ptoes he approached the porch where the Nodding Donkey was slowly
shaking his head up and down.

"Dis yeah suah is a fine toy!" muttered Jeff. "It's a heap sight better
dan de China Cat I got at de fire! I'll take dis Donkey!"

Jeff reached the porch and stretched out his black, dirty hands to take
the Nodding Donkey. But, as he did so, the negro boy happened to look up
at a side window, and there, on a table behind the glass, sat the China
Cat!

The China Cat had big, staring eyes, and now because of the way the sun
shone on them, they seemed to glare straight at Jeff. They even seemed
to open wider, and move and blink, did those glaring eyes of the China
Cat.

Jeff stood still and pulled back his hands that had been about to take
the Nodding Donkey.

"Oh, golly!" he murmured. "Oh, dey's lookin' straight at me, dey is!
Dat's de China Cat I tooked from de fire, an' she must have come to
life! Oh, I dassn't take dat Donkey while she's glarin' at me wif dem
big eyes! Oh, I's skeered, I is!"

With that Jeff turned and started on a run out of the yard. The Nodding
Donkey, who had been very much afraid he was about to be stolen, was so
thankful he did not know what to do. And the China Cat, who had feared
that her friend was about to be taken from her, kept on staring as hard
as she could.

Jeff ran faster. He gave one look back over his shoulder to see if any
one might be chasing him, and he caught sight of the Cat's eyes again.

"Oh, golly!" cried Jeff.

At that moment his foot caught in a loose board of the walk, and down
fell that bad boy Jeff with a bang, bruising knees and his nose and his
chin.

"Ouch!" cried Jeff, as he got up and limped away.

"It serves him right," said the China Cat to herself, "for trying to
take my friend, the Nodding Donkey."

"I guess you won't come back here in a hurry," said the Donkey to
himself, as he saw Jeff going off down the street as fast as he could
go. And the colored boy never did.

Joe came back, after having seen the hand organ and the monkey, and Joe
carried his Nodding Donkey into Jennie's house. There the children
played with their toys.

"How can I ever thank you?" said the Nodding Donkey to the China Cat.
"With your big, glaring eyes you saved me from that colored boy."

"I am glad I did," mewed the Cat. "I didn't want you to be taken away
from me. You are the best friend I have."

"I am glad you think so," brayed the Nodding Donkey. "I had another very