Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-10-27
WITHOUT DUE
AUTHORITY

He stood at the street corner, looking
drearily into the growing fog.
A minute or two before he had been
standing behind the ratings in the
park, absorbed in an effort, altogether
unavailing, to save the souls of his fell
low citizens in this metropolis of evils.
A few yards away a revolutionary
bricklayer-out of work and with the
strongest private objection to being in
it-had hurled denunciations at the
Ubiquitous British constitution, to the
delight of himself and the amusement
of his audience, and of couple of
placidly smiling policemen who stood
near in that impersonal yet protective
attitude characteristic of the force. A
little farther on, ''lightning artist of
tender years furnished n quiet antidote
to gesticulatory anarchy by the repro
duction on paper Of ~the Duke of
York's baby" to a chorus of loyal APP
plause. On the preachers other hand,
a martyr, whose motives his country
had ignorantly misunderstood, per-
haps, not without just occasion, had
related with some feeling much abuse
of authorities, and more of that luck
less eighth letter of the alphabet,
which Is the chosen victim of elo-
quence in fustian, the melancholy de-
tails of an enforced retreat from public
life, which, to judge from appearances,
he had very richly deserved. When the
preachers audience tired of his dis
course, they had only to turn their
heads to imbibe lncipient anarchy and
detected patriotism, or cultivate a
healthy admiration for juvenile talent
and the reigning house-a combination
of conflicting sentiments peculiar to
Hyde Park on a Sunday afternoon.
The other orators, however. had
found compensation for their wrongs
In the delight of airing them at large.
They retired from the field of battle
hoarse, but triumphant. The preach
er's triumph was question which he
could only regard as much more dubi-
Gus. In moments of despair which
sometimes fell to his lot, he knew that
his congregation merely regarded him
us an interlude between the denuncia-
tons of the political bricklayer and the
dismal rhetoric of the eX-thief. But, to
do him justice, those moments were
few and far between. He had fought a
hard battle from a very early age, and
defeat had ceased to depress him save
at odd times when he was, perhaps, Il
little colder, hungrier or sadder than it
was his usual fate to be.
AS he stood at the corner a hand was
laid on his shoulder, and he turned to
find himself face to face with DR.. Jeff.
They had met before, in slums and by
ways, ana each man knew enough of
the others life to respect It. | cannot
assert that jeff is the little DOCTORS real
name, and perhaps he has a story or
mystery, or both-a skeleton which he
hides in the cupboard at his shabby
lodgings. with the stale bread and high
~ unprofessional cheese which that re-
ceptacle contains-but l am sure that
there is no kinder soul in all London,
despite his snarls, his sarcasms and the
1nexpressibly unorthodox opinions
which he scatters broadcast in this
way. All men have their hypocrisies,
and he has his. 1t is his delight to
shock people to pose as something very
little better than the archtiend himself.
i have seen him succeed admirably In
his deception-with strangers. Those
who know the good little man know
also that he would not willingly bruise
n butterfiy's wing nor offend the dir
test and most melodious tabby that
serenades his hard-earned slumbers.
Even now, as the preached turned his
white face and tired eyes upon him and
forced smile, there WAS a charitable
scheme brewing in Jef's mind.
FINISHED spouting?' he asked, gruf-
fly. Walk my way, will you? Abom-
Unable weather.
He spoke with savage air. as
though the weather and he were on
terms of violent hostility. ,Jeffs man
uer generally suggested the feud-brief
and stiletto and other pharaphernalia
of medieval murder.
They walked for some time In ST.
lence, during which the doctor eyed his
companion with a bloodthrsty express
sion of countenance.
BETTER give it up" he said at last.
Wearing yourself out for nothing. All
bosh"
"is it?' asked the preacher, half