oy, who stood somewhat apart from the
others, sneaked up to the packing box into which the China Cat and the
Talking Doll had been thrown.

"Golly, what a lot ob toys!" murmured the little negro boy, whose name
was Jeff. "I reckon as how I kin git one fo' nuffin, if dat p'liceman
don't see me."

Jeff, who was dirty and ragged, watched his chance. He had come from his
home in a tenement house, not far from the fire, and his eyes glistened
when he saw so many toys out on the street.

"Um-ah! Jest look at 'em!" murmured Jeff. "Golly! I kin git one as easy
as not outen dat open box! Wait till dat p'liceman turns around."

Jeff watched his chance. The policeman on guard moved off to one side.
In an instant Jeff, the dirty little black boy, sneaked up, and,
thrusting in his hand, which was black with dirt as well as being
covered with black skin, he took up the pure, white China Cat.

"Dis am just whut I want!" whispered Jeff.

"Oh, my, how dirty he is! Oh, I can't bear to have him touch me!"
thought the China Cat. "I dread dirt more than I do water! Oh, what
shall I do?"

But she had no chance to do anything just then, for, with a quick
motion, Jeff, the colored boy, thrust the China Cat inside his dirty,
ragged blouse.

"Oh, I'll be smothered!" thought the poor China Cat. "What a dreadful
fate to be taken away by a dirty boy! And only an hour ago I was so
happy! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"

CHAPTER V

ROUGH PLAY

You can just imagine how the China Cat felt. Always so clean and white,
always washing herself if she found the least speck of dirt on her,
always keeping as much as possible away from dust and grime--and now to
be spattered with water, blackened by the smoke of the fire, and finally
thrust inside the soiled blouse of a not very clean boy! Oh, it was
terrible!

The China Cat said it was, over and over again; to herself, of course,
for she dared not speak aloud, nor so much as mew, while Jeff, the
colored boy, had her. And Jeff certainly had the China Cat.

Jeff's eyes sparkled with delight as he pressed the toy up under his
blouse, out of sight, and then he darted away from the pile of toys, on
the sidewalk--toys that had hastily been carried out of the burning
store.

"Hi, golly! I's done gone fool dat p'liceman," murmured Jeff, as he
stepped off the sidewalk and made his way out of the crowd in front of
the burning store. "He tole me to keep away from dem toys! But I sneaks
up when