An episode appeared twice a month
in The Michigan Farmer magazine.
Whitepaw Goes to the Hospital
"When Dr. Williams shook his head, I didn't have
much hope for Whitepaw," Uncle Joe continued his story of the little
bear. "The doctor said that Whitepaw had one chance in ten of getting
well because the quill had worked into the end of the little cub's nose.
"The doctor decided to operate at once, and before
Whitepaw knew what it was all about we had him on a long table, a cloth
soaked in chloroform over his nose.
"In a short time the doctor had the end of the quill
cut out and the nose bandaged.
"When the operation was completed, Dr. Williams showed
me where he kept his patients. It was in a large window overlooking
the main street of the town. Back of the window was a large shelf like
you find in grocery stores where, as the doctor explained, dogs, cats
and other small animals were kept while getting well. Here, the doctor
decided to keep Whitepaw. Not only would it be a very comfortable place
for the little bear, but it would be an attraction to the townspeople."
Uncle Joe paused a moment to look out of the tower.
"Whitepaw was sleeping comfortably back of the window
when I left him late that night. The doctor said that Whitepaw was doing
much better than he expected and that I might be able to take him back
to Friendly Forest within a week if everything went right. I didn't
know it then but it was to be many weeks before I was to see Whitepaw
again."
"Did he die or something?" Jerry asked.
Uncle Joe shook his head. "No, nothing like that.
But I didn't know what happened to him until nearly a year later."
"What made him leave the doctor?" Jerry questioned.
"Well," said Uncle Joe, "I guess he must
have been dreaming of Friendly Forest . The doctor told me about part
of it when I went to town for Whitepaw.
"Instead of dying as the doctor had at first feared,
the little cub was up and about in his window ward and very curious
about everything that happened. He was soon able to eat and drink, and
made friends with the doctor from the first day. People came to the
window to see the bear cub with the bandage on his nose, and some of
the boys brought peanuts for the doctor to give to Whitepaw. Whitepaw
seemed to like peanuts."
"Bears don't get peanuts in the woods, do they Uncle
Joe?" Jerry asked.
"Well, they don't get peanuts," Uncle Joe replied,
"but they find beechnuts and hickory nuts. In some sections they
also find walnuts and butternuts."
"The day I went to town expecting to bring Whitepaw
back with me if he were well enough," Uncle Joe continued, "I
found a large crowd of people around Dr. William's office window. But
the people were not looking at Whitepaw at all. They were looking at
where he had been. He had been up to one of his tricks, for right in
the center of the window was a large jagged hole.
"Whitepaw had disappeared."
Click HERE to read "Whitepaw
Joins a Circus"
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© 2004 Leo VanMeer
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