One mechanical toy had a very large head on it, and this
seemed to grin and laugh at him as he looked at it.
"Mamma!" he screamed again. "Oh, mamma, why don't you come?"
He listened and presently he heard footsteps overhead.
"Who's there?" came in the heavy voice of a man.
The voice sounded so unnatural that Freddie was afraid to answer.
Perhaps the man might be a burglar come to rob the store.
"I say, who's there?" repeated the voice. "Answer me."
There was a minute of silence, and then Freddie heard the footsteps
coming slowly down the stairs. The man had a lantern in one hand and a
club in the other.
Not knowing what else to do, Freddie crouched behind a counter. His
heart beat loudly, and he had dim visions of burglars who might have
entered the big store to rob it. If he was discovered, there was no
telling what such burglars might do with him.
"Must have been the cat," murmured the man on the stairs. He reached the
basement floor and swung his lantern over his head. "Here, kittie,
kittie, kittie!" he called.
"Meow!" came from the black kitten, which was still in Freddie's arms.
Pages:
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78