michael, brother of jerry-第30章

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But　what　the　baggageman　did　not　know　was　that　in　the　towns　the　hell　was　not　mitigated；　that　the　dogs　were　still　confined　in　their　too…narrow　prisons；　that；　in　fact；　they　were　life…prisoners。　Rarely；　except　for　their　acts；　were　they　taken　out　from　their　cages。　　From　a　business　standpoint；　good　care　did　not　pay。　　Since　mongrel　dogs　were　cheap；　it　was　cheaper　to　replace　them　when　they　died　than　so　to　care　for　them　as　to　keep　them　from　dying。

What　the　baggageman　did　not　know；　and　what　Peterson　did　know；　was　that　of　these　thirty…five　dogs　not　one　was　a　surviving　original　of　the　troupe　when　it　first　started　out　four　years　before。　　Nor　had　there　been　any　originals　discarded。　　The　only　way　they　left　the　troupe　and　its　cages　was　by　dying。　　Nor　did　Michael　know　even　as　little　as　the　baggageman　knew。　　He　knew　nothing　save　that　here　reigned　pain　and　woe　and　that　it　seemed　he　was　destined　to　share　the　same　fate。

Into　the　midst　of　them；　when　with　more　howlings　and　yelpings　they　were　loaded　into　the　baggage　car；　was　Michael's　cage　piled。　　And　for　a　day　and　a　part　of　two　nights；　travelling　eastward；　he　remained　in　the　dog　inferno。　　Then　they　were　loaded　off　in　some　large　city；　and　Michael　continued　on　in　greater　quietness　and　comfort；　although　his　injured　foot　still　hurt　and　was　bruised　afresh　whenever　his　crate　was　moved　about　in　the　car。

What　it　was　all　aboutwhy　he　was　kept　in　his　cramped　prison　in　the　cramped　carhe　did　not　ask　himself。　　He　accepted　it　as　unhappiness　and　misery；　and　had　no　more　explanation　for　it　than　for　the　crushing　of　the　paw。　　Such　things　happened。　　It　was　life；　and　life　had　many　evils。　　The　WHY　of　things　never　entered　his　head。　　He　knew　THINGS　and　some　small　bit　of　the　HOW　of　things。　What　was；　WAS。　　Water　was　wet；　fire　hot；　iron　hard；　meat　good。　　He　accepted　such　things　as　he　accepted　the　everlasting　miracles　of　the　light　and　of　the　dark；　which　were　no　miracles　to　him　any　more　than　was　his　wire　coat　a　miracle；　or　his　beating　heart；　or　his　thinking　brain。

In　Chicago；　he　was　loaded　upon　a　track；　carted　through　the　roaring　streets　of　the　vast　city；　and　put　into　another　baggage…car　which　was　quickly　in　motion　in　continuation　of　the　eastward　journey。　　It　meant　more　strange　men　who　handled　baggage；　as　it　meant　in　New　York；　where；　from　railroad　baggage…room　to　express　wagon　he　was　exchanged；　for　ever　a　crated　prisoner　and　dispatched　to　one；　Harris　Collins；　on　Long　Island。

First　of　all　came　Harris　Collins　and　the　animal　hell　over　which　he　ruled。　　But　the　second　event　must　be　stated　first。　　Michael　never　saw　Harry　Del　Mar　again。　　As　the　other　men　he　had　known　had　stepped　out　of　life；　which　was　a　way　they　had；　so　Harry　Del　Mar　stepped　out　of　Michael's　purview　of　life　as　well　as　out　of　life　itself。　　And　his　stepping　out　was　literal。　　A　collision　on　the　elevated；　a　panic　scramble　of　the　uninjured　out　upon　the　trestle　over　the　street；　a　step　on　the　third　rail；　and　Harry　Del　Mar　was　engulfed　in　the　Nothingness　which　men　know　as　death　and　which　is　nothingness　in　so　far　as　such　engulfed　ones　never　reappear　nor　walk　the　ways　of　life　again。



CHAPTER　XXIV



Harris　Collins　was　fifty…two　years　of　age。　　He　was　slender　and　dapper；　and　in　appearance　and　comportment　was　so　sweet…　and　gentle…spirited　that　the　impression　he　radiated　was　almost　of　sissyness。　　He　might　have　taught　a　Sunday…school；　presided　over　a　girls'　seminary；　or　been　a　president　of　a　humane　society。

His　complexion　was　pink　and　white；　his　hands　were　as　soft　as　the　hands　of　his　daughters；　and　he　weighed　a　hundred　and　twelve　pounds。　　Moreover；　he　was　afraid　of　his　wife；　afraid　of　a　policeman；　afraid　of　physical　violence；　and　lived　in　constant　dread　of　burglars。　　But　the　one　thing　he　was　not　afraid　of　was　wild　animals　of　the　most　ferocious　sorts；　such　as　lions；　tigers；　leopards；　and　jaguars。　　He　knew　the　game；　and　could　conquer　the　most　refractory　lion　with　a　broom…handlenot　outside　the　cage；　but　inside　and　locked　in。

It　was　because　he　knew　the　game　and　had　learned　it　from　his　father　before　him；　a　man　even　smaller　than　himself　and　more　fearful　of　all　things　except　animals。　　This　father；　Noel　Collins；　had　been　a　successful　animal　trainer　in　England；　before　emigrating　to　America；　and　in　America　he　had　continued　the　success　and　laid　the　foundation　of　the　big　animal　training　school　at　Cedarwild；　which　his　son　had　developed　and　built　up　after　him。　　So　well　had　Harris　Collins　built　on　his　father's　foundation　that　the　place　was　considered　a　model　of　sanitation　and　kindness。　　It　entertained　many　visitors；　who　invariably　went　away　with　their　souls　filled　with　ecstasy　over　the　atmosphere　of　sweetness　and　light　that　pervaded　the　place。　　Never；　however；　were　they　permitted　to　see　the　actual　training。　　On　occasion；　performances　were　given　them　by　the　finished　products　which　verified　all　their　other　delightful　and　charming　conclusions　about　the　school。　　But　had　they　seen　the　training　of　raw　novices；　it　would　have　been　a　different　story。　　It　might　even　have　been　a　riot。　　As　it　was；　the　place　was　a　zoo；　and　free　at　that；　for；　in　addition　to　the　animals　he　owned　and　trained　and　bought　and　sold；　a　large　portion　of　the　business　was　devoted　to　boarding　trained　animals　and　troupes　of　animals　for　owners　who　were　out　of　engagements；　or　for　estates　of　such　owners　which　were　in　process　of　settlement。　　From　mice　and　rats　to　camels　and　elephants；　and　even；　on　occasion；　to　a　rhinoceros　or　a　pair　of　hippopotamuses；　he　could　supply　any　animal　on　demand。

When　the　Circling　Brothers'　big　three…ring　show　on　a　hard　winter　went　into　the　hands　of　the　receivers；　he　boarded　the　menagerie　and　the　horses　and　in　three　months　turned　a　profit　of　fifteen　thousand　dollars。　　Morehe　mortgaged　all　he　possessed　against　the　day　of　the　auction；　bought　in　the　trained　horses　and　ponies；　the　giraffe　herd　and　the　performing　elephants；　and；　in　six　months　more　was　quit　of　an　of　them；　save　the　pony　Repeater　who　turned　air…springs；　at　another　profit　of　fifteen　thousand　dollars。　　As　for　Repeater；　he　sold　the　pony　several　months　later　for　a　sheer　profit　of　two　thousand。　　While　this　bankruptcy　of　the　Circling　Brothers　had　been　the　greatest　financial　achievement　of　Harris　Collin's　life；　nevertheless　he　enjoyed　no　mean　permanent　income　from　his　plant；　and；　in　addition；　split　fees　with　the　owners　of　his　board　animals　when　he　sent　them　to　the　winter　Hippodrome　shows；　and；　more　often　than　not；　failed　to　split　any　fee　at　all　when　he　rented　the　animals　to　moving…picture　companies。

Animal　men；　the　country　over；　acknowledged　him　to　be；　not　only　the　richest　in　the　business；　but　the　king　of　trainers　and　the　grittiest　man　who　ever　went　into　a　cage。　　And　those　who　from　the　inside　had　seen　him　work　were　agreed　that　he　had　no　soul。　　Yet　his　wife　and　children；　and　those　in　his　small　social　circle；　thought　otherwise。　　They；　never　seeing　him　at　work；　were　convinced　that　no　softer…hearted；　more　sentimental　man　had　ever　been　born。　　His　voice　was　low　and　gentle；　his　gestures　were　delicate；　his　views　on　life；　the　world；　religion　and　politics；　the　mildest。　　A　kind　word　melted　him。　　A　plea　won　him。　　He　gave　to　all　local　charities；　and　was　gravely　depressed　for　a　week　when　the　Titanic　went　down。　　And　yetthe　men　in　the　trained…animal　game　acknowledged　him　the　nerviest　and　most　nerveless　of　the　profession。　　And　yethis　greatest　fear　in　the　world　was　that　his　large；　stout　wife；　at　table；　should　crown　him　with　a　plate　of　hot　soup。　　Twice；　in　a　tantrum；　she　had　done　this　during　their　earlier　married　life。　　In　addition　to　his　fear　that　she　might　do　it　again；　he　loved　her　sincerely　and　devotedly；　as　he　loved　his　children；　seven　of　them；　for　whom　nothing　was　too　good　or　too　expensive。

So　well　did　he　love　them；　that　the　four　boys　from　the　beginning　he　forbade　from　seeing　him　WORK；　and　planned　gentler　careers　for　them。　　John；　the　oldest；　in　Yale；　had　elected　to　become　a　man　of　letters；　and；　in　the　meantime；　ran　his　own　automobile　with　the　corresponding　standard　of　living　such　ownership　connoted　in　the　college　town　of　New　Haven。　　Harold　and　Frederick　were　down　at　a　millionaires'　sons'　academy　in　Pennsylvania；　and　Clarence；　the　youngest；　at　a　prep。　school　in　Massachusetts；　was　divided　in　his　choice　of　career　between　becoming　a　doctor　or　an　aviator。　　The　three　girls；　two　of　them　twins；　were　pledged　to　be　cultured　into　ladies。　　Elsie　was　on　the　verge　of　graduating　from　Vassar。　　Mary　and　Madeline；　the　twins；　in　the　most　select　and　most　expensive　of　seminaries；　were　preparing　for　Vassar。　　All　of　which　required　money　which　Harris　Collins　did　not　grudge；　but　which　strained　the　earning　capacity　of　his　animal…training　school。　　It　compelled　him　to　work　the　harder；　although　his　wife　and　the　four　sons　and　three　daughters　did　not　dream　that　he　actually　worked　at　all。　　Their　idea　was　that　by　virtue　of　superior　wisdom　he　merely　superintended；　and　they　would　have　been　terribly　shocked　could　they　have　seen　him；　club　in　hand；　thrashing　forty　mongrel　dogs；　in　the　process　of　training；　which　had　become　excited　and　out　of　hand。

A　great　deal　of　the　work　was　done　by　his　assistants；　but　it　was　Harris　Collins　who　taught　them　continually　what　to　do　and　how　to　do　it；　and　who　himself；　on　more　important　animals；　did　the　work　and　showed　them　how。　　His　assistants　were　almost　invariably　youths　from　the　reform　schools；　and　he　picked　them　with　skilful　eye　and　intuition。　　Control　of　them；　under　their　paroles；　with　intelligence　and　coldness　on　their　part；　were　the　conditions　and　qualities　he　sought；　and　such　combination；　as　a　matter　of　course；　carried　with　it　cruelty。　　Hot　blood；　generous　impulses；　sentimentality；　were　qualities　he　did　not　want　for　his　business；　and　the　Cedarwild　Animal　School　was　business　from　the　first　tick　of　the　clock　to　the　last　bite　of　the　lash。　　In　short；　Harris　Collins；　in　the　totality　of　results；　was　guilty　of　causing　more　misery　and　pain　to　animals　than　all　laboratories　of　vivisection　in　Christendom。

And　into　this　animal　hell　Michael　descendedalthough　his　arrival　was　horizontal；　across　three　thousand　five　hundred　miles；　in　the　same　crate　in　which　he　had　been　placed　at　the　New　Washington　Hotel　in　Seattle。　　Never　once　had　he　been　out　of　the　crate　during　the　entire　journey；　and　filthiness；　as　well　as　wretchedness；　characterized　his　condition。　　Thanks　to　his　general　good　health；　the　wound　of　the　amputated　toe　was　in　the　process　of　uneventful　healing。　　But　dirt　clung　to　him；　and　he　was　infested　with　fleas。

Cedarwild；　to　look　at；　was　anything　save　a　hell。　　Velvet　lawns；　gravelled　walks　and　drives；　and　flowers　formally　growing；　led　up　to　the　group　of　long　low　buildings；　some　of　frame　and　some　of　concrete。　　But　Michael　was　not　received　by　Harris　Collins；　who；　at　the　moment；　sat　in　his　private　office；　Harry　Del　Mar's　last　telegram　on　his　desk；　writing　a　memorandum　to　his　secretary　to　query　the　railroad　and　the　express　companies　for　the　whereabouts　of　a　dog；　crated　and　shipped　by　one；　Harry　Del　Mar；　from　Seattle　and　consigned　to　Cedarwild。　　It　was　a　pallid…eyed　youth　of　eighteen　in　overalls　who　received　Michael；　receipted　for　him　to　the　expressman；　and　carried　his　crate　into　a　slope…floored　concrete　room　that　smelled　offensively　and　chemically　clean。

Michael　was　impressed　by　his　surroundings　but　not　attracted　by　the　youth；　who　rolled　up　his　sleeves　and　encased　him