Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-09-28
Boneyard

their cages as the pound supe
came by followed by two Negro
helpers armed with brOoms. The
supe unfastened each cage latch
swung the door outward and
whistled for the dogs. Some came
hesitantly, nOsing out Of their
dark disinfectant smelling cages.
One of the Negroes shooed them
gently down the corridor behind
the supe. The other climbed.
grunting, making soft shooting
noises with his lips into the cages
after the dogs that hung back.
Now they all were in the narrow
corridor, a yapping, whining,
shifting pack, criss-crossing, and
weaving forward and backward,
moving slowly toward the door at
the end that the supe held open,
corralled by the brO0ms In the
Negroes hands. A smacking wet,
salt-tangy breeze VIII PIP e d
through the open door and clear
ed for a moment the rich pound
house smell of dog, dog-vomit
and disinfeetant. The Three
weeks dogs tumbled and milled
and criss-crossed through the
door, urged by the Negroes
broOms into a large meshed wire
cage that yawned its mouth on
the other side of the open door.
When the last dog had battered
into the cage with a final pat on
his small Bringing rump, the Ne
groes lowered into place the rust
colOred, sea bitten wire door and
secured the rusty hasps on eth
er side.
Three hasps to side. Two at
the bottom. Okay.
The breeze whipped across the
bay, spanking the water into
breathy sobs, as it broke against
the poundhouse piling, ruffled
the fur OF the three-weeks dogs
milling and chattering in the
chocolate rusty cage, snatched
the oily vapor rags from the
stack of a sound steamer hurry
ing to its berth down the water
front.
"All right, Jake
The supe motioned to the
slate colOred harbOr patrol
launch humping gently below
him against the lee side of the
poundhOuse dock. The Negroes
muttered to each other in mono
syllables, showed the yapping
cageful of dogs under the goose
necked cargo hoist, hanging like
a scaffold over the patrol boat.
They passed the hook end of the
hoist chain through the heavy
ring the cages top. The supe
looked down at Jake, heavy
limbed cop, dressed in a pea
jacket, hanging out of the wheel
house window. Got your house
painted yet, Jake?"
"All but the back end. 1t don't
show much" The supe and Jake
laughed, over the clanking Of
the winch as the Negroes wound
the cage up clear of the dock
planking. The cage spun slowly
in air, sagging on tangent as
the whining dogs inside scramble
ed to keep balance on the shift
ing floor.
only the garbage man sees
the back end. He don't care
much. Yeah" The supe chuckled
and Jake grinned self-conscious-
ly. Jake was the wit of the har-
Dor patrol. How many you got
this timer" He nodded toward
the cage hanging above him.
TOO many, bout nine. We got
to cut down to two weeks pretty
soon. They're eating up the bud
get too damn fast"
The Negroes swung the cage
out over the wide flat afterdeck
and started lowering away. Jake's
head disappeared inside the
wheel house and the boats en-
CINE broke into life with a roar.
A scraping of chairs and murmum
of voices came up from the cabin
hatch and presently two cops in
shirt sleeves yawningly appear
ed. They steadied the cage as it
settled on the afterdeck, showed
it sternwafd until part of it
hung over the water. They I'M
hooked the hoist chain and the
Negroes drew it back up onto
the dock.
See you later, Supe," Jake
waved out of the window. Two
hours" The mooring line thump-
ed on the deck. The dogs were
silent now, except for an Oeca-
siOnal shivering whine.
A black cockerel spaniel stood
shifting the water, then yapped
Historically, his pink tongue
lolling and eyes rolling back in
his head. The engine Stacked to
idling speed, a cop in shirt
sleeves came up out of the hatch
and passed a line through the
ding in the cages top. He meas
ured off length of line, looping
it securely around steel bit.
Granting he showed the cage
.A1 Il: f1oA zee tbo boats cfapr