Smyrna times., 1912-11-13
A Smuggler' S
Ruse
Bv ARTHUR w. BREWSTER

was q AAielh bJ hhC " !
Tunker was a short. fat man, just |
about such fellow as his name would
indicate He wore very good clothes,
but nothing to attract attention. His
countenance was cheerful. amiable.
and honesty looked out from every
feature. He returned from Europe so
often that after awhile we inspectors
came to know him. He was a very
good fellow and often. after all his 4
baggage had been examined, would
offer us cigars and occasionally make
some one of us a little present he had
brought from abroad.
Heres a bottle of French brandy l
want to give you. old man. he said to
me one day after l had pasted the lab
els on all his baggage, enabling him to
remove it from the dock.
Il declined the gift. with thanks. but
some of the other inspectors took such
things. and | noticed ever after they
were not very thorough in searching
the giver's baggage But Tunker didn't
care whether they searched it or not,
for they were sure to find nothing duti-
able there except what he had declared
Zone day while walking on the street
1 noticed Tunker ahead of me. AS
was going in the same direction. kept
on fastening my steps a bit. thinking
to Join him. But before reached him
he turned into the store of large i'm
porter of jeweiry.
at is marvellous how little things sug-
gest other things Of much greater i'm
portance. | suppose in my case it was
natural enough it should occur to me
that the man was going in to sell
smugged goods because it is my busi-
ness to look. out for smugglers. At any
rate. the idea popped into my head that
Tunker's frequent visits to Europe
might have something to do with the
diamond trade.
Following up the suggestion. l
made inquiries about Tunker. l could
learn nothing further than that he APP
| peared to have no business. and if he
had any property it could not be found.
| He lived in the style of a man who
would spend about $500 year except
for his European trips. 1t seemed like
ly that some one was bearing the ex-
pense of these trips.
81 made up my mind that the next
time Tunker came from abroad | would
search him. 1t was several months
after this that | saw him coming down
the gangplank of a newly arrived liner
He had half smoked cigar between
| L =
cane in the other Jolly as usual. he
was smiling and waving his cane at
some one on the dock. | turned to see
who was greeting him and noticed that
there was no one on the exact spot at
which he was looking-at least no one
that seemed to be interested in him.
This confirmed my suspicious.
"'How are you? he said when be
saw me Going to let me through easy
this time?'
81 can't. Tunker. Some one-an en-.
emy. | sup1Ose-has been telling stO
ries about you. and we've got an order
from the collector himself to search
you.
II watched his countenance while
spoke and saw that my information
startled him. But he recovered him
self in an instant and said:
"'All right: search away. | know {
' man who hates me like poison anC
is just mean enough to do anythin,
' like that
}. II took him into a private room. an,
e the search began. The first thing don,
e was to unscrew the head of his cane
Hollow. but nothing in it, Then w
e went through his clothes. ripped of
I. the soles of his shoes. felt the lininj
!. Of everything he had on. looked 70
s. secret pockets in his satchel. No
thing could we find We took oi
his hat with a view to search 70
false bottom in the crown. Their
:, was nothing in the hat. but the vi
: covering OF his head revealed a bal
- spot on the top of it which was nea
- the size of half a lemon.
i Thinker | said. why don't 70
n. have thar thing removed? The SUI
,r geons can do it and not hurt you
i bit. ! know a man who had one q
them taken off without any trouble
Wouldn't have that touched for
farm. he replied. striving to appea
easy. Doctors say that if they cut
u they'd open an artery and I'd bleed I
Il death.
"a Here was a puzzle. If the we
'l was built on to his head to conces
ID gems one couldn't prove it withol
le tutting it open. for it looked for a
90 the world like the real thing. 1t ws
Of purple hue and altogether III
lovely. Nevertheless | resolved to te
- it. | applied the sense of touch. pl
II my finger on it.
ar 1 am going to operate on it myself
" said. 1 studied surgery when | W.
young. Sit down in that chair
"a "'Great heavens man. are you goir
- to kill meT
to i assure you the operation will
nd without the least danger
W. Hoping that I was bluffing. he tri,
blur game himself. He sat down
fhp chair fool. oyrt mn ,ort-rt