michael, brother of jerry-第32节

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　on　her　hind…legs；　smote　upward　with　one　paw　as　a　child　might　strike　with　its　hat　at　a　butterfly。　　But　there　was　weight　in　the　cat's　paw；　and　the　claws　of　it　were　outspread　like　so　many　hooks。

Struck　in　mid…air；　a　trifle　of　a　flying　machine；　all　its　delicate　gears　tangled　and　disrupted；　Cocky　fell　to　the　floor　in　a　shower　of　white　feathers；　which；　like　snowflakes；　eddied　slowly　down　after；　and　after　the　plummet…like　descent　of　the　cat；　so　that　some　of　them　came　to　rest　on　her　back；　startling　her　tense　nerves　with　their　gentle　impact　and　making　her　crouch　closer　while　she　shot　a　swift　glance　around　and　overhead　for　any　danger　that　might　threaten。



CHAPTER　XXI



Harry　Del　Mar　found　only　a　few　white　feathers　on　the　floor　of　Dag　Daughtry's　room　in　the　Bowhead　Lodging　House；　and　from　the　landlady　learned　what　had　happened　to　Michael。　　The　first　thing　Harry　Del　Mar　did；　still　retaining　his　taxi；　was　to　locate　the　residence　of　Doctor　Emory　and　make　sure　that　Michael　was　confined　in　an　outhouse　in　the　back　yard。　　Next　he　engaged　passage　on　the　steamship　Umatilla；　sailing　for　Seattle　and　Puget　Sound　ports　at　daylight。　　And　next　he　packed　his　luggage　and　paid　his　bills。

In　the　meantime；　a　wordy　war　was　occurring　in　Walter　Merritt　Emory's　office。

〃The　man's　yelling　his　head　off；〃　Doctor　Masters　was　contending。　〃The　police　had　to　rap　him　with　their　clubs　in　the　ambulance。　　He　was　violent。　　He　wanted　his　dog。　　It　can't　be　done。　　It's　too　raw。　You　can't　steal　his　dog　this　way。　　He'll　make　a　howl　in　the　papers。〃

〃Huh！〃　quoth　Walter　Merritt　Emory。　　〃I'd　like　to　see　a　reporter　with　backbone　enough　to　go　within　talking　distance　of　a　leper　in　the　pest…house。　　And　I'd　like　to　see　the　editor　who　wouldn't　send　a　pest…house　letter　（granting　it'd　been　smuggled　past　the　guards）　out　to　be　burned　the　very　second　he　became　aware　of　its　source。　Don't　you　worry；　Doc。　　There　won't　be　any　noise　in　the　papers。〃

〃But　leprosy！　　Public　health！　　The　dog　has　been　exposed　to　his　master。　　The　dog　itself　is　a　peripatetic　source　of　infection。〃

〃Contagion　is　the　better　and　more　technical　word；　Doc。；〃　Walter　Merritt　Emory　soothed　with　the　sting　of　superior　knowledge。

〃Contagion；　then；〃　Doctor　Masters　took　him　up。　　〃The　public　must　be　considered。　　It　must　not　run　the　risk　of　being　infected〃

〃Of　contracting　the　contagion；〃　the　other　corrected　smoothly。

〃Call　it　what　you　will。　　The　public〃

〃Poppycock；〃　said　Walter　Merritt　Emory。　　〃What　you　don't　know　about　leprosy；　and　what　the　rest　of　the　board　of　health　doesn't　know　about　leprosy；　would　fill　more　books　than　have　been　compiled　by　the　men　who　have　expertly　studied　the　disease。　　The　one　thing　they　have　eternally　tried；　and　are　eternally　trying；　is　to　inoculate　one　animal　outside　man　with　the　leprosy　that　is　peculiar　to　man。　　Horses；　rabbits；　rats；　donkeys；　monkeys；　mice；　and　dogs　heavens；　they　have　tried　it　on　them　all；　tens　of　thousands　of　times　and　a　hundred　thousand　times　ten　thousand　times；　and　never　a　successful　inoculation！　　They　have　never　succeeded　in　inoculating　it　on　one　man　from　another。　　Herelet　me　show　you。〃

And　from　his　shelves　Waiter　Merritt　Emory　began　pulling　down　his　authorities。

〃Amazing　。　。　。　most　interesting　。　。　。　〃　Doctor　Masters　continued　to　emit　from　time　to　time　as　he　followed　the　expert　guidance　of　the　other　through　the　books。　　〃I　never　dreamed　。　。　。　the　amount　of　work　they　have　done　is　astounding　。　。　。　〃

〃But；〃　he　said　in　conclusion；　〃there　is　no　convincing　a　layman　of　the　matter　contained　on　your　shelves。　　Nor　can　I　so　convince　my　public。　　Nor　will　I　try　to。　　Besides；　the　man　is　consigned　to　the　living　death　of　life…long　imprisonment　in　the　pest…house。　　You　know　the　beastly　hole　it　is。　　He　loves　the　dog。　　He's　mad　over　it。　Let　him　have　it。　　I　tell　you　it's　rotten　unfair　and　cruel；　and　I　won't　stand　for　it。〃

〃Yes；　you　will；〃　Walter　Merritt　Emory　assured　him　coolly。　　〃And　I'll　tell　you　why。〃

He　told　him。　　He　said　things　that　no　doctor　should　say　to　another；　but　which　a　politician　may　well　say；　and　has　often　said；　to　another　politicianthings　which　cannot　bear　repeating；　if；　for　no　other　reason；　because　they　are　too　humiliating　and　too　little　conducive　to　pride　for　the　average　American　citizen　to　know；　things　of　the　inside；　secret　governments　of　imperial　municipalities　which　the　average　American　citizen；　voting　free　as　a　king　at　the　polls；　fondly　thinks　he　manages；　things　which　are；　on　rare　occasion；　partly　unburied　and　promptly　reburied　in　the　tomes　of　reports　of　Lexow　Committees　and　Federal　Commissions。


And　Walter　Merritt　Emory　won　his　desire　of　Michael　against　Doctor　Masters；　had　his　wife　dine　with　him　at　Jules'　that　evening　and　took　her　to　see　Margaret　Anglin　in　celebration　of　the　victory；　returned　home　at　one　in　the　morning；　in　his　pyjamas　went　out　to　take　a　last　look　at　Michael；　and　found　no　Michael。


The　pest…house　of　San　Francisco；　as　is　naturally　the　case　with　pest…houses　in　all　American　cities；　was　situated　on　the　bleakest；　remotest；　forlornest；　cheapest　space　of　land　owned　by　the　city。　Poorly　protected　from　the　Pacific　Ocean；　chill　winds　and　dense　fog…banks　whistled　and　swirled　sadly　across　the　sand…dunes。　Picnicking　parties　never　came　there；　nor　did　small　boys　hunting　birds'　nests　or　playing　at　being　wild　Indians。　　The　only　class　of　frequenters　was　the　suicides；　who；　sad　of　life；　sought　the　saddest　landscape　as　a　fitting　scene　in　which　to　end。　　And；　because　they　so　ended；　they　never　repeated　their　visits。

The　outlook　from　the　windows　was　not　inspiriting。　　A　quarter　of　a　mile　in　either　direction；　looking　out　along　the　shallow　canyon　of　the　sand…hills；　Dag　Daughtry　could　see　the　sentry…boxes　of　the　guards；　themselves　armed　and　more　prone　to　kill　than　to　lay　hands　on　any　escaping　pest…man；　much　less　persuavively　discuss　with　him　the　advisability　of　his　return　to　the　prison　house。

On　the　opposing　sides　of　the　prospect　from　the　windows　of　the　four　walls　of　the　pest…house　were　trees。　　Eucalyptus　they　were；　but　not　the　royal　monarchs　that　their　brothers　are　in　native　habitats。　Poorly　planted；　by　politics；　illy　attended；　by　politics；　decimated　and　many　times　repeatedly　decimated　by　the　hostile　forces　of　their　environment；　a　straggling　corporal's　guard　of　survivors；　they　thrust　their　branches；　twisted　and　distorted；　as　if　writhing　in　agony；　into　the　air。　　Scrub　of　growth　they　were；　expending　the　major　portion　of　their　meagre　nourishment　in　their　roots　that　crawled　seaward　through　the　insufficient　sand　for　anchorage　against　the　prevailing　gales。

Not　even　so　far　as　the　sentry…boxes　were　Daughtry　and　Kwaque　permitted　to　stroll。　　A　hundred　yards　inside　was　the　dead…line。　Here；　the　guards　came　hastily　to　deposit　food…supplies；　medicines；　and　written　doctors'　instructions；　retreating　as　hastily　as　they　came。　　Here；　also；　was　a　blackboard　upon　which　Daughtry　was　instructed　to　chalk　up　his　needs　and　requests　in　letters　of　such　size　that　they　could　be　read　from　a　distance。　　And　on　this　board；　for　many　days；　he　wrote；　not　demands　for　beer；　although　the　six…　quart　daily　custom　had　been　broken　sharply　off；　but　demands　like：


WHERE　IS　MY　DOG？　HE　IS　AN　IRISH　TERRIER。　HE　IS　ROUGH…COATED。　HIS　NAME　IS　KILLENY　BOY。　I　WANT　MY　DOG。　I　WANT　TO　TALK　TO　DOC。　EMORY。　TELL　DOC。　EMORY　TO　WRITE　TO　ME　ABOUT　MY　DOG。


One　day；　Dag　Daughtry　wrote：


IF　I　DON'T　GET　MY　DOG　I　WILL　KILL　DOC。　EMORY。


Whereupon　the　newspapers　informed　the　public　that　the　sad　case　of　the　two　lepers　at　the　pest…house　had　become　tragic；　because　the　white　one　had　gone　insane。　　Public…spirited　citizens　wrote　to　the　papers；　declaiming　against　the　maintenance　of　such　a　danger　to　the　community；　and　demanding　that　the　United　States　government　build　a　national　leprosarium　on　some　remote　island　or　isolated　mountain　peak。　　But　this　tiny　ripple　of　interest　faded　out　in　seventy…two　hours；　and　the　reporter…cubs　proceeded　variously　to　interest　the　public　in　the　Alaskan　husky　dog　that　was　half　a　bear；　in　the　question　whether　or　not　Crispi　Angelotti　was　guilty　of　having　cut　the　carcass　of　Giuseppe　Bartholdi　into　small　portions　and　thrown　it　into　the　bay　in　a　grain…sack　off　Fisherman's　Wharf；　and　in　the　overt　designs　of　Japan　upon　Hawaii；　the　Philippines；　and　the　Pacific　Coast　of　North　America。

And；　outside　of　imprisonment；　nothing　happened　of　interest　to　Dag　Daughtry　and　Kwaque　at　the　pest…house　until　one　night　in　the　late　fall。　　A　gale　was　not　merely　brewing。　　It　was　coming　on　to　blow。　Because；　in　a　basket　of　fruit；　stated　to　have　been　sent　by　the　young　ladies　of　Miss　Foote's　Seminary；　Daughtry　had　read　a　note　artfully　concealed　in　the　heart　of　an　apple；　telling　him　on　the　forthcoming　Friday　night　to　keep　a　light　burning　in　his　window。　Daughtry　received　a　visitor　at　five　in　the　morning。

It　was　Charles　Stough　Greenleaf；　the　Ancient　Mariner　himself。　Having　wallowed　for　two　hours　through　the　deep　sand　of　the　eucalyptus　forest；　he　fell　exhausted　against　the　penthouse　door。　When　Daughtry　opened　it；　the　ancient　one　blew　in　upon　him　along　with　a　gusty　wet　splatter　of　the　freshening　gale。　　Daughtry　caught　him　first　and　supported　him　toward　a　chair。　　But；　remembering　his　own　affliction；　he　released　the　old　man　so　abruptly　as　to　drop　him　violently　into　the　chair。

〃My　word；　sir；〃　said　Daughtry。