Without meeting other obstacles, Pape was off upon the marked official machine. About one minute lasted his ride upon this steed, fleeter than Polkadot at his best. As though for the first time noticing the diggers among the park poplars, he stopped with a toot of the cycle siren. Dismounting, he dropped the standard, parked the machine at the side of the road and advanced upon the despoilers. On the way he charged himself that in this "kind of case"--three burlies and a boss to one uniformed objector whose only authority was a woman's service--mind more than muscle would be needed.
He was met by the thin-faced man. "S'all right, officer. We ain't looking for Cap'n Kidd's treasure."
Pape smiled more inwardly than outwardly, although he felt that he well could afford to do both on being mistaken, a second time within the last few minutes, for a plain-clothes man.
"Who are you and what you up to?" he demanded.
"Name's Welch--Swinton Welch, contractor. I'm digging a ditch to put in a sub-surface drain. Want to see the permit?"
Producing a worn paper from his breast pocket, the small boss flourished it.
"It's O. K., else I wouldn't have the navvies at work."
"Likely it is," countered Pape, "but show me just the same."
With somewhat less of a flourish the paper was presented. Pape saw at a glance that it was written on an official form of the Department of Parks, then scanned it closer.
"What--" his demand was louder, gruffer, more combative than before--"_what_ you say you're doing?"
"Just like the paper says--digging for a drain." The sharp-faced boss also grew more combative.
It is to be remarked that the Italian laborers had stopped work on the instant of interference. They always do. A shovel wasted--Fortunately the stream of cars on the roadway below flowed on without a ripple of curiosity as to the party on the hillock. The pedestrian paths were further away and, at this hour, preëmpted by the inevitable babies, mothers and nurse-maids. In the great, green mixing-bowl of all races within the world's most democratic city, no man concerned himself with the by-play near the boundary except those directly involved.
Pape scowled over the operation, with never a glance toward the stone wall, from over the top of which a pair of black-irised blue eyes probably were watching him--a pair of rose-lobed ears were listening. To make "learning" easier he pulled another loud stop in his voice.