Part 9 (2/2)

All night long the rescue of people from the flood was kept up. Jeff and his family were taken to a place of refuge where they were given something to eat and beds on which to lie down. All night long the policemen worked, and when morning came all those who had been in danger were saved.

The officer who had the China Cat in his pocket walked into his station house just as day was breaking.

”Here is something you'll like to hear about,” said the policeman to the sergeant behind the desk, as he set the toy on the top of it.

”A cat! My land! where'd you get her?” asked the sergeant. ”She'll be just what we want to catch mice around here! Here, puss, puss!” he called.

”Oh, my! he thinks I'm alive,” said the China Cat to herself.

CHAPTER VIII

JENNIE GETS THE CAT

The policeman who had rescued the China Cat from the flood in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the negro tenement stood and looked at the sergeant behind the desk in the station house. Then the policeman looked at the China Cat which he had set on top of the desk.

”What's the matter with you? Why are you acting so funny?” asked the sergeant of the policeman.

”Funny? I'm not acting funny. You are,” the policeman laughed.

”How am I funny?” the sergeant wanted to know.

”Why, you're calling that cat, and asking her to catch mice, and--”

”Of course I'm asking her to catch mice,” said the sergeant. ”There's a lot of mice around here and--”

”Ha! Ha!” laughed the policeman. ”_That_ cat will never catch any mice.

She's a toy, a China Cat, and she was stolen from that toy shop where there was a fire yesterday. It was Horatio Mugg's place. A lot of the toys were set out on the sidewalk, and some negroes who live near by walked off with quite a lot. Mr. Mugg, after the fire, made out a list of his toys that were missing, and among them was this China Cat. I had one of the lists.

”Then, when I was sent to rescue the people from the flood, I saw this Cat on the mantel. I brought her here, as I do with all stolen things I find, and you can send her back to Mr. Mugg.”

The sergeant put on his gla.s.ses, for he was rather an elderly man, and looked carefully at the China Cat.

”Bless me!” exclaimed the sergeant, ”she _is_ a China Cat after all. I took her for a real black and white p.u.s.s.y.”

”Oh, dear me!” thought the China Cat. ”He thought I was partly _black_!

I must be _very_ dirty indeed. My toy friends would never know me! Oh, shall I ever be clean again?”

”Yes, it is only a toy China Cat,” said the policeman who had rescued the p.u.s.s.y, as well as the negro family. ”I guess she was pure white once. But she got blackened in the fire, and it didn't wash off in the flood, though goodness knows it rained enough!”

”I should say so,” agreed the sergeant. ”Well, leave the China Cat here, and I will send her back to Mr. Mugg. You didn't see any of his other stolen toys, did you?”

”No,” the policeman answered, ”I did not. There was a little Cloth Dog on the same shelf, but he had no tail and one eye was almost gone, so I knew he didn't belong in the toy store, and I let him stay there.”

”Poor little Cloth Dog!” thought the China Cat. ”I wonder what will become of him?”

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