Part 10 (2/2)

Then she gave a joyful cry.

”Why, of course she is our Cat, Father!” said Geraldine. ”She is just grimy and dirty. That's the reason you think she is black and white. If I could only wash her you'd see that she is our own China Cat.”

”Do you think so?” asked Mr. Mugg, hopefully.

”I'm sure of it!” declared his daughter. ”Oh, if I only had a little soap and water.”

”We can let you have some, lady,” said the sergeant. ”You may take the cat to the washroom and clean her.”

This Miss Geraldine did. Under the stream of water, when some soap had been rubbed on the China Cat, a great change took place. Off came the grime of the smoke! Off came the spots of sticky mola.s.ses! Off came the soiled marks made by Jeff's dirty hands! The White Cat, not coming to life while Miss Geraldine had her, of course got no soap in her eyes, as would have happened if she had been real.

Soon all the black, the grime, and the dirty spots were washed away.

Geraldine dried the China Cat on a towel the sergeant gave her, and then held the plaything up in front of her father.

”Now isn't that our Cat?” asked Miss Geraldine.

Mr. Mugg looked carefully over the tops of his gla.s.ses. He ran his hands through his hair and then through his whiskers, and then rubbed his hands together.

”Why--er--yes--er--my dear--that _is_ our China Cat!” he said. ”We'll take her right back to the store! Oh, I'm very glad to get her back.

Thank you, very much,” he said to the police sergeant.

”You are welcome,” replied the officer. Then Geraldine and her father hurried back to the toy shop, carrying the China Cat.

As for the white p.u.s.s.y, you can imagine how glad and happy she was to be clean again. Nothing else mattered for the time, and she would have mewed out a song if she had been allowed to do so. But of course she could not.

”Put her in the window,” said Mr. Mugg, when he and his daughter reached the toy shop. ”That little girl who was going to buy her may see the Cat and come in for her.”

So the China toy was again put in the show window of the shop, which had been cleaned and put to rights after the fire. In the same window was some doll's furniture, and on the bureau was a looking gla.s.s. The China Cat caught a glimpse of herself. She was as clean and white as a new s...o...b..ll.

”Oh, how glad I am!” she said to herself.

She looked all around. There in the window with her were most of the toys she had known for a long time. They did not seem to have been burned or scorched by the fire. In fact, though some of his playthings were damaged, Mr. Mugg did not, of course, put any of these in his show window.

Near the China Cat was a Jumping Jack, a Jack in the Box, the Talking Doll, a Policeman and a Fireman--not the same Policeman and Fireman who had been in the bas.e.m.e.nt, but some just like them. Throughout the store was a smell of smoke; but this could not be helped.

The China Cat would have liked very much to speak to some of the other toys, but she was not allowed to do so.

”But when night comes,” she said to herself, ”I shall have a chance.

Then we can all talk about the fire. I wonder if any of my friends had such adventures as I had?”

But the China Cat did not get the chance she hoped for. That very afternoon, the same day that she had been put in the show window, a little girl and a lady came to a stop outside the toy shop, to look in through the gla.s.s.

”Oh, Aunt Clara! See!” cried the little girl. ”There is the China Cat you were going to buy for me! Mr. Mugg thought she was smashed in the fire, but she wasn't and here she is. Oh, please take me in and get me the China Cat!”

”Very well, my dear,” said Aunt Clara. ”I promised you the toy and you may have her.”

The China Cat heard what was said, and, looking out of the window, she saw the same nice little girl who had once held her in her hands.

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