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“Well, I do declare!” exclaimed the watchman. “The clerks here are getting very careless! This roller skate belongs over in the sporting section. I’ll take it there.”

He picked it up and walked away. When he was gone, and the light of his lantern no longer gleamed, the Calico Clown slowly raised his head.

“Now you can go on with the race,” he said.

“No, the race is spoiled for to-night,” answered the Horse. “It will soon be daylight, and the clerks and shoppers will be coming in.”

“Yes, and I would have to go to the other part of the store to get back my roller skate,” said the Elephant. “I find I cannot get along on three. We’ll have the race to-morrow night, Mr. Horse.”

“That will suit me very well,” said the proud, brave steed.

“And now we had all better get quiet,” said the Monkey on a Stick. “I can see the sun peeping up in the east. Daylight is coming, and we dare no longer move about and talk. We have had some fun, but now we must get ready to be looked at by the shoppers. Quiet, everybody!”

And, as he spoke, the light suddenly grew stronger in the toy department, the clerks presently began coming in, and soon, when the sun was a little higher in the sky, the shoppers began arriving.

The White Rocking Horse, proud and stiff, stood near the counter. How his red saddle, of real leather, glistened in the light! How fluffy were his mane and tail!

Suddenly there came marching down the aisle of the store a boy whose feet made a great deal of noise, and who had a loud voice.

“Here’s the Rocking Horse I want!” he cried. “I’m going to have this one!” And in an instant he had leaped on the back of the White Horse, banging his heels on the painted sides and yanking on the leather reins.

“Gid-dap! Gid-dap!” cried the rude boy, and he began kicking the White Rocking Horse in the ribs.

CHAPTER III

A NICE MAN

“Dear me!” thought the White Rocking Horse to himself, as he felt the boy banging hard, leather heels into his side. “This is quite dreadful! I hope I am not sold to this boy! He would be a very unpleasant master to have, I am sure!”

Just because the White Rocking Horse and the other toys could not talk and move about when human eyes were watching them, did not stop them from thinking things to themselves, or from having feelings. And you may be very sure the White Rocking Horse felt that his feelings were very much hurt when the boy banged his heels so hard into the sides of the steed.

“I certainly hope I am not going to belong to this boy,” thought the White Rocking Horse, and he looked toward the toy counter. He saw the Calico Clown glancing sadly at him, and he noticed the Monkey on a Stick making funny faces at the boy.

“I wish I could make that boy come over here and look at me,” thought the Monkey. “Then he would let my friend, the White Rocking Horse, alone.”

But the rude boy seemed to like being in the red leather saddle on the back of the Rocking Horse.

“Grid-dap! Go ‘long there!” cried the boy, and again he clapped his heels against the wooden sides of the Horse, chipping off bits of paint. With his hands the boy yanked on the reins until he nearly pulled them off the head of the White Rocking Horse.

A young lady clerk, who worked In the toy department, came along just then.

“Please do not be so rough on the Horse, little boy,” she said in a gentle voice.

“I’m going to have this Horse!” shouted the rude boy, as he rocked to and fro. “I’m going to make my mother buy him for me for Christmas. Go ‘long! Gid-dap!”

“Oh, I never could stand belonging to this boy!” thought the poor White Rocking Horse. “I should want to run away!”