Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04

w. :: ): s:
W not discomfort him.
| He lighted cigar and first making his
feet comfortable in a chair not otherwise
engaged, Capt. Bob continued:
| This was in the old days Of the New
York custom house. No matter how 1
| know these things; that's my affair. The
| story is this: Once upon time there was
a young fellow in New York with a few
| thousand dollars and nothing to do. He
had just enol gh money to wrong him and
not enough to bring him any good. He
had friend who was of the custom house
| and whose personal duty it was, with
others of his brood, to inspect baggage and
keep bright and diamond eye for snug
glers. The young man with the few irri-
tating thousands we will call Smiley, be-
| cause that was not his name. And, as he
Is yet alive and of high repute, were we
| to give his real name in this smuggling
| connection he might see it and be morti-
| fled to death. So Wen just call him Smiley,
and his friend, the inspector, We'll call
Custom House Ben Now that's fixed,
| We'll go on.
| Smiley and Custom House Ben were one
day talking of Smiley's money; weary and
| yawning for investment
| why don't you go to smuggling?
| queried Custom House Ben.
Then Custom House Ben unfurled his
plan and showed Smiley how. with his aid
| as inspector, the thing was easy and a
| golden success sure. 80
Smiley was readily led by the sugges-
| ton of Custom House Ben. In the elabora-
ton Of the plot and its final carrying out
| Smiley dispatched an agent to Lyons with
commission to purchase silks-the best
! with every dollar of the thousands. The
| agent fulfilled his part. He bought silks;
| rich, rustling stuffs, stiff enough to stand
on edge ard fit to robe a sultan. His pur-
chases filled ten packing cases. Then he
cabled Smiley and started for New York.
The arrangement was, as you have al
ready foreseen, to have Custom House
| Ben inspect the packing cases and O. X.
Smiley's silks through the custom house
| The profits would be towering, as the tariff
on silks just following the war ran noun
| tains high. -
We'll. the day came, and the steamer
came and Smiley,s silk-buying emissary
was aboard with his convoy of packing
cases. In routine fashion, Custom House
Ben fumbled through them; they We're re-
locked and restrapped. and Custom House
Ben bestowed upon their ends the chalk
written letters %. X and then added, as
| was the rule, his own initials, &C. H. b. ,
| to indicate himself as inspector. The pack
| ing cases We're then tumbled ashore and
stood up on end on the wharf.
|
| steamboat landing? Everybody in a hurry
| and everything to do. Crowds on the docks
| and crowds aboard the boat. Carriages,
wagons, drays coming empty, going away
| frefghted. With all the others on this oc-
| casion came the crafty Smiley, and among
| ell the drays came SmieyS dray AS soon
as the inspection of Custom House Ben was
| over, and the packing cases We're passed
| Smiley's dray began to take them away
The work aboard steamer still buzzed on.
That did not interest Smiley. He was busy
with his own smuggling, and had no leisure
| to beStow upon the smuggling of others.
| Matters went swimmingly with Smiley
He had in three trips of the dray carried
nine CT his packing cases to a place of
| SAFETY He was lettering about the wharf
| awaiting the dray's return for the odd
| case. and when it came he intended to
pocket his dignity and ride up town with
1t on the dray. 1t was dark, fairly $50
o'clock In the evening, now. Nobody whom
Smiley knew or for whose opinion he cared
| would see him aboard the dray, and he
| was eager to get his packing cases open
and have a look at his silken riches and
begin figuring his gains.
while Smiley waited he paced up and
down the wharf. now deserted by all but
| perhaps a dozen people. His last packing
| case stood near huddle of other peoples
| packing cases and trunks. which had. been
| Inspected and turned ashore. 1t stood Just
| at the edge of the wharf
LAS Smiley strolled up and down Custom
| House Ben passed by, and, without turning
| his head, whispered:
Follow me aboard the boat
There was that in his ally's tone which
sent an Icy Fang through Smiley. Some
| thing was wrong. He was COOL however
| Without appearing to do SO, he Joined Gus
| tom House Ben aboard the boat.
We've got TO be careful now said Ben.
| in a sort of Vengeful hurry. My chief
| stands on the wharf. You know he isn't
| In this. He suspects something wrong too,
and his eyes are on your packing case.
| know him. After the work is all done
aboard the boat, he'll call for me and have
the thing opened. I've seen it done before
Ard of course, once he opens that packing
case, you know what it means. 1t means
prison stripes for both of u.s.
Smiley almost tainted. He began to see
that smuggling was not a rose without
thorn; and that in plucking it one might
inadvertently prick his fingers with the
penitentiary.
Here's our only chance continued Gus
tom House Ben. I've got way thought
out to save ourselves. Go and tell Flanni-
gan to come to me at once aboard ship.
You come with him, and I'll tell you what
to do
Smiley found Flanagan, who was a fell
low-inspector of Custom House Ben, and in
his fullest confidence The two had turned
many a trick together when it was too
| heavy for one to turn alone.
Ben rapidly, as the latter joined him, this
is the program. Do YOU see that Switzer
with the captain-athe high boots and the
yard-long pipe? We'll, he doesn't speak
L
him. There will be a aight-a good one.
The riot ought to clear the wharf and bring
everybody, including the chief, aboard the
boat: If he doesn't come without, I'll send
for him. He will have to settle my war
with the party from the Fyrol.
The moment he leaves the wharf and
the scene is clear throw rthe packing case
of Smileys into the river. Don't walt a
second; tumble her off. It's packed as If by
a cotton compress, and will sink like lead.
Then pull down a packing case from the
MIL fIn rI,nr f mo RI with
initials, &C. H. b. as Inspector
But said the experienced Flanagan,
suppose the one 4 put in place is queer.
too? The chief will have it opened, and you
will be as bad off as ever!
1--we got to take chances, retorted
Custom House Ben. Now, hurry. By the
time you've reached the gang-plank this
Tyroiese party and I will be locked in a
deadly embrace. I shall accuse him of
being a smuggler.'
"FIannigan started for the wharf. A mo-
ment later angry shouts, accompanied by
a prodigious scuff1e and a vast deal of
Swiss, foated out on the evening air. Ev-
erybody on and off the boat rushed to the
scene Of conflict. All save Flanagan; he
was crowdng his way to the wharf. He