in New York, where, straightway, he received from the government and private persons more work than he could well attend to.  Now that he was getting old, he had some able assistants, but most cases still received his own attention at some stage of their development.  This was characteristic of the colonel.  He was always going to retire, in fact he said he had, but, somehow or other, it was like a singer’s farewell, always postponed.

“And now, Shag, don’t forget what I told you,” he said to his attendant as the train drew into Colchester.  “Don’t you so much as scratch the varnish on the tip of one of my rods.  And if you let me hear a whisper of anything bordering on a case you and I part company—­do you hear?”

“I heahs yo’ Colonel!” and the negro saluted, for the detective still clung to many of his military associations.  Then, having kept his promise in seeing that the old lady was safely helped from the train, Colonel Ashley followed his valet, burdened with bags and rods.

The fishing rods Shag carried, he must have managed to transport safely to the hotel the colonel was to occupy for a two weeks’ vacation and rest, for the military detective was smiling and good-natured when he took them from their cases and gently placed them on the bed.

“Anything else, Colonel?” asked Shag, when he had laid out his master’s clothes, and was preparing to go to his own apartment in an annex to the hotel.

“No, I guess that’s all, Shag.  But what’s your hurry?  You aren’t usually in such haste to leave me, even if you have laid out all my duds.  What’s the matter?  Got some friends in town?”

“Oh, no, sah, Colonel!  No, indeedy! ’tain’t dat at all!”

“Well, what is it?  Why are you in such haste to get away?”

“Um!  Ah!  Well, I don’t laiks fo’ t’ tell yo’ Colonel!” and Shag seemed uneasy.

“You don’t like to tell me?  Look here, you black rascal! don’t try to hide anything from me, do you hear?  You know me, and—­”

“Oh, indeedy I does know yo’, Colonel!  Dat’s jest why I don’t wan t’ tell yo’!  It—­it’s ’bout one ob dem t’ings!”

“What things?  Shag, you rascal, look here!  Have you been buying a newspaper?”

“Ye—­ye—­yes, sah, Colonel, I has!  But I done bought it fo’ mahse’f.  Deed an’ I wasn’t goin’ t’ let yo’ hab so much as a snift at it, Colonel!  De train-boy, whut yo’ gib a dollar t’, he handed it t’ me when I was gittin’ off.  It’s one ob de papers gotten out right yeah in dis city, an’—­”

“Well, out with it, Shag!  What’s in it that’s so mighty interesting?”

“Er—­Colonel—­yo’ see—­yo’ done tole me—­”

“Oh, out with it, Shag!  I’ll forgive you, I suppose.  What is it?”

“Well, Colonel, sah, de paper done got in it an ‘count ob a strange an’ mysterious murder case, an’—­”

“I knew it!  I knew it!  I could almost have taken my oath on it!” cried the excitable colonel.  “Here I come to this place to have some quiet fishing in the suburbs, to get a complete rest, and yet not be too far from civilization, and no sooner do I get off the train than there’s a murder mystery thrust right under my nose!  Right under my nose!  By Gad!  I knew it!”