oor Cloth Dog, without any tail, alone on the kitchen
shelf, but he took the China Cat away with him in his pocket, the
policeman did.
Out into the rain-soaked street the officer made his way once more.
"Nobody left in here, Jim," he called to the other officer on the police
wagon. "Get those people to the station, and then come back. There's a
lot more who will have to be rescued this night. It's going to be a bad
flood."
And so it was, though the China Cat saw little of it, for she was safe
and snug in the officer's pocket. It was black and dark in there, but it
was warm, though a bit smothery. And it was clean, which the China Cat
liked best of all.
"Though I am very dirty myself," she said. "I hope I get somewhere so I
can wash."
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
basement 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 ne
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