A Yankee Trick.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 7496, 20 April 1899, Page 4

A Yankee Trick.

-\n ex-collector of customs relates this as among his experiences: "Soree years ago, and shortly prior to the holidays, a man came into the office and said that he wanted to talk with me personally. He looked like an unsophisticated fellow who had come in from the country to try his hand at business, though he had sharp features and a nasal twang. " ' Mister,' he began when we were alone, ' I'm in a kind of a snarl and I've come to you because I want to do the square thing. I had a lot of Havanev cigars shipped to Windsor, thinkin' I could'do a stroke sellin' 'em here in Detroit for the Chris'mus trade. I had a man there to take care of 'em til! I came on, but he, not fenowin' nothin' abou; the law, packs them cigars in a boat and brings 'em over here without payin' no duty. I reckon it was smugglin', but he's honest as the sun, and I hurried right here soon'a I heerd of what he'd done. Here's a sample of them cigars,' as he held out a box, ' and I want to s»y right here that I never had a more deicious smofee.' He took me to the little room he had rented and showed me hundreds of boxes on which he paid the duty, and I let the matter drop. It got into the papers, even to my verdict as to the quality of the cigar 3. "Then my honest Yankee made a special Christmas sale patronised chiefly by the li tie 3, who did not care so much about the price as they did about the credit for having once selected goo-1 goods. He was closed out in no time and disappsared. There was a rauk cionr in the atmosphere that Christmas. The cigars were cheap Connecticut fi lera with cheaper Pennsylvania wrappers. The cigar he gave me was a ' ringer.' Uncle Sam got money that did noi belong to biai, but it was an advertising pcheme out of which the Yankee made a fat thing."