reason."

"Of course it does!" said Mrs. Smith. "You catch that thief and you
can offer yourself a million dollars reward if you want to. That's
none of my business."

"Well," said Philo Gubb, picking up his paste-pail, "I guess if there
ain't any important murders or things turn up by seven to-night, I'll
start in to work for that reward. I guess I can't ask more than five
dollars reward."

At seven the evening was still light, and Philo Gubb, to cover his
intentions and avert suspicion in case his interview with Mrs. Smith
had been observed by the thief, put a false beard in his pocket and a
revolver beside it and left his office in the Opera House Block
cautiously. He slipped into the alley and glided down it, keeping
close to the stables. A detective must be cautious.

The abandoned brick-kilns offered admirable seclusion. A brick-kiln is
built entirely, or almost so, of the brick that are to be burned, and
the kilns are torn down and carted away as the brick are sold. The
over-structure of the kilns was a mere roof of half-inch planks laid
on timbers that were upheld by poles.

A ladder leaning against one of the poles gave access to the roof. In
the darkness it was impossible for Philo Gubb to find a finger-print
of the culprit on the kilns, although he looked for one. He did not
even find the usual and highly helpful button, torn from its place in
the criminal's eagerness to depart. He found only an old horseshoe and
a broken tobacco pipe. As there were evidences that the pipe had been
abandoned on that spot several years earlier, neither of these was a
very valuable clue.

Mr. Gubb next gave his attention to the chicken coop. It was
preeminently a hand-made chicken coop of the rough-and-ready variety.

Philo Gubb entered the chicken-house and looked around, lighting his
dark lantern and throwing its rays here and there that he might see
better. The house was so low of roof that he had to stoop to avoid the
roosts, and the tails of the chickens brushed his hat. It needed
brushing, so this did no harm. The hens and the two roosters
complained gently of this interruption of their beauty sleep, and
moved along the roosts, and Mr. Gubb went outside again. It was quite
evident that the thief had had no great hardships to undergo in
robbing that roost. All he had to do was to enter the chicken-house,
choose a chicken, and walk away with it.

Why had he not taken ten chickens? Mr. Gubb, as he put the keg hoop