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“There! Now you are stronger than you were before,” said the toy hospital doctor, putting the Elephant on a shelf. “And now for the broken leg of the Rocking Horse. Dear me, that is quite a bad break,” said the toy doctor. “I think I shall have to make him a whole new wooden leg.”

The White Rocking Horse felt glad when he heard this. For he was rather a proud chap, and when he had seen part of the Elephant’s old trunk put back on that animal, the Horse thought of how he would look with part of his old broken leg glued fast.

“I had much rather have a whole new leg,” he said to himself.

And that is exactly what he had. Out of a piece of wood the toy doctor made a new leg for the Rocking Horse. He took off the old, splintered one, that had been broken in the fall off the porch. Then the new leg was put in place.

“There! When it’s painted no one will ever know one of his legs was broken,” said the toy doctor.

The new leg was smoothed with sandpaper, and then painted just the color of the other legs.

“I’m glad he painted my new leg,” thought the Horse. “I would look very funny with three white legs and one brown or red one. Yes, this toy doctor is a very smart man. I feel quite myself now.”

The toy hospital doctor was busy in his shop all day, mending things that children break in their play, and toward evening Dick’s father came in.

“Is my boy’s White Rocking Horse mended?” the man asked.

“Yes, all ready for you,” answered the toy doctor. “I finished him sooner than I expected to. The paint is hardly dry, but it will be by morning. I made him a new leg.”

“That’s good!” exclaimed the man. “My little boy wants to ride his Rocking Horse. He misses him very much.”

Back home went the White Rocking Horse. And when Dick saw him he clapped his hands and cried:

“Oh, how glad I am! May I take a ride?”

“If you are careful of the newly-painted leg,” his father answered. “I’ll lift you up into the saddle.”

And when Dick sat in the red leather seat and pulled on the red reins and shouted to his Horse he was a very happy boy, and the White Rocking Horse felt glad also.

“Gid-dap!” called Dick. “Gid-dap, my Rocking Horse!” And the Horse galloped across the room.

All of a sudden Dorothy came running into the playroom where Dick sat on his Horse.

“Oh, Dick! Dick!” cried the little girl. “Come on down to the kitchen, quick! Carlo has something under a chair! Maybe it’s a big mouse! Come and see!”

CHAPTER IX

TWO BAD MEN

Dick jumped off his Rocking Horse.

“What did you say Carlo had?” he asked his sister.

“I don’t know,” Dorothy answered. “But I was down in the kitchen, and Mary had just given me some bread and sugar, and I saw Carlo under a chair. He had something in his mouth and he was shaking it. And it was brown and fuzzy and maybe it’s a mouse. You’d better come, ’cause Mary’s standin’ up on a chair and hollerin’ awful loud. It’s fun.”

“Oh, I’ll come!” cried Dick. “But where’s Mother?”

“Oh, she’s in the parlor with some ladies,” answered the little girl. “I didn’t tell her.”

“That’s right,” said Dick, hurrying over to a closet in the playroom.

“What are you going to do?” asked Dorothy. “You’d better hurry if you want to help Carlo catch that mouse.”

“I am hurrying,” Dick said. “But I want to get my soldier cap and my pop gun.”

“What for?” the little girl wanted to know.

“‘Cause I’m going to make believe I’m a captain, and the mouse is an enemy, and I’m going to capture the enemy. Like in war.”

Down to the kitchen the children hurried. They could hear their dog Carlo barking and growling, and they could hear Mary, the cook, laughing.