Willie never lost sight of his main object, however. He was aiming at no clerical job, though he gladly did clerical work. Often this work gave him an insight into the work he wanted to do, as had been the case when Mr. King explained to him about the ad valorem tax on luxuries, or when Sheridan explained to him about the duties on wool and the methods of handling wool. All such knowledge helped Willie to comprehend the problems before him and to fathom the actions of people. Indeed, Willie was learning more about human nature every day. The theft of Mr. King’s papers and the arrest of Tom Smith had jolted Willie into a keen consciousness of some phases of life about which he had previously thought little. Now he realized, not only that many people are dishonest, but that they are desperately wicked, and that to cover up their evil deeds they will not hesitate even to commit murder. Day by day he heard more about the desperate chances men took along the Canadian and Mexican borders to smuggle in opium and rum; for the customs forces maintained armed guards, with powerful armored cars, along those borders. And many a running fight in the dark resulted, with more than one man injured or killed. And closer at home he knew that the rum runners who were bringing liquor surreptitiously into New York were equally dangerous and desperate. More and more frequently Willie was called upon to take small seizures to the seizure room. This was not dangerous, yet Willie had to keep his mind on his business, for if he lost or was robbed of any of these articles, he would again fall under suspicion of being a thief himself. One experience of that sort was enough for Willie. So he learned to keep his mind absolutely on what he was doing. Thus he became very useful to the special agents when they had to convey valuables, like seized jewels, and Willie was detailed to go with them. For this happened more and more frequently. As time passed, too, Mr. King began to use Willie for little jobs of shadowing. Often it was possible for Willie to trail a person, where a grown man could hardly have escaped observation and discovery. And every experience of this sort made Willie more observant, more comprehending, more resourceful, and so better fitted to make the most of the opportunities that sooner or later would come to him.