Doctor Bull Page #2

that veterinarian over at Torrington.

By morning she'll be dead.

Well, I like that.

Well, there ain't anything else

you can do here.

You, uh, got any cider?

Come into the house.

Gonna stay for supper?

Always do, don't I?

Come on in.

Gee, you look pretty, Jane.

Aw, you always look pretty.

What mischief have you been up to

the last three days?

Mischief?

Been to choir practice mostly.

Well, I've been sticking pretty close

to Joe Tupping too.

I know doctors never tell

their professional secrets...

but have you any hope for Joe?

Pretty worried about him, Jane.

Well, that's a good sign for him.

- Hmm?

- How's the cider?

As Shakespeare says,

"It warms the cockles of my heart."

When I was a little tiny boy

With a heigh-ho

the wind and the rain

You have been

to choir practice, haven't you?

Silly old fool.

L-I don't know.

I kind of relax when I get up here...

on these windswept hills with thee.

Thank you, George.

You know, some old early settler

had the thing about right...

when he- he said that, uh...

most of life was a storm.

And without a harbor, a man is lost.

And a woman?

A woman don't need refuge

like a man.

I wonder.

Oh, Miss Janet, supper's ready.

- Good evening, Dr. Bull.

- Good evening, Mary.

Excuse me.

I can remember the time when you

used to leap to pull my chair out for me.

Say, I could leap some

in those days too, couldn't I?

- Oh, guess I'm gettin' old.

Or maybe- maybe your cider

was younger in those days.

You just take me for granted,

that's all.

No. You're wrong there, Jane.

I phoned and phoned,

and I could get no answer.

How is she now?

Mrs. Talbot's calmed down,

but Mamie's just the same.

- I wonder where Dr. Bull could be.

- Come here.

There's where he is.

Up there on that hill.

Do you see that light?

The shame of it!

Mamie lying there, needing him...

breathing her last breath maybe...

and he and Janet Cardmaker

are up there.

And what do you suppose they're doing?

Oh, it's a shame.

I'll tell you what they're doing.

"'Did you say pig or fig? ' said the Cat.

"'I said pig,' replied Alice...

"'and I wish you wouldn't keep

appearing and vanishing so suddenly.

"You make one quite giddy.'

"'All right,' said the Cat, and this time

it vanished quite slowly...

"beginning with the end of the tail

and ending with the grin...

"which remained some time

after the rest of it had gone.

"'Well, I've often seen a cat

without a grin,' thought Alice...

"'but a grin without a cat-

It's the most curious thing

I ever saw in all my life."'

- Silly kind of a thing, but sort of funny at that.

Well, that's why it's funny, George.

- Listen, I'm not here. You understand?

- Yes, you are.

- I'm not here!

Hello.

Yes. Oh, all right.

I'll tell him. George-

Oh, what'd you tell 'em

I was here for?

Mrs. Ely says Mamie Talbot's worse.

They want you to come right over.

Come on. You've got to go.

I just come by there a while ago

on my way over here.

Well, the old doctor's got to go...

no matter what happens.

Say, that old bunion, when you get here

by the fire, it kind of swells up on you.

Got to have me some house slippers.

Where's my coat?

Here.

I'm gonna quit this business

some of these days...

and I'm gonna come up here-

- Where's my nubie?

- Here.

I'm gonna sleep a month right there

on that couch, right by that fire.

You'll be welcome, George.

- Thanks, Jane. Where's my cap?

- Here.

Now hurry.

Ooh! Say, it's cold.

Listen.

Can you hear those trees popping?

Look at those stars.

- Good night, George.

Good night.

Hey, Jane. Come here.

Hear the carol singers.

I was supposed to sing with them tonight,

but it's too late now.

- Good night, George.

- Good night, Jane.

- Who's that coming?

What?

The baby! Yeah, the baby come!

Hello, Marietta. I'm back again.

- How you feelin', huh?

Ah. Good.

What do you want, a boy or a girl, huh?

Which one, huh?

- Well, you know old Doc here.

Give me some- Bowl of water

and a towel and soap, will you?

- You know what to get.

My Lord, Louie. Those all yours?

All mine, Doc!

Don't look like you need another one.

- Pretty tough night, Louie.

- Please, Doc.

But you've got a fine, big boy.

Yeah, you betcha. Have some vino.

I love to bring Italian babies

into the world.

A lot of places you go,

all you get is a cup of coffee.

One old skinflint farmer the other night-

I brought him twins, and all I got

was a cup of sassafras tea.

Do you speak English?

Well, that's a fine baby, Louie.

I think I'd save that one.

He's the best of the bunch.

Don't give him any of that wine

for a couple of days.

No, no, Doc. My wine for you.

Good-bye, Doc! Good-bye!

I thank you very much

for the fine baby, yes.

Arrivederci.! Hey! Arrivederci.!

Well, if you're going to have a doctor...

he ought to attend to his business.

- Mrs. Banning's right. It's time we made a change.

- Hmm.

Still, the Bannings hadn't ought to talk...

after the way they treated Mamie.

No, they hadn't.

- Come in.

Oh!

- Good morning.

- How is she, Mrs. Talbot?

She's sleeping at last, the poor thing.

Oh, that's fine. We've brought

some things and, uh, some food.

Oh, that's real kind.

We knew you would.

Oh, we knew you'd want to help out.

I'm sure it'll be appreciated.

- Mamie will like these things.

- I'll see about some coffee.

Yes.

Poor Mamie.

Well, there's Dr. George Bull for you.

- Improper medical attention, my dear.

- Absolutely.

- Correct!

- That's just what I think.

- Yes, these'll be awfully nice.

- She'll love these things.

She'll love them.

Oh, good morning, ma'am.

Good morning.

Is it terrible?

Poor Mamie. She was so young.

She must have hated to die.

Oh, I don't know.

I've seen a hundred people die...

and none of them

ever seemed to mind it.

They was all too sick to mind it.

What did you say?

Oh, there's an old saying-

"There's only one way into the world,

but there's a thousand ways out."

- The Bible.

- Mm-hmm.

- Here. You dropped your spoon, Granddad.

- Thanky.

Dr. Bull, why weren't you here

last night?

You might have been able to save her.

I don't know.

Thirty percent of the people

die with this disease...

even with a good doctor.

You either have the stamina to hang on

and develop a resistance...

or you haven't got it.

Poor Mamie didn't have it.

Fat person like you are,

Mrs. Banning-they'd have that.

- I beg your pardon!

- Well, you've got some meat on you.

Come, Herbert.

We leave everything in your charge, Bull,

and the expense of this-

Send me the bill. I'll pay for it.

All right.

Be sure that you do too.

Mamie worked for us, you know.

Yes. She worked for you.

- I don't think there can be any doubt about that.

- When's the funeral?

- I don't know.

What? First time I ever caught you

without any information.

- How old was Mamie?

- Seventeen.

- Come to think of it, wasn't she 18?

- No, she was older than that.

- I remember on the Fourth of July-

- Fourth of July?

- Fourth of July?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes