Part 2 (2/2)
”No, I am not thinking of mice,” answered the China Cat. ”To tell you the truth, Mr. Jumping Jack, I was thinking of the Nodding Donkey. He came back here, you know, to have his leg fixed, and he spoke about how happy he was with the little lame boy, who, I'm glad to know, is lame no longer. I was just wondering if I would go to a nice home such as he has.”
”I suppose all us toys will be sold, one after another,” said the Jumping Jack. ”But it is so nice here that I dread to think of going away.”
”Yes, it is nice in Mr. Mugg's store,” the China Cat agreed. ”But I suppose we must do as we are told. Dear Nodding Donkey! How I should like to see him again. I wonder--”
”Hus.h.!.+ Quiet, everybody! Back to your shelves!” suddenly cried Tumbling Tom. ”Morning is about to come and Mr. Mugg and his daughters will soon be here. They must never catch us moving about!”
Such a scramble as there was! The China Cat, the Talking Doll, the Trumpeter, the Policeman, the Fireman, the Jumping Jack, Tumbling Tom and Jack Box all made haste to get on the shelves where they belonged.
The Topsy Doll, with her kinky hair, darted toward the novelty department.
”I's glad yo' all let me play wif yo',” she said in her queer talk. ”An'
I didn't get any black on yo'; did I, Miss China Cat?”
”No, indeed. You were very nice,” was the answer. ”Come and play with us again.”
Then it was time for the toys to be very still and quiet, for the door of the store opened, and in came Mr. Mugg.
”Ah, this is going to be a lovely day!” said the jolly toy-shop man. ”I shall do a good business to-day!”
A little later in came his daughters, Geraldine and Angelina. They began dusting and setting the store to rights for the day's business.
”Oh, my dear! look at this,” said Angelina to her sister.
”What is the matter?” asked Geraldine, pausing with a feather duster under her arm.
”Why, the lovely white China Cat has a speck of dirt on her back,” said Angelina. ”I must have forgotten to dust her yesterday.”
”Oh, my!” thought the China Cat, who heard what was said, though she could not turn around to lick off the speck with her red tongue, ”some black must have come off Topsy after all.”
”Oh, no, it isn't dirt,” said Angelina, as she took the Cat down to look more closely at her. ”It's just a little speck of black feather from my duster. It must have just got on.”
”Oh, I'm so glad of that!” thought the white Cat. ”I wouldn't want to think that Topsy's black rubbed off.”
Soon the store was in readiness for customers, and among the first to enter that morning was a little girl. She was with a lady, who was the little girl's aunt.
”Now, Jennie,” said the aunt, as Mr. Mugg came forward to wait on them, ”what present would you like? You may pick out anything you please.”
”Oh, Aunt Clara! How lovely of you!” cried Jennie Moore, for that was her name. ”Let me see now. What would I like best?”
While Jennie was looking along the shelves of toys her aunt said in a low tone to Mr. Mugg:
”Jennie has been such a good girl, helping her mother who was ill, that I promised her any toy she wished.”
”That is very kind of you, I am sure,” said Mr. Mugg, rubbing his hands and looking over the tops of his gla.s.ses. ”We have many toys here for good little girls, and for good boys, too. Not long ago I sold a Nodding Donkey to a lame boy, and, would you believe me; that boy isn't lame at all now,” and Mr. Mugg laughed, and Aunt Clara laughed also.
But Jennie was looking along the shelves of toys. The China Cat looked down, and when she saw what a nice little girl Jennie was, so neat and clean, the China Cat thought to herself:
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