Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-03-02
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Collector of the Port.
rOriginaI.l

customs ut the little seaport town in |
which he lived.
1--WE shall see," said the old man,
whether these thieves shall continue |
to beat the United States as they bent
the Confederacy. l propose, sub, to |
see that the government gets its honest
dues, sub, or my names not Jim Blith- |
ers."
As no goods were ever received att
the colonels custom house, it was not
difficult to make good his words, but
he drew his salary regularly and talk
ed continually of the Imaginary eff
forts that were constantly being made
to land goods at the port without the
payment of duties.
About ten years after the close of the
war, and when Colonel Jim had been
running the custom house the greater
part of that time without catching a
single smuggler. up comes yellow jack
from the tropics and passes all GUS
tom houses on the southern coast with
out reference to the vigilance of any
collector.
81 tell yo', subj" said the colonel, 'it
behooves me to be mo- watchful than
ever Taking advantage of the demo-
alization existing along the coast SNUG
glers will swain about eve'y po'te."
One day schooner appeared in the
harbor and dipped anchor about two
miles from the custom house. From
her foremost she flew a yellow flag and
from her peak the stars and bars of the
late Confederacy. Colonel Jim looked
out of his office window, and when he
saw the beloved ensign he forgot his
fears of the fever denoted by the bit
of yellow bunting, and his heart bled
for the inmates OF the ship. He took
up a glass to inspect her, and as he did
so a boat was lowered from her dav-
it's. Then some sailors got into the
boat. And what is that long, narrow
box swinging in the air and slowly de-
scending into the boat? \ coffin! The
colonel swept the deck with his glass.
but all who were visible were standing
above the boat and every one uncov-
cred, while a man stood with his face
bent over a book. 1t did not require
the acute brain of the colonel to see
that funeral was taking place on
board.
Then a dingey was lowered, and, fol
lowed by the hearSeboat, it was pulled
toward the custom house. Some dis
lance from the shore the crew of the
latter rested on their oars while the
dingey pulled on. Then man came
ashore and made for the colOnel's- Of
fee. The colonel went out to meet
them.
Il have come, suh,' said the man, etc
ask permission to bury the body off,
he broke down and wept copiously-"of
my beloved sister, who accompanied
my wife and myself on this voyage. I
command the vessel yo' see anchored
there. suh, the Robert E. Lee, named
fo' the great commander. We took the
fever on boa'd at Havana and have
lost three men, buried at sea. 1 desiah
to bury my dear Lucy on land, so that
1 may remove the body hereafter tc
our home in Mobile"
Captain" said the collector, 81 could
not look upon the evidence of yo' loyal
ty to our lost cause in yondah flag and
refuse yo' request. If yO' will take the
body up there about mile moth of the
town, l. think our citizens will not OBJ
ject. and as collectO' of the po'te yo'
have my permission"
The captain burst into tears of graft
tude. and with pathetic remark link
ing his lost sister with the lost cause
he was pulled back to the hearseboat.
Then the body was taken to the point
designated and buried.
The next day another funeral came.
This time it was the captains wife
who had died, having been taken Ill
only the night before. The captain
was so sorely broken down that he
found it necessary to send for Colonel
Jim's permission to bury the body,
which was granted. The colonel. not
relishing this continued contact with
| the crew of a fever stricken schooner,
now instructed the messenger to an
| nounce to the captain that he might
| bury any one else who died without a
| special permit. During the next few
| days nearly all the crew must have
died. for every day there were several
| funerals. Meanwhile the Confederate
! flag was lowered to half mast.
One morning Colonel Jim was sitting
st his office window, with his feet on
| his desk and a cigar in his mouth.
when he noticed signs of a commotion
on the schooner's deck. Taking up his
glass to see what was the matter, he
|
age of low propeller, topped by pil-
lar of black smoke. The schooner got
up sail and anchor with remarkable
haste, but as there was no wind she did
not bulge. The propeller came nearer.
and the colonel saw flying from her
peak the perpendicular stripes of the
United States revenue flag. The reve-
nue. cutter bore down on the'schooner
and sent a boat aboard. The Confed-
crate and sick flags had meanwhile dis
appeared. Then a boat came ashore
with a man in uniform in the stern
and amidships the captain of the Rob
ert Z. Lee.
"Are you the collector?' asked TIE
officer of Colonel Jim.
Yes, sub, have that honah."
"Well, then, want to introduce you
to Bill Jimson of New London, tic