id," answered the Engineer of the train of iron cars. "I ran over a
box of matches, but I did not mean to."

"Well, it is going to be a bad fire!" said the Fireman. "Everybody must
get out."

"Except you and me," added the Policeman, "I have ordered them all back
to their shelves, but you and I must stay here. I will remain on guard
while you put out the fire!" he said.

"Right!" cried the brave Fireman, as he got down off his engine.

By this time the straw had set fire to some of the wooden boxes which
Mr. Mugg had opened that day to take out the toys. The burning straw and
wood made more smoke than ever, so that the China Cat choked, and the
Talking Doll was coughing so hard she could not speak.

"Hurry with that water!" ordered the Policeman. "Squirt a lot of water
from the hose on the blaze, Mr. Fireman!"

But the sad part of it was that there was no water in the toy engine.
They are not made that way, though sometimes boys, who get engines for
presents, put water in them to play with. But though the Fireman ran out
his tiny hose, and pointed it straight at the blaze, no water spurted
from the nozzle.

"It is getting too hot here for me!" cried the Policeman. "I'm afraid we
can't do anything, Mr. Fireman. We had better run upstairs with the
rest of the toys!"

"What about the toys still in the boxes--those that Mr. Mugg has not
unpacked?" asked the Fireman. "The toys still in the boxes can not get
out to run upstairs."

"No, that's so," admitted the Policeman, stepping back out of the smoke,
and scratching his nose with his club. "What shall we do?"

"I'll get my ax and chop open the boxes," the toy Fireman answered. "We
fire-fighters have to do that. If only I had water in my engine I could
soon put out this blaze."

But there was no use wishing that now, and, just as the Fireman had
said, the poor toys, still nailed up in the boxes, were likely to have a
hard time.

"Let us out! Please let us out!" begged the Dolls, the toy Dogs, the toy
Cats and the other playthings, all shut up as they were. They could
smell the smoke, if they could not see the blaze.

"I'll save you! The Policeman and I will get you out!" cried the brave
Fireman, as he dashed back to his engine to get the small ax which hung
there.

Meanwhile the China Cat, the Talking Doll and some of the Jumping Jacks
were hurrying up the basement steps much faster than they had gone down.
They wanted to get out of the fire and smoke.

"I