t a frien' or two in Memphis, Tennessee? All right den!
S'posin', den, dat you wrote to your frien' dat dis yere bar'l would be
comin' along to him inside of a week or ten days f'um now wid me in de
full charge of it. S'posin', den, on top o' dat I could guarantee you to
deliver dat bar'l to your frien' widout nobody botherin' dat bar'l on de
way, and widout nobody 'spectin' whut wuz in dat bar'l, an' widout
nobody axin' no hard questions about dat bar'l. S'posin' all dem things,
ef you please, suh, an' den I axes you dis question: How much would dat
favor be wuth to you in cash money?"

As a careful business man, Mr. Rosen very properly pressed for further
particulars before in any way committing himself in the matter of the
amount of remuneration to be paid for the accommodation proposed. At
this evidence of interest on the other's part Red Hoss grinned in happy
optimism.

"Mist' Rosen, 'twon't hardly be no trouble a-tall," he stated. "In de
fust place, you teks a pot o' blue paint an' you paints dat bar'l blue
f'um head to foot. De bluer dat bar'l is de more safer she'll be. An' to
mek sure dat de color will be right yere's a sample fur you to go by."

With that, Red Hoss produced from a hip pocket a sliver of plank
painted on both sides in the cerulean hue universally favored by circus
folk for covering seat boards, tent poles and such paraphernalia of a
portable caravansary as is subject to rough treatment and frequent
handling. At this the shock of surprise was such as almost to lift Mr.
Rosen up on top of the cluttered desk which separated him from his
visitor. It did lift him halfway out of his chair.

"Nigger," he declared incredulously, "you talk foolishness! A mile away
those dam Tennessee constables would be able to see a plain barrel which
ain't got no paint on it at all, and now you tell me I should paint a
barrel so blue as the sky, and yet it should get through from here to
Memphis. Are you crazy in the head or something, or do you maybe think I
am?"

"Nummine dat," went on Red Hoss. "You do lak I tells you, an' you paints
de bar'l right away so de paint'll git good an' dry twixt now an'
We'n'sday night. Come We'n'sday night, you loads dat blue bar'l in a
waggin an' covers it up an' you fetches it to me at de back do' of de
main wild animal tent of dat carnival show which is now gwine on up yere
in Mechanicsville. Don't go to de tent whar de elephints is. Go to de
tent whar de educated ostrich is. D