The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-12


hilltop and out of sight for moment
When over the brow of the hill he sud-
denly pulled up, took the trunk up In
his arms, climbed on top of the enor-
nous box on the sled, and holding the
trunk as high as he could over the side,
dropped 1t into big snow drift, where
1t sank completely out Of sight. Then
the race began again.
Back at the summit of the last hill
appeared the customs officer in hot
pursuit, and now he yelled to the man
ahead to stop, but that individual ap-
peared singularly deaf and in great
hurry as we'll. He kept his horse at top
speed and looked neither to the right
nor left
A half mile more and the officer had
drawn up close behind, when pretence
of not hearing his profane calls could
no longer be made The driver OF the
sled gazed backward over his shoulder,
and then, in apparently great surprise,
he pulled up-so suddenly that the off,
GERS foaming horse nearly plunged
head foremost into the big box.
"Wha- wha-what dye want
drawled the man ahead.
The reply of the officer is totally un-
suited for publication. Il sW'ar TO We,
7 hain't got thing here" said the dri-
yer of the horse sled.
Then / should like to know what IN
hades you were trying to get away
from me for" said the officer,
"Git away from ye?" said the other;
ivy, gosh mighty got ter git home
m milk eight caows afore dark, so l
hain't got no time ter be a-loafin' on
the road"
"Well, you just haul up" replied the
collector of Uncle Sans duties, and
I'll have look. I know well enough
just what you've got there
."Tell we I hain't got a thing here but
this old sled m box" protested the 9TH
err, but the more he protested the more
certain became his pursuer that ne mad
contraband goods concealed in the big
box, the only opening to which was q
little door at the end the normal use OF
| the box being for the conveyance or i've
pigs.
The two teams came to a standstill,
| and the officer got out and investigated
the turnout ahead He opened the lit
tie door in the rear and looked In.
With his eyes blinded by the glare OF
the bright snow he could see nothing
| but Stygian blackness. He looked
about for pole or stick with which to
probe the inky interior. Stone walls
were beside the road and nothing else.
/ The suppressor of smuggling was a
man Of action There was nothing else
to do. so he would crawl in the box and
explore the interior. He did so, when,
| quick as a flash, the door flew to, the
| button turned, and the horse IN front OF
the old sled broke into a run that
4 threatened demolition to the whole out
| fit. over the uneven road went the
team at the top of its speed, the sled
swaying fearfully and jumping into the
air at every leap of the horse. The
man inside was shaken about like peas
in a bladder, the man outside all the
while dlying the whip and shouting,
"Whoa!" ssQuit your running away
"Hi thar!'' "Stop!'' and various other
remarks tending to acquaint the unfor-
tunate gentleman inside with the fact
that the horse suddenly becoming star
tied had run away.
The end came when the driver at last
got his horse under control, and a sor-
| ry-looking object crawled out of the
| little door.
Gosh mighty" said the driver of the
| horse sled" at wuz tew bad the boss
should take it intew his head to run
| away lest wen you wuz in thar!"
But the minion of the law was toe
chagrined for utterance. and he limpeo
slowly back mile to where his team
was standing. That night the trunk
was lifted from its bed of snow by the
light of the moon and carried safely
away.