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Chapter 2. Old Mother Catastrophe · Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens

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  Section two of Three Little Kittens Who Lost their mittens by Laura Rountree Smith.
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  This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Old Mother Catastrophe. Next morning,
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  Dot and Tot and Trot woke up, crying, I am hungry,
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  I am hungry, I am hungry. They ran downstairs, but Old Mother
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  Catastrophe was nowhere to be seen. There was no fire in the kitchen stove.
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  Dot and Tot began to cry, But brave little Trot said, I
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  believe I'll sing a little verse. It might be better, it might be
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  worse. Then, to the surprise of all, a little silver bell rang,
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  and a voice called Old Mother Catastrophes, old and gray, Who will
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  bring in her wood? To day? I will, I will, I
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  will, cried the three little kittens. Together. They saw that the wood
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  box was empty. The three little kittens went out and got wood and filled
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  the box. They thought they had brought in enough, but a voice called
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  day and night hours four and twenty, Get a plenty, Get a plenty.
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  The little kittens were so amused they tumbled over each other and hurried out
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  to get more wood. They next heard the tinkle, tinkle tinkle of a
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  silver bell, and the voice said, so far, so good, So
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  far, so good. For now we find enough of wood. The three
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  little kittens were happy. Now, Oh, I wonder what else we can
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  do, asked Dot. Perhaps there isn't anything else we can do, said
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  Tot. Well we soon will know, added Trot. As the three kittens
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  stood there looking at each other, the same tinkle tinkle of the same silver
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  bell was heard by them. I wonder what that means, cried Dot and
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  Tot. This is what the little silver voice now said, who can get
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  breakfast? May I inquire until they have made a good kitchen fire. Then
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  the three little kittens made a fire, and soon it was roaring merrily.
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  Then the little bell tinkled again, and a voice said, Old Mother Catastrophes
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  old and gray, who will bring in her water to day? I will,
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  I will, I will, cried the three little kittens, And they
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  went out for a pail of water and filled up the tea kettle. And
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  to the surprise of all, there stood Old Mother Catastrophe in the doorway,
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  wearing a cap with silver bells upon it. She said, tis well to
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  work as well as play, and learned some lessons every day. Dot thought
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  of the empty wood box at home, and Tot remembered that the tea kettle
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  was empty. Trot thought they could help mother. When they got home,
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  Old Mother Catastrophe hugged and kissed each little kitten in turn, and in less
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  time than it takes to tell it, they sat down to eat breakfast together.
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  Old Mother Catastrophe said, I'm going to see old Mother KitKat to day,
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  and you may keep house while i am gone. Then she cried,
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  where are my rubbers? Where is my greatcoat? Where is my market basket?
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  Where is my walking stick? The three little kittens ran this way and
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  that way, waiting upon her. She said in parting, laugh and play
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  with merry din, But do not let the foxes in. The foxes,
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  said Dot and Tot. Oh dear, oh dear, we are afraid of
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  the foxes. Trot said, I am not afraid of the foxes. We
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  will not let them in. The three little kittens stood at the window waving
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  their pocket handkerchiefs as Mother Catastrophe went down the walk. I think you can
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  have a better play if the dishes are washed and put away, sang the
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  little old man of the fire. So the three little kittens found three little
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  aprons hanging on a nail, and they put them on, and washed and
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  dried the dishes and put them away. All day long they danced about merrily,
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  doing nice things for mother Catastrophe. And the little old man of the
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  fire shouted merrily all the time. Once he shouted, oh, three little
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  kittens, tell where are your mittens? Are mittens? Cried dot and tot.
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  Oh dear, oh dear, we had forgotten all about our mittens.
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  At this very minute, a very exciting thing happened. Three little foxes wearing
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  three pairs of mittens, came dancing down the roadway. They came nearer and
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  nearer every minute. They they ran up to the house and showed the mittens
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  they were wearing, and they flattened their noses against the window pane. They
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  cried, let us in, pray, let us in. We are so
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  cold, we are freezing our noses and toeses. I don't know what in
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  the world would have happened, But the little old man of the fire leaped
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  out in his jacket of red and yellow, crying, I will burn your
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  nose, I will burn your toes. So away and away the wise fox
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  goes. The three little foxes were so afraid at that, they ran off
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  as fast as their legs could carry them. They wore the mittens, of
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  course, that belonged to the kittens. Dot and Tot began to weep and
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  wail, Oh dear, oh dear, we have lost our mittens. Oh
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  dear, oh dear, we are sad little kittens. If you guessed one
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  hundred years, you could never guess what brave little trot did. He ran
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  and got the old goldfish bowl that stood empty on the table, and said,
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  will you cry a bowlful? Will you cry a pitcherful? Will you
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  cry a tea kettle full? Keep it up, Keep it up. Dot
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  and Tot did not shed another tear, And the little old man of the
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  fire said, if you can count your eyes and nose, tis supper time.
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  As I suppose such a hurrying and scurrying you never saw. As the
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  hands of the kitchen clock pointed to six, the three little kittens had supper
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  on the table and smoking hot when Old Mother Catastrophe came thump bump, thump
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  bump with her cane, rapping and tapping with her cane all the way.
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  When they told their adventure at supper time, Old Mother Catastrophe said, first
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  class in foxes, come this way and hear what Catastrophe has to say.
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  Then she said they would have to learn all about foxes and go tomorrow to
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  the fox's den and get their lost mittens. Dot and Tot were so scared
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  at the mention of foxes that they crept under the table. But brave little
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  trot said, dear Mother Catastrophe, old and gray, we are not afraid,
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  if you'll lead the way. Old Mother Catastrophe rolled her great green eyes
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  and said, what about my lame leg and crooked back tis a mile away?
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  Alas a lack. Brave little trot said, we will take you in
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  the wheelbarrow, and will you right up to the fox's den if you will
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  only go with us. Mother Catastrophe agreed to this, and they all sat
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  round in a circle while she told them about foxes. She began by saying,
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  alas, little kittens, alas, little kittens, three little foxes have
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  stolen your mittens. End of Section two.