The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-09
EVENING STORY
The Smugglers.

lugger. There was no cave, vino
swept and spray washed, carved by
the erosion of a million years of
breakers far into the face of cliff.
There was no secret underground
passa ge leading from the back OF the
cave to the manor house OF the titled
leader of the smugglers; there was no
clash of cutlasses; no band OF bearded
Adventures ready to lay down their
lives for the swashbuckling, hand
some young chieftain.
There was a trawler. an inshore
trawler thirty feet long with a tiny
cabin forward and little glass nut
like a wee coming tower to protect
the steersman's head as he stood on
the cockpit floor and ran his ship, en-
CINE and wheel, quite alone; for she
was a one-nan boat.
Ashore at a spot where the river
road ran but half a dozen rods from
the estuary, there was waiting one
ton motor truck. And there was as
fine a cargo of contraband on the
trawIer as was ever boated ashore
from any lugger. or battled over in the
dark by soldiers and blue-water bull
lies, since custom houses, and their
evasion, were invented.
Traviss part in the transaction look
ed easy. All he had to do was TO meet
the tramp a mile due south OF DUCKS
and brakes light at 10 O'Clock, take
the forty cases aboard, run into the
his home harbor anyhow, help the
man of the motor truck load the stuff
and collect $40 a case from the truck
driver.
-Four hundred dollars for a nights
work is a lot of money to a trawler.
And Ben particularly needed that
$500. As to the risk-"Piffle" said
Kimpinski. Kimpinski, junk dealer,
was the owner of the truck, and its
driver for this occasion. IF the gov
eminent was looking for some one Tor
a few bottles of booze. would they let
a peddler, maybe? Sure. it's all fixed.
Everywhere Is 1t coming in. The coast
guards-bah! They can see nothing;
the wind Is blowing hundred dollar
bills in their eyes!"
There seemed to be sense to this. II
the government were, indeed. as zeal
Gus in the suppression of contraband
liquor as II was supposed to be, would
it be likely TO concern itself with small
fry like Ben. and still permit a big
ship to cruise the coast. dropping off
her Illicit cargo here and there to fish
ermen, tugs and coastwise schooners?
Surely 1t must be well fixed" And
Ben was young and adventurous; he
didn't put much stock in the eight
zenith amendment anyhow-and he
needed it.
Caroline was helping in the matter
of the bungalow, too. She went into
town five evenings a week and taught
foreigners in the evening school It's
strange how things happen. how they
dovetail. One of Caroline's pupils was
Kimpinskfs eldest son, a man grown
but young. Kimpinski came to the
school and called his son out into the
hall. Afterward. near the door where
Kimpinski had stood. Caroline picked
up a crumpled telegram, addressed to
the junk man and signed by an initial
1t said:
Try Benjamin Travis trawI fisher
man Sandy Bay"
1t was rather startling to Caroline
Also it happened that young Isadore
Finkelstein confided to Miss Webster
that Kimpinsiki was a bad man, a law
smasher already.
Now it was that Caroline had just
been reading an old-time novel-one1
of the lugger and cave sort-and as
she read it, the thought had come to
her that the dashing, handsome snug
deal like Ben. So. with what she
knew about the mysterious telegram
and Kimpinski's reputation, when Ben
a couple of evenings later told her the
next night he wouS2 have to be out all
night in his buAt-a most unusual
thing-sorething jumped up in Caro-
lines throat and her heart beat in fear
Kimpinski had gotten Ben and his
boat mixed up in liquor smuggling.
Any woman could. especially one who
knew Ben's streak of recklessness and
who had been reading lugger stories
Wherefore, as Ben's trawler
chugged up to an anchorage three rods
lrom the shore where Kimpinskfs
truck waited, on as dark a night as
you can have when there are no stars.
and when Ben, with six of the cases
piled into his skiffbcat, rowed ashore,
four coastguard gobs and a coastguard
lieutenant arose out of the hedge to
greet him, and at the same instant
two others stepped from behind the
trees, where they had been watching
Kimpinski for twenty minutes, and
grabbed the junkman by the collar.
We'll just trouble you for the loan
TIL We bring the rest of that stuff
ashore ourselves. Then you can take
her and go about your business
You're a very lucky chap"
1t was at the front gate of Caro-
line Webster's home that they had
1t out the next afternoon. Caroline,
pale but determined, met Ben there
and talked to him over the barrier
instead of swinging II open, as usual,
in mute welcome.
Il know what happened last night"
she began, taking the situation by the
horns. 1T was I who informed-if
you want to call it that"
Travis looked at hef as if she had
struck him in the face
"You!"
Yes. I. Ben Travis. you and have
been nearly three years trying to get
home together so as to start right It
has meant just as much to me as it has
to you. And in my way I've worked
just as hard for it as you have. But
II we ever do have a home together,
Ben. it's got to be one without a stain
on it. 1t has got to be earned straight
and kept straight
81 could have pretended not to know