Arizona republican., 1899-12-05
DAWsON's UNDERTAKER.
A Woman's Wit Brings Fortune to Her
 Husband z fter a Struggle.

There have been many stories come out of the Klondyke country of the people who have made fortunes there. Some have been of moving. some of packing, some of gambling. some of salooning, some of feeding the hungry, and so on, but none of undertaking, 50 far as I have heard, and I know of q man and his wife who have got rich by burying people," Thus spoke a Se- attle man who had been at Dawson since the beginning.
 Tt was really the wife who did it, he continued, and her story is inter- esting. Her husband, whom she great ly admires and affectionately calls ''Jim," was a worker in an undertaking establishment, and when the rush be- gan toward the gold diggings she hus- tied him out and came along to take care of him. At Skaguay some friend gave her a lean and lank little Eskimo dog. broken to harness, and apparently broken in health. At least he could scarcely drag himself around, but his new owner cuddled him up carefully and by the time she was ready to go or the road the dog was able to pull a fair
 
 sled load.
 So she and her husband and the dog. which she had named Jim as a conl- pliment to her liege, started on their long, hard journey. They got along quite as well as, or better than, many others on the trail, and when the first toll gate was reached the womans wit manifested itself still more. She was in advance with the dog and the sled. her husband watching the remainder of their goods some distance back. The toll gate keeper looked her over a minute, took a squint at her measly little dog, and frankly told her that he would be darned if a lone woman like that would have to pay to go through his gate and he sent her along free Of cost. Smiling and thankful she passed on and unloaded a mile or So further and came back to her husband after5 another load. Telling him to stay right there till she had brought everything through free. she finished the job, and Jim came sauntering through the gate unscathed of toll.
 "On another occasion she was ahead again with the dog, and was beginning to put up the tent when several gallant fellows dropped their packs and took hand. They got the tent up and every thing in shape on short notice, and she thanked them with a smile and they passed on. Then she went back after Jim, and that worthy came up grin ming and satisfied. And so it was all the way to Dawson. That woman was a wonder and Jim was gladder every minute that she was his wife.
 Arrived on the spot, they did not -hof dn af Hest thinking of the undertaking business which they had run away from, but one day a man died on the creek where they were. and there wasn't anybody in particular to bury him. This was the little woman's chance. and she hustled Jim out after the job. He got it. of course and in a short time he had his carpenters tools out and was at work building a coffin. He turned out a very good one, got everything ready in true professional style. and the fu neral was a great success. Jim got s25O for his efforts and Jim's wife knew what their mission was in the klon- dyke.
 "Other funerals followed and Jim got them and took in s200 or s390 for each one. Now and then a man would die whose friends wished his body sent outside. and for this kind Jim got $500. In the winter it was impossible to take bodies out, and Mrs. Jim arranged cold corner in their cabin where she had the waiting boxes piled up, with a portiere drawn over them to make them more ornamental and there they remained until spring.
 "Grave digging was hard work in the witer and it required two or three days of thawing and digging to get grave sufficiently deep for it's purpose. A little incident will show what kind of a business woman Mrs. Jim was when it was necessary. One winter night word came over to Jim-s cabin to come