But nobody answered him, and all he heard was a strange purring, close to his ear. He put up his hand and touched the little black kitten, which was lying close to his face. He had tumbled back in the straw and this had proved a comfortable couch upon which to take a nap.
"Oh, dear me, I'll have to get back to mamma!" he murmured, as he struggled up and rubbed his eyes. "What can make it so awful dark? They ought to light the gas. Nobody can buy things when it's so dark as this."
The darkness did not please him, and he was glad to have the black kitten for a companion. With the kitten in his arms he arose to his feet and walked a few steps. Bump! he went into a big box. Then he went in another direction and stumbled over a barrel.
"Mamma! Mamma!" he cried out. "Mamma, where are you?"
No answer came back to this call, and his own voice sounded so queer to him that he soon stopped. He hugged the kitten tighter than ever.
He was now greatly frightened and it was all he could do to keep back the tears. He knew it must be night and that the great store must be closed up.
"They have all gone home and left me here alone," he thought. "Oh, what shall I do?"
He knew the night was generally very long and he did not wish to remain in the big, lonely building until morning.
Still hugging the kitten, he felt his way around until he reached the big wooden door. The catch came open with ease, and once more he found himself in that part of the basement used for hardware and large mechanical toys. But the toy locomotive had ceased to run and all was very silent. Only a single gas jet flickered1 overhead, and this cast fantastic shadows which made the little boy think of ghosts and hobgoblins. 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 unnatural2 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 crouched3 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 [Pg 82]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. Then the man looked in that direction.
"Hullo!" he exclaimed, starting in amazement4. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"
"Oh, please, I want my mamma!" cried Freddie.
"You want your mamma?" repeated the man. "Say!" he went on suddenly. "Are you the kid that got lost this afternoon, youngster?"
"I guess I did get lost," answered Freddie. He saw that the man had a kindly5 face and this made him a bit braver. "I walked around and sat down over there—in the straw—and went to sleep."
"Well, I never!" cried the man. "And have you been down here ever since?"
"Yes, sir. But I don't want to stay—I want to go home."
"All right, you shall go. But this beats me!"
"Are you the man who owns the store?" questioned Freddie curiously6.
At this the man laughed. "No; wish I did. I'm the night watchman. Let me see, what is your name?"
"Freddie Bobbsey. My papa owns the
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