poor little pets."

"Make your mind easy on that score, Limpy," asserted Thad, with his
accustomed show of confidence, "we'll fix a trap to get the sneaks,
should they call in the dead of night. They'll think they've run up
against a threshing machine, all right, when Hugh and myself start in
to maul them."

"Suppose you come over later in the afternoon, Thad," suggested Hugh,
as they arrived at their customary parting spot. "Meanwhile, I'll take
a look at my rabbit hutch, and try to figure just how we can turn the
tables on Nick and Leon, if they should pay me a visit tonight."

"Make it as severe as you can, Hugh," begged Thad; "nothing could be
too hard for a pair of miserable schemers who, to get even with a
fellow they dare not face openly any longer, would creep into his
rabbit house like thieves in the night, and either steal his property,
or injure it so that there'd be no chance to exhibit the hares in a
show."

"See you later on, and we can tell better then," was all Hugh said, for
if he had any idea simmering in his brain just then, he did not care to
mention it until he had found a chance to "look around," as he termed
it.

"I'll be across inside of half an hour, you can bet on that!" called
out Thad, as he hurried away.

He was as good as his word. Indeed, Hugh had hardly started to make
his investigation of the premises before he heard his chum come through
the gate, slamming it after him.

There was an outbuilding back of the barn, which had been intended for
a storage house of some sort, but not used by the present occupants of
the premises. This Hugh had commandeered, and fitted to his purpose.
The upper part he had made into a pretty fine loft for his fancy homing
pigeons. When the first of his pedigreed youngsters arrived at the
flying stage, he meant to have considerable fun taking them ten or
twenty miles away, and then letting them loose, in the expectation of
finding them at home when he got back. After that, it would be longer
flights until he could learn whether he had any record breakers in his
flock.

In the lower part of the building, Hugh had his long-eared Belgian
hares. There was now quite a family of them, what with the old ones,
and seven strapping youngsters. Hugh took great pleasure in watching
his pets, and figuring out how he could improve on their quarters, so
as to make them more comfortable in every way.

"Well, have you struck any promising scheme yet, Hugh?"