Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-12-27
A BREACHOF FAITH
Bv HJALMAR HJoRTH BOYEsEN.
copyright. All rights reseryed.l
CHAPTER l.

crowded with people, and all around the
open windows eager listeners were stand
ing, straining their ears to catch the
words that fell from the preachers lips.
A current of foul, moist air, charged
with the odor Of human exhalations,
poured out into the hallway where men
and women stood packed together like
herring in a barrel. Outside in the farm
yard some small boys, now and then for
getting the solemnity Of the occasion,
fell to punching and teasing each other,
and were sternly rebuked by their elders
as soon as their alterations became audi
BILE. Half dozen young girls in calico
gowns and colored kerchiefs on their
heads made feint of listening to the
fervid discourse of which phrase now
and then reached them, but watched
furtively the unregenerate behavior of
the boys, and snickered whenever one
got the better of the other.
"Oh, we generation of vipers," shouted
the preacher in terrific voice of warn
ing and menace, "who shall teach you to
flee from the wrath to Gomez
The boys, supposing the admonition
was addressed to them, grew quite
alarmed; and seating themselves on a
log in front of the wood shed, in various
awkward attitudes, glanced at each other
with half cowed and shame faced bra
vado. But they presently forgot their
scare, and then commenced anew the
same punching and pinching and chal-
longing brag which led to fresh quarrels.
~ know where there is skunk" said
Thorsten Sletten, tow headed, freckled
and chunky lad of 10.
II saw drunk man yesterday" OBJ
served Gunnar Matson, promptly accept
ing the challenge.
He was tall, handsome youth of ID,
whose coat sleeves and trousers were
much too short for him.
my father has cousin who is in
JAIL" retorted Thorsten, determined not
to be beaten.
"But my father killed man in Nor
way" cried Gunnar triumphantly.
"That's a lie in your throat
at is no such thing"
In q flash they had both tumbled down
from the log, grappled, and, swaying to
and fro, fought like tigers. The other
boys, wholly oblivious Of the prayer
meeting, yelled with delight and shouted
encouragement to the combatants, while
the girls ON the steps faced about quickly
and strove no more to disguise their in
terest. Even the devout people about
the windows began to gravitate slowly
toward the scene Of the conflict, and a
vague sense of the disturbance COM
municated itself within the sitting room,
where the penitents began to look back
over their shoulders and ceased to fol-
low the discourse.
This flattering attention spurred the
boys to do their best. They pulled each
others hair and ears, planted blow upon
blow in each others foreheads, tried to
"hook" each others legs, and resorted to
all the lodges recognized in the art of
self defense. But they were pretty even
ly matched, Thorsten making up in
Drawn what he lacked in size. They
were yet in the midst of the fierce strug-
gle, and both heroically determined not
to give up when suddenly a tall,
matronly woman was seen pushing
her way through the crowd. With
out undigniied excitement, but with
o stern, set face which was much
more awful, she swooped down upon
the unsuspecting Gunnar, grabbed him
by the collar of his coat, shook him as
If he had been bag of straw and car
ried him off in disgrace. He strove in a
half hearted way to exhibit hilarity
which he was far from feeling, and the
forced grin of hooking jollity which he
turned toward the disappointed specta-
tors was rather pathetic than cheerful.
It did not occur to him to make any re-
sistance, however. He allowed him
self to be dragged meekly as a lamb
through the crowd in the hall into the
stuffy sitting room, where the foul air
soon sobered his combative zeal.
"Now," whispered his mother, giving
him a little admonitory shake, 'listen
to the word of God and repent of your
wickedness."
The boy tried hard to listen and still
harder to repent, but strive as he might
his thought would revert to the fight.
He regretted bitterly that it had been
interrupted before he had triumphed
over his enemy. He saw plainly now
where he had neglected an opportunity
to trip Thorsten up, and he wished he
could have had the chance over again.
The parson in the meanwhile was
laundering away, threatening his par
ishioners with eternal damnation if they
departed from the pure Lutheran faith
or sent their children to the goddess"
American schools. He was q young
man Of somewhat squatty figure, in
cined to stoutness, with fat flushed
face and short stubby hands, covered on
the backs with coarse brown hair. His
head too had dense growth of the
same adornment, parted on the left side,
but few tufts Of rebellious hair stood
straight up on the crown and at the
parting. Though he had shaved in the
morning the brown beard root was more
than visible on his chin. His nose and
mouth too had a touch Of coarseness,
and his whole appearance made the i'm
preston Of man In whom the old
Adam was strong, though probably Kept