Latest / Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens / Chapter 5. The Surprise Party

Transcript

Chapter 5. The Surprise Party · Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens

• 0:00
  Section five of Three Little Kittens Who Lost their Mittens by Laura Roundtree Smith.
• 0:07
  This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Surprise Party. Old Mother
• 0:13
  KitKat sat knitting as usual one evening, and her needles went click click click,
• 0:19
  when a rappit tap was heard at the door, and in walked Grandpa
• 0:22
  Growler, saying, a surprise party. A surprise party here. I am
• 0:27
  alive and hearty. Old Mother Kitkat's eyes got as big as saucers, and
• 0:31
  she said, I am afraid you let the cat out of the bag that
• 0:34
  time, Grandpa, who told you about a surprise party? Grandpa Growler replied,
• 0:39
  I say such funny things most of the time, whether I'm talking in
• 0:43
  prose or in rhyme. He growled so pleasantly at that that the three little
• 0:47
  kittens got the very best rocking chair for him and the haircloth footstool and said,
• 0:52
  sit here, Grandpa in the rocking chair by the fire. Old Mother
• 0:56
  KitKat was wondering if he was really only joking about a surprise party. When
• 1:00
  rappitap was heard on the door and the three little bears came in. They
• 1:04
  cried out, a surprise party. We think very good we are the three
• 1:08
  bears that live in the woods. They had no sooner seated themselves on three
• 1:12
  little stools by the fire. When rappitap sounded on the door again. Old
• 1:18
  Mother kit Kat straightened her cap and called, come in, Come in.
• 1:21
  The hearth is wide. There's room for one and all inside. They all
• 1:25
  held their breath, for no one came in this time. The three little
• 1:29
  kittens whispered to each other, what if it should be the three little foxes
• 1:33
  coming in next? What if it should be the three little foxes who stole
• 1:37
  our mittens. The three little curly tales came in next with a hop and
• 1:41
  a skip and a bound. The next minute there was heard a great rumbling
• 1:46
  and tumbling, and Grandpa Growler, who stood with his eyes to the key
• 1:49
  hole, said, some one is coming in a wheelbarrow. Then the whole
• 1:53
  company shouted, oh, Grandpa Growler, the secret is out, tis Mother
• 1:57
  Catastrophe without a doubt enough, Old Uncle Mouser was wheeling Old Mother Catastrophe nearer
• 2:02
  and nearer. Every minute he kept saying, over and over, I hope
• 2:07
  no one has taken my red plush line basket. I hope no one has
• 2:09
  taken my red plush lined basket. They came in, and old mother Catastrophe
• 2:15
  shook the dust off her fur and whiskers, and she said every one looked
• 2:17
  to her as big as life and twice as natural. Then the ground hog
• 2:22
  came in, muttering about his shadow. But the beaver sent a note of
• 2:25
  regret, for he was too shy for company. I do not suppose they
• 2:30
  would have had a bit to eat for refreshment if the little old Man of
• 2:32
  the fire had not been there. He sang to the three little kittens so
• 2:37
  softly that no one else heard. Coffee, some sugar and tea will do.
• 2:40
  Make up some cookies and rich pies too. The three little kittens went
• 2:45
  hurrying and scurrying into the kitchen. They ran this way and that way,
• 2:49
  cooking tea and coffee, and mixing up cookies and pies. The three little
• 2:53
  foxes, wearing three pairs of mittens, danced up to the window and said,
• 2:58
  you cannot cook, for so we've heard three little kittens. Tis quite
• 3:00
  absurd. The three little kittens were so surprised that they dropped their three little
• 3:06
  spoons into their three little bowls. But the little old man of the fire
• 3:09
  said, quite as though nothing had happened. Most anything you'll learn to do
• 3:14
  if you work to make the wish come true. Now, the three little
• 3:16
  foxes danced this way and that way, and came up again to the kitchen
• 3:21
  window. The three little foxes shouted, more sugar, more spice, make
• 3:24
  everything nice. They troubled the three little kittens so they could not think straight.
• 3:30
  To save their lives, the little old man of the fire suddenly darted
• 3:34
  through the open door, shouting, I'll burn your bushy tails, tis true.
• 3:37
  Come on, I'll run a race with you. The three little foxes
• 3:40
  could feel the old man's hot breath, and they scampered off as swiftly as
• 3:45
  the wind. The little old man of the fire shouted, I can travel
• 3:49
  even faster, and I'll bring you a disaster. Take off the mittens.
• 3:53
  Take off the mittens, for they belonged to three little kittens. At this
• 3:57
  the three little foxes lost no time. You may get They threw the mittens
• 4:00
  down by the bank of a river near by. The little old man of
• 4:04
  the fire shouted, sink or swim, sink or swim, and he pushed
• 4:09
  the three little foxes into the river, and they had to swim all the
• 4:13
  way home. The little old man of the fire picked up the mittens and
• 4:16
  washed them nicely. Then he took them back home and hung them on the
• 4:19
  line to dry. All this time the three little kittens were baking and stewing,
• 4:26
  and by and by they had a regular surprise party. Meal ready,
• 4:29
  and all the animals cried Hurrah, hurrah for the three little kittens. After
• 4:33
  they had eaten everything they could lay their paws on, Old Uncle Mouser told
• 4:38
  stories, and Old Mother Catastrophe said, as the clock struck ten, Mother
• 4:43
  Catastrophe, old and Gray should start out now on the homeward way. This
• 4:47
  ended the party, and Old Uncle Mouser got the wheelbarrow, though he looked
• 4:50
  longingly at the red, plush lined basket that waited him by the fire.
• 4:56
  There was the greatest shaking of paws you ever saw, and Grandpa Growl said,
• 5:00
  I'm old and stiff. You may believe I'll stay all night now,
• 5:03
  by your leave. As the guests went home, Old Mother KitKat said,
• 5:08
  I really believe my dear little kittens. On the clothes line, I see
• 5:12
  three pairs of mittens. The three little kittens went with a hop and a
• 5:15
  skip and a bound to get their mittens, and three little foxes came,
• 5:18
  tagging them as if they were playing hide and seek. The three little kittens
• 5:24
  cried, we are three little kittens who lost our mittens, and here they
• 5:28
  are on a line so dry. We are three little kittens who lost our
• 5:31
  mittens, and now we will call good bye good bye. Not so fast,
• 5:36
  said Grandpa Growler. What will kit Cat do with the new mittens?
• 5:40
  She hasn't it for you, Old mother? KitKat said, they were made
• 5:44
  for kittens, one, two, three, I will put them up on
• 5:46
  the Christmas tree. The three little foxes ran away again, for they saw
• 5:51
  the little old man of the fire coming after them. And the three little
• 5:56
  kittens joined pause and danced round and round in a ring, while the little
• 6:00
  old Man of the fire said good bye. Good bye. We say,
• 6:02
  and then just open the book and read again. The three little kittens cried,
• 6:08
  we're three little kittens who found our mittens to read this book. I'm
• 6:11
  sure you'll try. Where three little kittens who found our mittens, And now
• 6:15
  we call good bye goodbye. The three little kittens ran merrily home in the
• 6:20
  moonlight, wearing their mittens. End of Section five. End of three little
• 6:29
  Kittens who Lost Their Mittens by Laura Rountree Smith