Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-08-26
CHASED BY A STAR
Kitsap Joe's First Lesson in As
tronomy and Its Results.

D~e"SSh Wiz oiy hipiSS anu tHc dClul
beach.
"We left Port Crescent on a little
steamer, and when we were within a
short distance from Neah Bay we were
transferred into large canoe. / had
heard that one who wishes to avoid a
drenching should sit in the bow OF a
canoe. There was quite swell, and
thinking to profit by my superior
wisdom, 1 took a seat in the bow and
relegated Mr.. Hollis to one near the
stern. Fancy my chagrin when we
neared the shore and the old siwash
turned the bow toward the sea so that
the waves would not throw it so high
up on the beach. Notwithstanding
this precaution a swell carried us a
long way up, and inconsiderately flung
us on the shore. / picked myself up
wrung the water from my clothes and
scooped the sand out of my pockets.
Mr.. Hollis was comfortably reclining
in the stern of the canoe, laughing
heartily at my predicament. l realized
that poetic justice frequently over.
takes one who tries to take advantage
of his friend.
"There is but one hotel-save the
mark-in the settlement, and that is
kept by full-biooded Indian named
Kitsap Joe. 1t bears the dignified
title Hotel Clossett."
"Some itinerant photographer be-
came stranded and gave Joe his car
The siwash quickly transformed it
into hotel, altering it as little as
possible. Two years ago, however, he
began to paint the portable house. 1t
took him two weeks to paint three
sides, but he has not finished painting
the west side yet, although he works
at almost every day.
1.-THE rain dashes against that side
OF the house and keeps the paint from
drying. Joe affirms that it has rained
every day for the past two years, and
there is no good reason to doubt this
statement, except that he made it. !
took the trouble to find what the
annual rainfall is there, and 1 found
it was nearly twice what it is in Seat.
tie, and this is not dry climate here
"Kitsap Joe is a most peculiar
character. Everybody takes advantage
of him, and l am almost ashamed to
admit that my companion, Mr.. Hollis
was not an exception to the rule.
want to tell first why Hollis deceived
Joe.
"Our landlord was considerably
elated owing to the fact that Tyee
Peters braves had captured two whales
in the last month, and potlatch was
soon to be given in commemoration OF
the auspicious events. At supper he
brought us some queer little fish that
l thought quite delicious, but Hollis
demanded that larger fish be served,
as he said the small ones were full OF
bones.
"'Bring me big fish, the biggest
you have, he demanded.
"Joe, in perfect good faith, procured
q slice OF the whale and gravely re.
marked that the Boston man would
have to be content, as it was the largest
fish he had. Hollis thought Joe was
joking at his expense, but 1 knew he
was not. That evening, as we sat in
front of the hotel, Hollis pointed out
q bright star that was directly above
the house, and he and the landlord
had very long talk on astronomy
during which be made it
plain to the siwash that the star was
likely to fall at any time, and that it
would undoubtedly land in close
proximity to the hotel. This seemed
to alarm Joe very much, for he de.
voutedly believed every word that
Hollis told him. The hotel had two
stories and we were to sleep in the
second story. When we got ready to
go to bed Joe quietly observed that we
would have to go up the fire escape, as
there were no stairs. 1t seemed that
some of his guests had told him that
the law required every hotel-keeper to
have fire escape and Joe had taken
the ladder that formed the stairs in.
side the house to make fire escape at
the back part of the building.
ave went up the fire escape to bed
and about 2 O'Clock, when woke up, it
seemed as if the house was moving.
81 leaped out of bed in doubt as to
whether we were floating out to sea OF
some new variety of earthquake was
disturbing our repose. 1 thought OF
italian brigands who exacted a ram
som or killed the prisoners, b ut on
looking out the window / saw two
gray horses dragging the house along,
while our landlord, a short distance
ahead, was industriously loo king at
the sky. Hollis was wild with rage
but realized what had happened
The bright star which we had seen
earlier in the evening was still shining
and Joe had hired driver from the
military station near by to smuggle a
team away and move his valuable
hotel from under the star. He had
moved the house two miles down the
rUad, but the star was still directly
above the house. There is no telling
where we would have been BY morn.
ing had l not told him that Hollis was
joking.
"Then it was Joe's turn to gel
angry, and Hollis had to compromise