person who had the power to annoy him.

No one did annoy him. Constable Clapp came back from New York; but He
brought no tidings of Pilky Wayne. The banker offered a reward of five
hundred dollars for his valuable papers; but week after week passed
away, and nothing was heard of them. The banker concluded that the
rogue had burned them, so that no clew should be had to him.

CHAPTER XIX.

FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD.

Leo worked till a late hour in the night, on the day that he received
the orders for the two mouse-houses. At eleven o'clock Maggie went down
to the shop, and entreated him not to wear himself out. Very likely he
would have worked all night if her friendly warning had not sent him to
bed. The next day he stuck to his bench till nine o'clock in the
evening.

On Saturday afternoon the two houses were finished, and put up at the
residences of those who had ordered them. His wildest dream had been
more than realized, and there was more money in the house over Sunday
than there had ever been before. The prospect was still hopeful for the
future. The good physician had kept his promise, and Leo had orders
enough to keep him at work for two weeks. He finished the four small
houses, and disposed of them at two dollars apiece, and two like that
sold to the banker at six dollars apiece, during the coming week; and
this made twenty dollars.

This extraordinary run of good fortune, however, did not continue long;
for, during the third week, he sold but twelve dollars' worth of his
merchandise, and the stock was accumulating on his hands. At the end of
the fourth week he had six houses unsold; but the average proceeds of
his sales had been over fifteen dollars a week.

Leo was enterprising, and with some of his funds he purchased half a
dozen pairs of rabbits, and enlarged the sphere of his business. He
built very tasty houses for each pair of these animals, with wire
netting in front, so that they could be seen. They were provided with
proper nests, with conveniences for keeping them clean. These
establishments found a ready sale, at remunerative prices for the
rabbits and the work.

Then he enlarged the business still further, adding guinea pigs and
doves to his stock, till the basement of the house became a menagerie
of pets. The dove-houses were made to be placed on sheds, or fastened
to the sides of buildings, generally in front of back attic windows,
where they could be readily reached. The goo