Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1906-08-30
EVEN
By CHARLES GREY GREY.

took her so regularly round the Mexican
Gulf ports that she almost came to inag-
inc herself a 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 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 fine"
| Captain Treharne, 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 well
and nearly squared up the loss on the
confscated cargo. Still he wanted TO
get his own back"-to use his own
| phrase-and for that end concocted a
deep and skillful plot. Accordingly, next
trip he carefully slowed a few boxes OF
| cigars and few pounds of tobacco
where they would be found by the keen
nosed customs officer. These being
found, he was fined again pro rcta, but,
The quantity being small, the fine WIS
small too. He knew that HOW he would
be marked as a confirmed runner" and
fl1 tH-1c r1-1,ara fha D,1nf 10, Ill
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 a few hun
bred weight of scrap tobacco, sweepings
of the warehouses, ard 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 a 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 wriggled herself to
within a few hours of sight of England
the skipper called the crew aft, individu
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 a lockers dirty clay pipe. Then
Billy sent for the chief engineer, and
remarked: mister Mckay, will you
kindly have few wee graves dug on
a.. e Ill II,
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 burkers.
By this time they were nearing their
''shipshape and Bristol fashion" below,
and into port they went, the Rathcooles
bunkers and galley smelling like cut
plug factory.
As soon az the revenue officer came
aboard Billy gratuitously 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 to do
with the. skipper, though. Then he
tackled the galley.
All" 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 been
smoking some unholy muck in the to-
bacco line here Sort of seems more a
case for a quarantine officer than a reve-
nue man. though"
"That don't go here" snapped the
revenue man; you'd far better declare
the stuff right off than let us find it and
get fined yourself; though, to tell the
truth, you'll sight more likely get
jr%eed the third time Come, now,
where is it? l tell you, bluff don't go
down here"
who's blufing?" answered Billy. |
I've declared all the tobacco I've got |
aboard, and you can turn the darned |
old Rathcoole inside out. but you won't |
find another ounce"
"We'll see about that later" said the
revenue man.
Well, nothing was found in the galley,
and nothing elsewhere, till they came to
the stoke-hold, and thence to the bunk
ers. Here the revenue man was struck
by the quantity of, coal on hand for an
inbound ship, and his suspicious rose
like the comb on an angry cuckatoo.
Seems you've got lot of coal aboard,
Captain Treharne," he said.
eyes. Good coal that" replied Billy.
Never used so little coal on trip since
I've skippered the Rathcoole"
Seems to me you'd have room for a
small packing case or two under that
lot" surmised the revenue man.