CHAPTER II 



A PRACTICE WON AND LOST IN MILWAUKEE 



After my resignation from the tobacco busi- 

 ness, I became a student at a Milwaukee vet- 

 erinary hospital and remained there for eight 

 months prior to my entering college. At the 

 termination of my apprenticeship in the Mil- 

 waukee institution, I matriculated in the Chicago 

 Veterinary College and after three years of hard 

 study I graduated with honors. This pleased my 

 father, who had now been wholly won over to my 

 view and who paid my way through college. 



I had just become of age and at once opened 

 up an office on the south side of Milwaukee. 



Within a few months, I was doing a very fair 

 practice and would probably have remained there 

 permanently but for two reasons. 



The first of these was my old friend Charlie. 

 After I graduated our friendship continued and 

 1 took much delight in patching up various crip- 

 pled and unsound steeds which came into his 

 possession by various means and which he later 

 sold again at good profit. This was all right and 

 could do no harm. What did have effect on me 

 was the fact that old Charlie had traveled much 

 in his younger days. His stories of his travels 

 gave me the wanderlust and old Charlie rather 

 encouraged it in me. It did not set good with 

 him to see me come out of school with colors fly- 

 ing and then squat in the place of my birth. 



15 



