The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-11

tween his legs, and a mix-up between the
intruding animal and the captains ven
cradle spaniel Peter brought conversa-
ton to a sudden stop. Peace did not reign
until the dogs were separated and the ag-
gressor expelled with the usual scant GER
emory.
A lull followed, which was broken by
Boss" the town recorder, who was
smoking a long-stemmed meerschaum
pipe and tapping the counter with his
heels at the end of the store near the
merchandise scales.
Say Windy" he began, did you see
anything of Jop Davis up at Dawson?"
mo, 1 didn't see him: but Casey Nor
gan told me he had been there all win
ter" was the quick reply.
That can't be So remarked Joe Well,
who was rolling a cigarette with brown
tissue paper and plug cut tobacco. "When
I passed by Fort Yukon last fall they told
me Jop had just come down to get some
Porcupine dogs and begin freighting as
soon as the river froze up. He bought
three dogs, and afterwards sold them for
$500 and went prospecting up the Porcu-
pine with a party that was left by the
Alice last September"
HE never went up the Porcupine," put
in Austrian Joe at this point, for when
/ left Circle in December, Jop, they told
me. had just gone out to Mastodon. and
in a few weeks intended to go over and
prospect his ground at Eagle"
"Jop Davis is not in the country at ALL"
observed a man who had come up on the
Muckluck expedition. II used TO know
Jop in Tombstone. and just before start
ing in here last August / received a letter
from an old partner of mine, saying he
heard Jop had recently gone across the
line to look at a quartz proposition in
Chihuahua"
''Oh. he's In the country fast enough"
interposed st. Peter between puffs at
corncob pipe which refused to operate.
when I ioated down river last July
heard that ne was only three days ahead
of me. Later l found out that he had
stopped at Dab river, intending TO go over
on the Koyukuk"
HE couldn't have gone over on the
Koyukuk," remarked Jack WEIGH, after
the skillful election OF half gill of fluid
tobacco through the small opening below
the stove door. They told me up river
that he started out from Dawson last
summer and poled up to Stewart river,
expecting to get as far as McQuestn be-
fore the freeze-up."
II think you're all mistaken" said
Micky wilkins very positively. when
/ came by Forty-Mile / was told that Jop
had just gone up the creek with years
outfit and intended to go over the divide
and prospect during the winter on the
rs It Jop Davis you are talking about ?"
asked Tom Crawford, who had been shak-
ing dice for the cigars with the store
keeper. Il thought he went down river
on the Margaret last fall"
HE did," observed Captain Mayo, land
Blatchford, who came in from ST. Michael
today, said he thought Jop was acting as
Waterman on the Hamilton"
He couldn't have gone down on the
Margaret last faA-" put In Jim Langford,
who for some time had been arguing to
the effect that his dog. Musseltuck. was
worth ten dogs like Blarney. an Irish set
ter which had recently been brought in
from the outside.
why not?" demanded the captain. who
was more or less of an authority, having
been in the country for a quarter of a
century.
We'll" replied Jim, "Ab Cochrane told
me yesterday that he heard Jop was out
on Seventy-Mie and had struck is cents
to the pan on small gulch fifty miles
up"
zone of the Stoneman party told me not
long ago that Jop Davis was some twenty
miles below Walkers old station, cutting
steamboat wood" volunteered Gibson. the
freighter. who was comfortably reclining
on bundle Of wolf robes under the
stairs.