AFTER Mrs. Cat had powdered Puss, Junior's, toes so that they would slip
easily into his boots she turned to see what the three little kittens
were doing. They had just finished eating the pie. She had been so
interested in hearing how Puss, Junior, had found his red-top boots that
she hadn't heard them say:
"Oh, mother dear, we greatly fear
That we have soiled our mittens."
"What!" exclaimed Mrs. Cat. "Soiled your mittens, you naughty kittens!"
Then they began to sigh,
"Mi-ow, mi-ow, mi-ow."
Then they began to sigh,
"Mi-ow, mi-ow, mi-ow."
"Take them off at once," cried Mrs. Cat.
"We will, mother," said the three little kittens.
"I can't imagine why you kept them on," said Mrs. Cat.
"We were so hungry we didn't have time to take them off," said the
little black kitten.
"My fingers were so cold I thought I'd leave them on," cried the tabby
kitten.
"I didn't think about anything," sobbed the little gray kitten. "I just
looked at the pie, and then I forgot I had on mittens."
[Illustration]
Mrs. Cat stood with her front paws on her hips, looking first from one
little kitten to another.
"Did you ever see anything like children?" she sighed, turning to Puss,
Junior.
"My dear madam, forgive them this once. They were so excited over
finding the pie that they lost their heads."
"It's a good thing they are tied on," said Mrs. Cat, with a laugh; "they
might not be found as easily as the mittens."
The three little kittens looked very much ashamed. Then the little black
kitten ran over to the washtubs and, jumping on a stool, turned the
hot-water faucet. His mother handed him a big cake of soap, and in
another minute the other two little kittens climbed up beside him.
"What are you going to do?" asked Mrs. Cat, with a sly wink at Puss,
Junior.
"Never mind, mother, dear. Please don't look." And they commenced to
scrub their mittens. And when they had them all covered with lather they
dipped them into the water and squeezed them until the soapsuds looked
like a snow drift, and after that they all reached down and pulled out
the stopper, and when the soapy water was all gone they filled the tub
again with nice, clean water and washed the mittens all over again. But,
oh, dear me! the water was so deep that the little gray kitten wet her
little pink sleeve.