A Day in 1915 New York

Riley rubbed his forehead with one hand and waved a wad of papers with the other. It was just another blunder in a month of blunders in getting this order filled and shipped to his homeland.

The customs agent frowned at the open manifest on his desk. “Sir, I’m sorry, but nowhere on this log do I see that this cargo was to be accompanied by an official from the O’Canaghy Company. Perhaps the necessary form was not filled out?”

“My name is Riley O’Conaghy! I AM the company! How on earth will that box arrive unscathed once the ship reaches its destination? What instructions are posted in your paperwork to ensure proper delivery in Ireland??”

The agent adjusted his half moon glasses and peered back over his desk. “The log states that the goods are to be received by Mullins Imports and delivered to an outfit called Celtic Jewelry in Queenstown. As for a boarding pass, I can’t create one here. You’ll have to….sir?”

Riley was already halfway through the door by the time the agent looked up. If he could speak with a boarding officer on the pier he could finagle his way onboard. $50,000 in gems would not only set him up for life, but half of it was to be funneled towards the German war effort.

As he neared the pier, he could see the four smokestacks of the ship as she churned through the harbor, the letters on her stern glittering in the sunlight: LUSITANIA. His ship - and gems - had sailed without him.

The customs agent watched through his office window as Riley stamped the ground and screamed at the seagulls circling above. “Don’t worry, boy-o,” he chuckled to himself in a mock Irish brogue. “I’m sure one day we will laugh about this.”