The Diamond Cross Mystery Being a Somewhat Different Detective Story

to have been much read, the tall, military-appearing occupant of a middle se

w with the hook in his upper lip, and letting him swim up and down about mid-water, or a little lower, and you still keeping h

-a-

t, as though, in fancy, he could look off across sunlit meadows to a stream sparkling beneath a blue sky, white-studded with fleecy clouds, where

-a-

don, sir

ha

h a jerk into sudden stiffness, while

ork pa

New York paper

vered book, again let his eyes seek its pages.

then. Th

the skin of his leg, toward the upper

e newsboy who had stopped beside the parlor-car chair of the military-looking traveler, i

ading my Izaak Walton I'll have you put off the t

lm of one hand with a report like that of a pistol, thereby causing a

ting up and looking about in startled surprise, her bonnet very

n one hand, and bowed his apologies. "I regret exceedingly that I startled you. But that insufferable young pupp

, did you?" asked the

ed on my part, I merely spoke to him. It was this-this

t we at Col

happy to let you know when we arrive. And if you are without any one to

ill meet me. I must have dozed o

am," interposed the military-app

d his seat and tried to read, but his feelings had been too much ruff

tly, and as though angry at not being admitted to the warmth and light of the car. For dusk had fallen and the electric lights we

rsnapper interrupting him with-Shag! I say, Shag!" he went on, raising his voice from a m

fringe of white, kinky hair, shuffled from the porter's quarters, where he had been enjoy

sufferable train-boy-that rascal who probably doesn't know an ant-fly from a piece of cheese-has bothered me

een cover the words: "Walton's Complete Angler," and laughed silently, the wrinkles of h

hat do you think that nincompoop had the infer

, Colonel-not th' le

e a-detective

Lord, Colone

Shag! A dete

ah goo

iced in the prefixes of George Washington, threw up his hands in horror, and shook his he

evening. When, as you walk by a brook, and shall hear

l waiting Shag, he went on: "There's nobody in the wide world who can bring

onel, they is

d! I'm glad you ag

sah, C

mean anything; but never again must he interrupt me when he sees me

onel. I done t

s sacrilegi

Colonel;

llar. Now don't disturb me again until we

l, it's-it's sorte

ter by to-morrow, I exp

ds when you take the gr

even my oldest one, I-

to you

, I knows

ar. Maybe he never read Walton,

ck in his chair, and, wit

t a grasshopper, put it on your hook with your line about two

the colone

ewsboy, and, chuckling as had his

r?" questioned the l

give it to you fo'

want a book-a, paper? Say, I

ed out of the

kes, don't!" gasped Shag, grabbing him just

uy a dollar's worth of books and papers. I

'? Jes' listen to me right now! De colonel don'

? What road's

fishin' poles, an' dat's all the colonel reads when he ain't worki

said a man, who passed by just then on his way to th

orms. Well, boy, dat book's all de colonel ever reads when he

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 h

agent," object

t, but yo' sells books, an' dat's whut's de trouble.

nd say! it's a swell

hag. "Dat's de wustest ever!" and

ps of men read detective stories. Judge Dolan-he rides on my trai

nt on Shag, slowly recovering from his fit of chuckling,

asked t

fully, and saw that the strange man had moved on and they were alon

' mine too, at detectin'. He says he don't ever want t' read 'em, 'cause dey ain't at all like whut happens. De colonel was one of de biggest private detectives in d

detective?" asked the bo

whut

e is Colonel

ks bodder him. If I was t' tell yo' his real name yo'd open yo' eyes wider yet. But take it from me,"

"And to think I was offering him a detec

ag, still chuckling as he thought

ble chair Colonel Ashley read his Walton, the ingratiating humor

distinction in the Spanish-American war, among his exploits being the capture of a number of spies

ry interest, and realizing that the routine of police work was too hampering for him, the colonel had opened an office 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

o Colchester. "Don't you so much as scratch the varnish on the tip of one of my rods. And if

s military associations. Then, having kept his promise in seeing that the old lady was sa

olonel was to occupy for a two weeks' vacation and rest, for the military detective was sm

laid out his master's clothes, and was preparing t

n't usually in such haste to leave me, even if you have laid

nel! No, indeedy!

Why are you in such

ks fo' t' tell yo' Colonel

u black rascal! don't try to hide anythin

! Dat's jest why I don't wan t' tell

ascal, look here! Have yo

et yo' hab so much as a snift at it, Colonel! De train-boy, whut yo' gib a dollar t', he handed

g! What's in it that's

yo' see-yo'

g! I'll forgive you,

e got in it an 'count ob a strang

to have some quiet fishing in the suburbs, to get a complete rest, and yet not be too far from civilization, and no soone

owed. He was trying to keep from slipping from under his vest, where he had hidden

m, bearing out its promise of the morning, had lasted all day, changing from a drizzle to a downpour and from a downpour to a d

persons. It hath been highly prized in al

d the book shut, and

" he e

sah, C

e talk of fishing and

Colonel; many a

ctive work is a sort of

any an' many a time I'se done heah yo' say y

d it's a sort of fis

heah yo' say as how yo' had t' fish an

id you say you've got a newspaper with an account in it o

ere we done come t' hab puffick rest an' quiet a

t I heard the newsboys shouting something about it at

sah, it's a poo

rested in a case when I told you if you so much as breathed an

yo' did,

d for the little green book. Then, as if in despera

's a mystery a

he made a motion toward the paper t

the shade of a big tree along some quiet brook. If you so much as bring a

sah, C

s pacing of the room, his hands behind hi

e suddenl

sah, C

mean-er-anything but the us

g gold statue, an' a gold knife stab in her side, an' a watch shut up tight in her hand, tickin' an' tickin' an' tickin', laik it was her heart beatin', an' he

rly shouted

sah, C

nt, and don't you dare come

sah, C

the door. His manner was dejected. Ev

fore he had stepped over the threshh

ha

sah, C

I see under your vest. I may have occasion to-to glance at it

sah, C

drew the black-lettered paper from under his waistcoa