d by his mother to go out toward
Fourth Avenue, and run over one of the high arched bridges which covers
the Fourth Avenue Railroad, and he did not think he was doing wrong when
one day he asked Charley to go too.

"Oh yes, I will," he cried, in a great state of delight.

As soon as they arrived at the bridge, they began chasing each other
over it; and then Charley said:

"Oh, George, let's play that we are travellers, hunting for a whale. I
heard my mamma talking about one that was on ex-ex-exedition down by
the river. She said that it was 'most a mile long."

"Goody!" cried George. "What a mons'ous whale!"

So the boys ran down the street toward the East River a long, long way,
and presently they got to some rocks, upon the top of which were a
number of miserable wooden houses called shanties.

Geese, pigs, chickens, and a forlorn, starved-looking dog were poking
about for something to eat. Near by was a great heap of coal ashes. Some
bad-looking boys were raking the ashes up into a sort of mound on top of
the heap; but a moment after, they ran away to see an organ-grinder and
a monkey which had come upon the rocks. Charley and George would have
run too, had not their ears caught the sound of a stifled piteous
mewing, which seemed to issue out of the very middle of the ash heap.

"What's that?" asked both boys at once.

"Mew! me--ew!" came again from the ashes.

"It's a cat!" exclaimed Charley; "and it is inside of those ashes. I do
believe those boys thought it was dead, and buried it. Let's hurry and
dig it out."

Charley and George worked hard, but they had nothing but their hands to
work with, and they threw the ashes all over their clothes; but the
piteous mewing came quicker and louder, and in a few moments the gray
head of a live kitten popped out of the ashes; then two gray paws, and
soon the whole kitten was liberated.

"Oh, you poor little thing!" said Charley, trying with soft pats to get
the ashes out of its fur, while George took out of his pocket a queer
little pocket-handkerchief, six inches square, with A B C all round the
edge, and a portrait of his great namesake in the middle, and said, in a
tender tone, "Here, poor kitty, let me wipe your nose; don't cry any
more;" and he wiped it so softly that it really seemed to comfort the
afflicted little creature.

"Let's run home with it," said Charley.

"And give it some milk," said George.

"And wash it clean," said Charley.

"And dry it