Tom paused and waited for an answer.

“I think he were a Frenchman,” spoke Eradicate.  “I done didn’t see him eat no frogs’ laigs, but he smoked a cigarette dat had a funny smell, and he suah was monstrous polite.  He suah was a Frenchman.  I think.”

Tom and Ned laughed at Eradicate’s description of the man, but Tom’s face was soon grave again.

“Tell us more about him, Rad,” he suggested.  “Did he seem especially interested in the fire?”

“No, sah, Massa Tom, he seemed laik he was more special interested in mah mule, Boomerang.  He done asted how long I had him, an’ how much I wanted fo’ him, an’ how old he was.”

“But every once in a while he put in some question about the fire, or about our shops, didn’t he, Rad?” Tom wanted to know.

The colored man scratched his kinky head, and glanced with a queer look at Tom.

“How yo’ all done guess dat?” he asked.

“Answer my question,” insisted Tom.

“Yes, sah, he done did ask about yo’, and de wuks, ebery now and den,” Rad confessed.  “But how yo’ all knowed dat, Massa Tom, when I were a-tellin’ yo’ all about him astin’ fo’ mah mule, done gets me—­dat’s what it suah does.”

“Never mind, Rad.  He asked questions about the plant, that’s all I want to know.  But you didn’t tell him much, did you?”

Eradicate looked reproachfully at his master.

“Yo’ all done knows me bettah dan dat, Massa Tom,” the old colored man said.  “Yo’ all know yo’ done gib orders fo’ nobody t’ talk about yo’ projections.”

“Yes, I know I gave those orders,” Tom said, with a smile, “but I want to make sure that they have been followed.”

“Well, I done follered ’em, Massa Tom.”

“Then you didn’t tell this queer stranger, Frenchman, or whatever he is, much about my place?”

“I didn’t tell him nuffin’, sah.  I done frowed dust in his eyes.”

Ned uttered an exclamation of surprise.

“Eradicate is speaking figuratively,” Tom said, with a laugh.

“Dat’s what I means,” the colored man went on.  “I done fooled him.  When he asted me about de fire I said it didn’t do no damage at all—­in fack dat we’d rather hab de fire dan not hab it, ‘case it done gib us a chance t’ practice our hose drill.”

“That’s good,” laughed Tom.  “What else?”

“Well, he done sort ob hinted t’ me ef we all knowed how de fire done start.  I says as how we did, dat we done start it ourse’ves fo’ practice, an dat we done expected it all along, an’ were ready fo’ it.  Course I knows dat were a sort of fairy story, Massa Tom, but den dat cigarette-smokin’ Frenchman didn’t hab no right t’ asted me so many questions, did he?”

“No, indeed, Rad.  And I’m glad you didn’t give him straight answers.  So he’s coming here later on, is he?”

“T’ see ef I wants t’ sell mah mule, Boomerang, yais, sah.  I sort ob thought maybe you’d want t’ hab a look at dat man, so I tole him t’ come on.  Course I doan’t want t’ sell Boomerang, but ef he was t’ offer me a big lot ob money fo’ him I’d take it.”