The San Francisco call., 1913-08-17
Dr. the Ad1enfure Of the Tro

~~-'ACCR III S"SAIs ycris GO
/ customs inspector of the Port
OF New York was Tim Donovan.
and famous among the many cases
involving gems of great value is that
which is here told under the title Of
The Adventure of the Trained Nurse.
Information that comes steadily
from the Governments secret agents
abroad to the Custom House of New
York-fron agents in London, Ant
werp, Amsterdam, Paris and Hayre--
had been largely effectual. and many
SLY dealer, to say nothing of naughty
da7nes of great wealth, had been hello
up ana compelled to disgorge heavy
duties to the United States or suffer
the conhscation of their gIittering con-
traband. In dagrant cases there had
been prosecution before the Federal
courts, fines administered and in some
instances prison sentences imposed
:. But at the period of the happening
OF this strange, subtle case In the
experience OF Inspector Tim Donovan.
the authorities we're well aware that
some fox was fooling them--fooling
them outrageously. Some conniver
was incessantly riding over or squirm-
ing through every barrier. passing
successfully over every trap. tossing
dust in the eyes of the agents abroad,
eluding the usually penetrating eyes
of the watchers on the American
shore. Through the mysterious man
ner in which the Customs Department
has of knowing the contents of whole
sale and retail jewellers vaults. the
fact was apparent that steady
stream of pearls and diamonds. many.
of enormous value and in the aggre-
gate representing in money more than
81 1,500 900 had somehow poured
through an unknown crevice in the
customs wall, cheating the National
Treasury of a huge sum that was its
rightful share
This was the state of affairs when
Tim Donovan first took particular no.
tice of Isaac Herd.
There was no particular reason why
Tim Donovan should take any notice
of Isaac Herd at all-Mr. Herd being
q short, inconspicuously dressed man.
with fat, habby cheeks, horned nose.
little gray mustache with the for
eign uptwist on the ends; round-bod-
led and spindly-legged. AS he walked
Mr.. Herd placed great dependence on
a heavy Malacea stick with one hand
and the arm of a very pretty young
woman on the other-a young woman
whose white cap and light blue uni
form under her plain dark blue cloak
made the clear announcement that she
was a. trained nurse. Invalids are
sufficiently common on ocean liners
Ir-1o~-r s,oo~,,f,o ~ or{ro;ro o+ao-o~
carries it's quota of health seekers
Yet-yes, there was one reason that
Tim Donovan had for taking special
notice of Isaac Herd and it was this
his face was so very familiar.
Not that Donovan could drag any
where out of his memory recollec-
tion of having ever known Isaac Herd
as smuggler. or even a suspected
smuggler. Never had the little man
been caught with> SO much as con,
traband dozen of handkerchiefs. But
his face was so very familiar. IN his
many scrutinies OF the crowds fling
down the gangplanks. in his sails up
the bay from the Quarantine station
on the decks and in the cabins of all
the liners it suddenly occurred to the
observant Tim Donovan that he was
always coming upon this little man
with the fat, habby cheeks, horned
nose, little foreign mustache and. it
may be- added, small very black, very
bright eyes. AS Donovan conned the
matter over, 1t began to appear to him.
qauzzzmzup<.........ss1s'u.l-.'..