Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs Read Free Book Online Page B

about six feet off the ground, with a ladder leading up to it.
    â€œExplain, Uncle Neal,” I whispered. Cody slapped his hand to his mouth to keep from laughing.
    â€œSure. When Seattle first got started, this part of town was built on the tidal flats. Whenever the tide came in, theyhad a problem. Everything backed up and the sewage flowed the wrong direction. When they got a strong high tide— whoosh —exploding toilets! Kind of like Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park. You didn’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—you get the idea.”
    Cody pumped his fist. “Got it!”
    â€œThat’s gross,” I protested. “Certifiably.”
    â€œBut Shan doesn’t mind,” Cody said. “Keep going, Uncle Neal.”
    â€œWell, all they could do was build the toilets up in the air, like the one you’re looking at. Afterward, you came down the ladder and washed up. There’s the washbasin, on ground level. Isn’t history wonderful?”
    â€œThis is the ultimate,” Cody said.
    â€œCody, let me tell you why the great fire of 1889 wasn’t such a disaster after all. After the fire, the city fathers, in their wisdom, decided to rebuild this whole part of town twelve feet higher.”
    Cody laughed through his fingers. “So the sewage would go downhill.”
    â€œThat’s right. Gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law. They built on the old foundations, then raised the streets to match the top of the old first story. While they were rebuilding, you had to climb a ladder from the sidewalk to get onto the street. You crossed the street, then climbed down a ladder to get to the sidewalk on the other side. I kid you not.”
    Uncle Neal suddenly put a forefinger to his lips, took the flashlight, and pointed it through a ragged break in one of the stone walls. Far down an ancient alley, a pair of eyes shone weirdly in the dark.
    â€œHow did you know?” I whispered. “Did Sage tell you?”
    â€œIndeed she did. Adult raccoon. That tidnab is gonna be a tough customer.”
    The border collie was twitching all over, yet when Uncle Neal gave the word, she didn’t bolt. Sage stalked slowly into the darkness, the hair along her spine standing on end.
    Uncle Neal brandished his salmon net. “Give me lots of swinging room. Let’s stand well off to the side so we aren’t blocking the raccoon’s way out.”
    Before long Sage was barking, the raccoon was growling and hissing, and there was a nasty scuffle going on. “Sage knows how to use her flak jacket,” Neal said. “I just hope she has enough light to see by.”
    A couple minutes later the raccoon popped out, but not where we were expecting. Barking wildly, Sage flushed it out half a block behind us. Neal took off at a gallop with the flashlight and the net. I followed with the carrier.
    The raccoon kept trying to get off the street into the doorways and shadows. Every time, Sage leaped in front and turned it back. Now it was caught between Sage and Neal. Uncle Neal made his move. Quick as could be, he had the raccoon trapped under his net.
    Now came the trick: how to get this snarling, hissing, spitting beastie into the carrier.
    The raccoon delivered a number of vicious bites on Neal’s welding gloves and the sleeves of his heavy coat. At last, when Neal let go, the raccoon practically leaped the rest of the way into the carrier. We were out of there.
    Fifteen minutes later, Uncle Neal released the raccoon where the Duwamish River meets Elliott Bay. “Stay out of downtown, you hear?”
    As we headed home, Cody started fretting about the salmon Jackie had picked up for dinner. “Is she going tocook it like fish and chips?” he asked hopefully.
    Neal winced. “Fresh salmon, deep fried in batter?”
    Just then Neal’s cell phone rang. It was Jackie with a proposition for Cody. If he didn’t mind the