Francis Worcester Doughty

“ The smuggler started as if he were stung and turned deathly pale.
A look of blank dismay settled upon his sallow face, his dark eyes sparkled angrily and he exclaimed:
"Parbleu! I thought zey was done for!"
"You told me how you had shipped them in a box."
"Zen zey have escape, eh?"
"So it seems. One of your men discovered them. Before I came here, I met Old King Brady in the street and warned him of the danger of following you up. He refused to quit."
"Zat man ees a demon! I weel keel heem yet!" raved La Croix.
"Look out he don't kill you," replied his daughter. ”

“ Finally Gibson affected a mocking laugh, and said, derisively:
"What can a Secret Service man do in a Custom House case, if we men, educated for it, can't finish a job we find too hard for us?"
"They'll find the smuggler I'm after," replied the Collector, banging his fist on the desk to emphasize his remark. "I've got every faith in that remarkable man and boy. They are the most skillful detectives in the profession. There's nothing they can't do in their own line, and you'll find it out soon." ”

“ Harry watched him restlessly.
The boy was very impatient.
"I can't understand how you can take it so cool," he muttered.
"What's the good of fuming and fretting? It isn't going to hurry us, is it?"
"No. But La Croix may beat us."
"Keep cool. The more you worry, the warmer you'll get."
That ride downtown was torture to Young King Brady, and there wasn't a minute he did not have his watch in his hand and kept counting the minutes as they slipped by. ”

“ Old King Brady got his handcuffs from his wrists, put them in his pocket and withdrew his own revolver.
"By thunder!" he muttered. "I'm glad you made that dash, Harry."
"We would now be helpless prisoners if I hadn't."
Just then several lodgers stuck their heads out of the doors of their rooms, alarmed at the shots and yells.
Seeing the two armed detectives, they shouted with alarm, withdrew into the rooms, banged their doors shut and some rushed to the windows, flung them open and screamed:
"Murder! Murder! Help! Police!" ”

“ A fat little Frenchman was behind the counter, but Harry did not see any signs of Clara La Croix.
A feeling of disappointment overcame him.
The salesman bowed, looked at him inquiringly, and asked politely:
"Well, sir, what can I do for you to-day?"
"Is Mr. Cliquot in?" asked Harry, in low tones.
The salesman smiled and shook his head.
"No," he replied. "He is dead."
"Dead? But the name on your sign—"
"Is only kept as a firm name. His partner is in." ”

“ The detectives observed that he now did not have his daughter with him.
From where they were, they could see that La Croix had a thin, sallow face, a long, sharp nose and a closely-trimmed dark moustache.
He turned into Broadway and disappeared in the crowd.
"Who is he?" asked Old King Brady, of the dealer in precious stones.
"A mystery. No one knows. He makes many trips between New York and Havre to smuggle diamonds which he sells here. Every jeweler in the Lane knows him. Some deal with him." ”

“ We are more merciful to you when it lies in our power to put you in prison."
The woman's face reddened with shame.
She hung her head, but made no reply.
Old King Brady then said to Harry in hurried tones:
"Come. We must get on La Croix's trail. We'll run him down if it takes a year to do it!"
They rushed from the room.
Harry, however, paused outside the door and listened.
The woman and her daughter uttered a merry peal of laughter.
"Good for papa!" cried the girl. "He'll save the gems yet."
"Those detectives have gone on a wild goose chase," contemptuously replied her mother. ”

“ You are duped. Do as you please with my innocent wife and daughter. You can prove nothing against them. An outsider did the smuggling. That lets us out. I defy you. Do your worst. La Croix."
Young King Brady smiled at the note.
"The raving of a madman!" he muttered scornfully. "If he imagines he has beaten us, we will soon relieve him of that notion."
He carried the note to Old King Brady and exclaimed:
"La Croix has escaped with the diamonds."
"How did he get them?" asked the old detective, curiously.
"Clara sent them to him by the hall-boy." ”

“ Get a cab and we'll see if we can catch her before she departs."
"Even if we miss her," said Harry, consolingly, "we will be pretty sure to see La Croix on the pier, seeing his daughter off."
"I don't want to arrest him in that case," said Old King Brady, "for if the girl gets away, we'll have to keep the man watched in order to let him lead us to his daughter when she returns. As she's pretty sure to have all those diamonds with her, we can nab them with evidence on their persons, of their smuggling enterprise." ”

“ If I ever meet La Croix again, I won't have any mercy on him. He's a bad man."
The boy then went to bed.
A week afterward, Old King Brady met Harry at police headquarters, and the boy saw by the look of triumph on his face that he had good news.
"How are you feeling to-day?" he asked the boy.
"Fine. My wound don't bother me at all."
"I've been working hard, Harry."
"So I imagine, as I haven't seen anything of you since yesterday."
"La Croix's four spies have arrived in town."
"What! Come from Canada?"
"Yes. I saw them going up Broadway in a bunch, to-day."
"Why didn't you arrest them?" ”

“ I am determined to stop this wholesale smuggling. If none of you are capable of doing the work for which you are liberally paid, I'll have to get somebody to do the work for you. Do you understand?"
"But, sir," began one of the inspectors, humbly, "we've done our best—"
"And accomplished nothing!" snapped the Collector.
"How could we, sir? The smuggler you want us to catch does not resort to the usual tricks such people adopt to avoid paying duty on the diamonds and other precious stones, which you say are smuggled into this country. ”

“ Before the prisoners were brought to court next morning, the Bradys appeared at the police station and had a talk with the captain.
He fell in with their views and said:
"You are at liberty to pump the prisoners here, if you can."
Accompanied by the doorkeeper, the detectives went back to the cell occupied by Jean.
The man was nervously pacing to and fro and glanced at the detectives with an ugly scowl, when they entered.
Pausing before them he demanded:
"Have you come to gloat over my misery?"
"No. We are not so cruel. All we want is some information."
"What about, Old King Brady?" ”

“ There was a look of disgust on Harry's face and he cried:
"He has cleverly duped us and the girl got away with the valuables."
Old King Brady was furious.
"Confound her!" he roared. "Come—search this man thoroughly, and if he has not got any contraband stuff, we'll search the ship and arrest the girl."
Harry turned La Croix's pockets inside out. ”

“ You've got it now, so hand it over."
"I haven't got any package of diamonds," protested the girl.
"Now, don't try to lie out of it. We've got the evidence against you which you can't deny. Be sensible and save yourself further trouble by handing over the gems. If you don't we'll take them by force."
"I am telling you the truth."
"Further concealment is useless."
"Then search us and convince yourself."
Harry accepted her offer and failed to find the stones.
While he was so employed, Old King Brady searched her mother with equal non-success, and a surprised look spread over their faces. ”

“ They dismissed the cab and hurried into the hotel.
La Croix had disappeared from view and the detectives hastened to the office and said to the clerk:
"Got a party here named La Croix?"
"Yes, sir. They're in room 678. Wish to send up your name?"
"No," replied Old King Brady, with a smile, as he exhibited his badge.
"Oh," said the clerk, "detective, eh?"
"We're after La Croix. He's a crook."
"He is? What has he done?"
"Smuggler."
"I see. How about his wife and daughter?" ”

“ Decker, I am a Custom House officer."
"Ah!"
"This girl is a smuggler."
"I see!"
"We've been on her trail since she brought those gems from Holland to Canada, and thence over the border without paying duty on them."
"The little wretch!"
"Are you a party to this deal?"
"No, indeed!" emphatically replied the dealer. "I'm a victim. She came in a while ago and said her father died, leaving a stock of diamonds to her as he had been an importer. As she offered to sell them very cheap, I was selecting a lot to buy, when you came in."
"I believe you, sir."
"I am a respectable business man." ”

“ Before they could fire a shot, the detectives let their fists fly, and in a moment more a terrific fight was going on.
During the fracas Clara escaped.
Bang! went Old King Brady's powerful fist against the jaw of one of the villains, and it knocked the man flat on his back.
He was stunned.
As he fell close to the wounded man whom Harry had flung down, the old officer whipped out his handcuffs and linked the pair together.
Harry had kicked the pistol out of his opponent's hand.
The man now had to depend upon his fists. ”

“ He was a fat German and he paused in the middle of the street, wildly waving his arms and crying in despairing tones:
"Ach Gott! I vos robbed! Dey shtole mein horse und vagon!"
The Bradys started off on a run after the vehicle.
Block after block was covered until the wagon, far in advance of the detectives, swung around the corner into West Broadway.
Here, panting and foam-covered, the horse was reined in.
The fugitives alighted.
"We are going to lose them now," groaned Old King Brady.
"I don't see why," returned Harry, breathlessly.
"Don't you see they're going for the elevated?" ”

“ When they reached the street, Old King Brady laughed and said:
"They're all jealous of us. But we'll show them a trick or two, Harry."
"They'll be a surprised lot," laughed the boy. "We have them beaten already."
They headed for the jewelry district and called upon several of the most prominent importers and lapidaries, from whom they gained some very valuable information. The last importer they spoke to said:
"Paul La Croix, a French-Canadian, was just in here with his daughter, trying to sell us some smuggled diamonds. See—there he goes now." ”

“ The broker sat down and Harry seized him and held him there.
At the same moment Old King Brady grabbed him by the left foot, gave it a tug and the struggling man gave a yell, and demanded, excitedly, as the boot slipped off and remained in the detective's hand:
"Py shiminey, vot yer mean py dot outrages alretty?"
"We think you are cheating the government," replied Old King Brady.
"Vot? Me? You vas grazy!"
"Am I?" blandly asked Old King Brady. ”

“ Still nothing came to light and Harry said:
"He has nothing with him."
"Very well. The girl has, then."
"Now, Monsieur, I hope you see zat you wrong me?" said La Croix.
Old King Brady gave him a peculiar look, shook his finger at the Frenchman and replied in angry tones:
"We know you, La Croix. You are the worst smuggler in this port. It won't be long before we run you in for your crooked work."
"Ah—how you can say zat?" innocently asked the man.
"We have no time to discuss the matter now, for we are very anxious to nab your daughter Clara," said the old detective. ”

“ As Harry said, he disclosed the articles mentioned.
"My!" said the lady, innocently, "I wonder how they got there?"
"Madam," replied Harry, politely, "you put them there yourself. As a lady don't wear such things and you've been traveling alone, it's clear you were trying to smuggle those things. Seize them, Gibson, and they'll be appraised in the Custom House. If the lady then wishes to pay the full duty charged on them she can get back her ornaments."
The Collector burst out laughing.
"Any more?" he asked Old King Brady.
"Yes. See that short fat man? He is Mr. Jacobs, a stock broker. ”

“ As he was interested in her pretty face, he watched her a few moments and had seen her go hurrying over to Broadway.
She had kept on the west side of the street and was evidently going downtown on foot in the dense crowd thronging the street.
With this meagre clew to follow, Harry hurried away.
"She had the gems," he muttered. "Perhaps she had an idea of selling them quick to raise money to aid her parents, both of whom she now knows are in trouble. She's a wise girl, and must certainly know that she would be helpless to aid them without money. Money will give her power. ”

“ It soon became apparent to the detectives that an important move was soon to be made, for the four spies were in frequent consultation with the Frenchman and his family.
"They are evidently arranging a plan of action," Harry commented, as he and his partner traced the men to La Croix's room for the fourth time.
"I wish there was some way of getting a clew to their design," Old King Brady replied, in wistful tones. "We are completely in the dark." ”

“ The first thing he heard was a man's voice which he did not recognize, but presumed was La Croix, asking:
"Well, how did you make out in Toronto, Clara?"
"All right," the girl replied. "I found your four spies there. They report that the Custom House inspectors at Niagara Falls are on the alert. There has been a shaking up of the department. The Collector of the Port of New York is dissatisfied with the amount of smuggling that is being carried on, and made it very hot for everybody." ”

“ Harry answered. "They are taking the most extraordinary care not to let anyone hear a word they are saying or see a thing they are doing. I've tried several times, and failed."
"We've got a sharp gang to deal with, my boy. And the worst of it is that $250,000 worth of diamonds makes such a small package that they won't have the slightest trouble to conceal it."
"As they are not likely to allow so valuable a parcel to leave their hands, by arresting the whole gang the moment they reach the American side, we are likely to find the jewels on the person of one or the other." ”

“ Her husband and daughter must be somewhere about the city. I suppose La Croix sent for the spies. He may have use for them, else they wouldn't be here. I only hope he hasn't disposed of any of those stones yet."
"And I've sent a warning to all jewelers, pawnbrokers and dealers in gems, not to handle La Croix's gems under penalty of the law. I've offered them a reward for the smuggler's arrest. The villain is bound to keep shady now. He must know the danger he is in. He's a very foxy Frenchman," said Harry. ”

“ They must be either in Montreal or Quebec, for the girl is going to the former place. Miss Clara made a quick trip. She could not have been here long from Holland. And I presume she is laden with those diamonds she went after. La Croix is now doubtless scheming to smuggle them over the border into the United States. We've got to watch these people closely now. That Frenchman is a desperate man. We have seen that he would not stop at murder to attain his purposes. When I reach Montreal, I must telegraph Old King Brady to come on and meet me. ”

“ She wouldn't be watching those inspectors' departure that way unless it was of vital importance to her."
"But surely she can't be so silly as to think there are no officers left here. Everyone knows that a couple remain constantly on the watch in their office at the entrance to the dock."
"Ha! What's that? She's waving her handkerchief to that man who is coming out on the pier from West street."
Young King Brady gazed keenly at the person in question and suddenly recognizing him he exclaimed in excited tones:
"Why, it's Paul La Croix, the diamond smuggler!" ”

“ By sending a good, smart spotter ahead we learned all about the people we've exposed."
"That game may work very nicely with amateurs. But it would not go with a professional smuggler by any means."
"I quite agree with you," assented Harry.
"Well," said the Collector, "I'm quite satisfied with your performance, Mr. Brady, and am convinced that you are the very men to run down the big smuggler I am so anxious to see arrested."
"We'll do our best," said Old King Brady.
The Collector and the inspectors then went away. ”