven up to the curb, and the lootman jumped down and opened tho door. A gentleman stepped to the paveinenc, 1 went to the eurb, and lie hamled me a. be.utiful shawl, which containe i a lapdoj'. As lio ilid so he tumed to assist a lady from the carriaye, aud at the same time he said to me : "Will yoii picase take this dog into your care !'' "Why," s.iid I, "this dog is dead." "The lady sank to the parement as thougli slie were dead, too. tibe had fainied clean away upou the anïiouiiccment. "is it truc," askcd the reporter, "that the mijority of dog-dealers are dog-thieves?'' The doctor appeared not to hear this polnted qutry but SOemod to be poiulering ihe possibilities of mak i ng a gooil capture the uext time hc went to chui'ch.