The Green Forest tribune., 1916-10-27


 it you would like to earn the stipend the government pays you"
 Your lead sounds ominous, said the young special agent who had free and easy way with him even at the Washington headquarters. If I say yes, you will hand me a large piece of hard work. If 1 say no, 1 will be courting discharge. 1 select the lesser of two evils l confess to de- sire to earn my money"
 It is like this said the chief We suspect that there is a 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 pound cheaper than if it is graded 96 per cent pure. The differ ence in duty received by the govern ment on such cargo might. theo- retically, amount to $100,O00"
 If I catch three ships unused Gard half to himself. T have earned my salary for the rest of my life and won't have to work any more."
 T wouldn't just say that" respond ed the chief but if you saved the government half cent a pound on all the sugar imported, you would bring into the coffers a round two million a year That would be fair accom- plishment for a somewhat amateurish detective
 Sustained by the flattery of my su- perior.' said Gard. T am ready to rush into any mad undertaking. What are the orders?"
 You will be assigned to enc 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 fu 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"
 It was week later that William H. | Gard sent in his card to Henry Got trell president of the Continental Re ffning company, one of the greatest 1I9poTtsEs a'a T, v ,2s sugar ssRataess t,a,es 1.,9'rorull A.sFo5nis card Gard was> writer of Aagazine stories. He hadY explained i'll asking for an interview k that he was assigned to write an ar 1 ticle on sugar ships, which should be a yarn of color and romance in a set 1 ting of fact When the special agent entered the office Of President Gottrell, large and forid 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 it's 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 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 a tennis court.
 Henry Gottrell presented his daugh ter.
 "She always looked like a Swede," said the big man, tso we call her Thelma"
 And Mir Gard she bubbled forth, T have so wanted to know what writer did when he went for an inter- view. May I stay and see?"
 Tt will destroy romantic illusion # you do,' said Gard. Are you will ing to pay the price?"
 T cant 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 I am doing in an uncomfortable chair which has been arranged with the idea i'll 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 elucidation. Has the man being interviewed anything on hand, already prepared, that covers the ground. Maybe he has made speech at convention or something of that sort. The idea is to save labor for both Mir GottrelI 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 I want. 1 ask if he will provide a con- versational escort to conduct me over one of his sugar ships, if 1 may talk to his captains. He agrees. You see him doing it. The interview is at an end. The foundation has been laid for romance on sugar ships the same having a background of fact"
 That is splendid" exclaimed Miss Gottrell, because it does so easily thing that looks so hard. It does not spoil an illusion at all. It is wonder fully clever"
 t was in tfNs way that Special Agent Gard got az opportunity to go most carefully overlthe docks, through the warehouses, into, the ships of the Continental Refining company. It was in this way that he was enabled to ask many questions that might have aroused suspicion had he been there