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138 "No!" exclaimed Phil, quickly. "Let's work it out ourselves. I believe we can do it."

"How?" Sid wanted to know.

"By keeping our eyes open."

"We've been doing that a long time, and haven't gotten any nearer to the mystery than we were at first."

"That's because we didn't look in the right direction," spoke Phil. "It has narrowed down now—the inquiry has, I mean. Before, we had to suspect every fellow in college. Now we need only look for one who has a mechanical turn of mind."

"Frank Simpson has!" spoke Sid, quickly. "I saw him making a new kind of cleat for his football shoes the other day."

"You're a hot detective!" exclaimed Phil, with a laugh. "Our clock and chair were taken before Simpson came here."

"That's right," agreed Sid, ruefully. "I wonder if the unknown visitor did anything to our new clock?" he went on, as he walked over to examine the timepiece. "Perhaps he left a note of explanation in it."

"But there was nothing, and the clock chimed out the time as cheerfully as ever, as though urging the new owners to never mind the mystery, since they had a better recorder of the hours than before. But the boys wanted their first love.