The Monticellonian., 1916-10-26

the young special agent who mad a
free and easy way with him even at
the Washington headquarters. IF
say yes, you will hand me a large
piece of hard work. If l say no, l will
be counting discharge. l select the
lesser of two evils. l confess to de-
sire to earn my money
1t is like this" said the chief I'VE
suspect that there is leak in the col
lection Of sugar duties. You know the
possibilities. If a ship comes to port
with 10000 tons of sugar from Cuba, it
pays duty that depends on the purity
of the cargo. If that sugar is graded
at 92 per cent pure it gets in half
cent a pound cheaper than if it is
graded &c per cent pure. The differ
enee in duty received by the govern
ment on such a cargo might. theo-
retically, amount to 100000.
If l catch three ships" unused Gard
half to himself, Il have earned my
salary for the rest of my life and won't
have to work any more"
Il wouldn't Just say that" respond
Nu Iil6 1lllfI, DuG Ii you 6dhCu INC
government half cent pound on all
the sugar imported, you would bring
into the Golfers a round two million
a year. That would be a fair accom-
plishment for a somewhat amateurish
detective
Sustained by the fattery of my SUI
perior," said Gard. I am ready to
rush into any mad undertaking. What
are the orders?'
You will be assigned to one of the
great sugar ports. We do not even
know that any fraud is being prac-
ticed. You are to find out If there is
fraud you are to determine the method
of it. The criminals, particularly the
big ones are to be apprehended. The
government would like to know how
these frauds may be prevented in flu
ture. The work need not be COM
pleted tomorrow or next day. You may
have any amount of help But we must
know that sugar duties are honestly
paid
II was a week later that William II.
Gard sent in his card to Henry Cot
trell, president of the Continental Re
fining company, one of the greatest
importers of raw sugar in the nation.
According to this card Gard was a
writer of magazine stories. He had
explained in asking for an interview
that he was assigned to write an ar
ticle on sugar ships" which should be
a yarn of color and romance in a set
ting of fact
When the special agent entered the
office of President Gottrell, large and
lorid and radiating geniality. he found
his plan of approach somewhat inter-
fered with by the presence of a third
party. Seated at the elbow of the re-
finer was one of the most striking
young women he had ever seen Corn
colored hair gone mad in its tendency
to curl made a perfect frizZle about
her face A flock of freckles. each
seemingly in pursuit of it's fellow Just
ahead, were hurdling the bridge of a
somewhat pug nose. Blue eyes that
danced and a mouth that responded
to the racing thought of an active
brain gave life to the face. And as
she arose the slightest movement of
her slim, well-rounded form suggested
fast work on tennis court.
Henry Gottrell presented his daugh-
ter
She always looked like a Swede, y
said the big man, so we call her
Thelma.''
And Mr.. Gard" she dubbed forth,
Il have so wanted to know what a
writer did when he went for an inter
view. May l stay and see?"
1T will destroy romantic Illusion
If you do said Gard. Are you will
ing to pay the price,"
Il can't believe that" she said do
let me see how it is done Don't
leave out a single thing
The interviewer begins" said the
special agent. by seating himself, as
| am doing, in an uncomfortable chair
which has been arranged with the idea
in mind of preventing him from stay
ing too long. The gentleman being in
terviewed always reaches into the
right-hand drawer of his desk, as your
father is doing, and produces a box
of very excellent cigars. Then the in
terviewer explains the idea that is on
his mind that requires calculation Has
the man being interviewed anything
on hand. already prepared. that covers
the ground. Maybe he has made a
speech at a convention, or something
of that sort. The idea is to save labor
for both. Mr.. Gottrell is now looking
for the report of his testimony before
the committee on tariff revision. He
will probably produce three reprints
that will contain much matter that
want l ask if he will provide con-
versational escort to conduct me over
one of his sugar ships, if l may talk
to his captains. He agrees. You see
him doing it. The interview is at an
end. The foundation has been laid for
a romance on sugar ships the same
having background of fact"
That is splendid" exclaimed Miss
Gottrell. because it does. so easily a
thing that looks SO hard. 1t does not
spoil an illusion at all. 1t is wonder
fully clever.
was in this way that Special
Agent Gard got an opportunity to go
most carefully over the docks. through
the warehouses, into the ships of the
Continental Refining company. 1t was
in this way that he was enabled to
ask many questions that might have
aroused suspicion had he been there
IN any other guise than that of writ