Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-09-06
EVEN
BY CHARLES GREY GREY.

| iTtHdIhe' OF tne tramp steamer Kdtn-
coole, when the Rathcoole's tramping
took her so regularly round the Mexican
Gull ports that she almost came to imag-
| inc herself liner between London, the
West Indies and the Gulf
! Billy wasn't naturally depraved, but
those West Indian ports were too much
| for the virtue of the descendant of many
generations of Cornish smugglers, and
Captain Treharne fell away from grace
He started in quite a small way. SNUG
| Cling odd boxes of extra special Ha-
| vanas and odd pounds of selected Vir-
ginia, which came to him via New Or
leans. Then he started playing the game
heavily, and that was where his fall hurt
When they did get him he suffered heav-
| lily, lost many pounds of excellent to-
bacco, and, as the lawyers put it, was
"mulct in heavy ine.'
Captain Trcharne, of the Rathcoole,
resolved to get even, and next trip he
ran some more of his favorite blends
and brands, which by extra judicious
slowing in unconsidered trihes of cargo
he got ashore safe That paid him we'll
and nearly squared up the loss on the
confscated cargo. Still he wanted to
get his own back"--to use his own
phrasc--and for that end concoctcd a
deep and skillful plot Accordingly, next
trip he carefully slowed few boxes Of
cigars and a few pounds OF tobacco
where they would be found by the keen
noscd customs officer These being
found, he was fined again pro rata, but,
The quantity being small the fine WIS
small, too. He knew that now he would
be marked as confirmed runner" and
that was where the plot came in, also
where the skipper of the Rathcoole be-
gan to feel pleased with himself
When he next visited New Orleans,
Billy Treharne expended portion of his
ill-gotten gains on buying up few hun
dred weight of scrap tobacco, swcepinCs
OF the warehouses. and so on. Billy, be-
ing part owner Of the Rathcoole, could
do pretty we'll as he liked. so he ex-
pended more wealth on rather unneces-
sarily large supply of coal, and coal costs
money in the Gulf ports Then he
started for home. When the little Rath-
coole had kicked and wrigPled herself to
within few hours of sight of England
|
ally swore them to secrecy and explained
the plot The crew saw the humor OF
the situation and grinned. Then Billy
produced the scrap tobacco and sent for
the ships cook.
! For several hours the cook and Billy
were busy boiling up strong solution
of nicotine, until the cooks galley reeked
like lockers dirty clay pipe. Then
Billy sent for the chief engineer, and
remarked: mister Mckay, will YOU
kindly have few wee graves dug on
the top of all that extra coal you've got
left over this trip
Mckay, who was in the joke, retired
to his bunkers and had the necessary
graves dug as required.
| Then the skipper, the cook and Nc
| Kay proceeded to scientifically distribute
that nicotine solution between the graves
in the COAL so that it should percolate to
the bottommost plate in the bunkers.
By this time they were nearing their
| first port of call Everything was made
| "shipshape and Bristol fashion" below
and into port they went. the Rathcoole S
bunkers and galley smelling like cut
plug factory.
AS soon as the revenue officer came
| aboard Billy gratutously declared FIVE
hundred cigars and twelve pounds of to-
bacco, and offered duty on the same.
Now that alone. from twice con-
victed smuggler. was enough to rouse
suspicion. so off went Mr.. Revenue Off
Ger on the spy-around. He tackled
Billy's cabin first; nothing TO be found
there; then the mates quarters, nothing
there; then the fo'c'sle, one man found
with two hundred cigars, nothing 10 dc
with the skipper, though. Then he
tackled the galley.
"Ah," said the revenue man, there's
nothing to see, but this smells suspi.
cious."
Cant say It's pleasant" replied Billy
seems to me that dam cook has beer
smoking some unholy muck in the to-
bacco line here. Sort of seems more Q
case for quarantine officer than reve.
nue. man. though"
THAT don't go here" snapped tho
revenue man; you'd far better declar,
the stuff right of than let us find il anc
get hned yourself; though, to tell tn,
truth, you'll sight more likely &c
jugged the third time. Come. now
where is it9 tell you. bluff don't g
down here"
Who's bluning?" answered Billy
I've declared all the tobacco I've 40
aboard, and you can turn the darneC
old Raihcoole inside out, but you won
find another ounce"
Wen see about that later" said tn
revenue man.
Wen, nothing was found in the galley
and nothing elsewhere. till they came &
the stoke-hold. and thence 10 the bunk
ers, Here the revenue man was strucl
by the quantity of coal on hand for Il
inbound ship. and his suspicious ros
like the comb on an angry cuckatoo.
Seems you've got a lot of coal aboard
Captain Treharne," he said
'Yes, Good coal that" rsplied Billy
''Never used so little coal ca trip sine
!. I've skippered the Rathccole"
Seems 10 me you'd have room for