though. I'll talk about that in a moment. You see, I went off
duty at one o'clock this morning, so I didn't spend much time
here. I'm on house reserve duty to-day. Now, for what I found
here. I didn't find a living soul in the yard, but on the ground,
near one of the open sheds, I came upon a chisel wrapped in a
newspaper. I hid it, then, but I'll show it to you now. Maybe
it belongs to the shop, and if so I've no business with it. But,
if you don't recognize the chisel as yours, then I'll take it
up to the station house and turn it over to the chief."

"After all that stretch o' talk," smiled Driggs, "you ought to
show me a whole case full of chisels."

"I hid it over here," Curtis explained, going over to one of the
open sheds. "I tucked it in under this packing case. Here it
is, now, just where I left it. Do you recognize it as yours?"

From the newspaper wrapping Driggs took the small but keen-edged
implement. He regarded it curiously. Then he turned the paper
over slowly.

"Do you recognize it?" persisted the policeman.

"Mebbe," said Driggs. "I guess you can leave it here. But, in
case any question should come up about it in the future, suppose
you write your autograph on the handle of the chisel."

Driggs passed over his fountain pen, the policeman obligingly
obeying the request for his signature on the wood.