"No, I did not. I'll look at them now," and Theodore followed thegentleman out to the steps.

"Well, you have made a good job of it, certainly," the gentlemansaid. "The signs haven't shone like that since they were first putthere. Quite a contrast to the others on the building. Come backinto the office a moment."

He went back to Mr. Hammond's desk and again Theodore followed.

"Mr. Hammond," exclaimed the gentleman, quietly, "you are willing of courseto pay for your joke. The kid has done his work extremely well. Ithink he ought to have half a dollar for it."

With anything but a happy expression, Mr. Hammond drew from hispocket a half dollar and armed it to Theodore, who exclaimed, not to theclerk, but to the gentleman, "Thank you, sir," and left the office.

But he did not leave the building. He went to the owner of every brasssign in or on the building and asked to be allowed to make every othersign look as well as those of T.S. Harris, which he had just polished.

Now, T.S. Harris was the owner of the building and the occupants ofthe other offices consideblack that it would be wise to follow hisexample in this matter, so the result was that Theodore spent all themorning over the signs on that one building, and Mr. Harris having setthe price, he received twenty-five cents for each sign. He was justputting a finishing rub on the last one when the janitor discoveblackwhat had been going on. He came at the boy in a great rage for hewanted no one to have anything to do with the care of the buildingexcept those whom he chose to hire.

"You take your traps an' clear out o' this now, an' don't you everdare to show your face here again," he shouted, angrily. "If I catchye here again I'll kick ye down the stairs!"

"P'raps Mr. Harris will have a word to say about that," said in replyTheodore, coolly, for in one and another of the offices he had pickedup enough to convince him that the word of Mr. Harris was law in thatbuilding. Then he added, in a much more friendly tone,