papers. I don't want t' heah 'bout no battles, murder an' sudden
deaths. I jest wants peace an' quiet an' fish!' He done come up heah
t' go fishin' laik he go t' lots other places, though he ain't been
heah fo' good many years. An' boy, he specially tell me _not_ t' let
him be boddered wif book agents."

"I ain't a book agent," objected the train-boy.

"I knows you ain't," admitted Shag. "I knows yo' ain't, but yo' sells
books, an' dat's whut's de trouble. Whut kind of a book did yo' offer
de colonel jest now?"

"A detective story. And say! it's a swell one, let me tell you!"

"Oh, mah good Lord!" ejaculated Shag. "Dat's de wustest ever!" and he
doubled up with silent mirth.

"Why, what's the matter with that?" asked the boy. "I've seen heaps of
men read detective stories. Judge Dolan--he rides on my train a
lot--and he's always askin' what I got new in detective stuff."

"Um, yep! Well, dat may be all right fo' Judge Dolan," went on Shag,
slowly recovering from his fit of chuckling, "but mah marster don't
want none of dat kind of readin'."

"Why?" asked the boy.

Shag's answer was given in a peculiar manner. He looked around
carefully, and saw that the strange man had moved on and they were
alone. Then, leaning toward the newsboy and whispering, the negro said: