CHAPTER III.THE THREE LITTLE FOXES

OldMother Catastrophe said,

“I will tell you once again,How to arrive at the Foxes’ den.”

“I will tell you once again,

How to arrive at the Foxes’ den.”

Dot and Tot said, “Oh Mother Catastrophe, we would rather never find our mittens than to have to go to the Foxes’ den.”

Trot said, “Please tell us how to find our lost mittens.”

Mother Catastrophe said, “You go through the woods by the most crooked path you can find, and turn to the right, and turn to the left, to see if the Foxes are behindyou, if all is still you go on until you come to their den,

“When Madam Red Fox comes out you bow politely and say,

“Good evening, good morning and how do you do?We have come to pay a visit to you.”

“Good evening, good morning and how do you do?

We have come to pay a visit to you.”

At that very minute Dot and Tot began to weep and wail. They cried until little streams of tears showed on the carpet.

Mother Catastrophe said, “Will they cry a bucket full? Will they cry a tub full?”

Still Dot and Tot cried, “Boo-hoo, we do not want to go to the Foxes’ den.”

Trot went out and got the washboiler and said, “Cry it full so Mother Catastrophecan perhaps make use of it.”

But still they cried. While Tot cried loudly, Dot moved the washboiler so that none of their tears would fall inside.

“We are afraid of the Foxes, we do not want to go to their den.”

Old Mother Catastrophe waited for them to stop crying but they would not stop.

“It’s silly quite for you to cry,You’ll lose all fear by and by.”

“It’s silly quite for you to cry,

You’ll lose all fear by and by.”

“Must we go to the Foxes’ den?” asked both Dot and Tot.

“We’ll do whatever Mother Catastrophe says,” replied Trot.

Then they started to cry again.

Trot brought the washboiler again. “If you cry hard into this, Mother Catastrophewill have soft water to wash her clothes in.”

Then Dot and Tot began to laugh instead of cry and Mother Catastrophe said,

“If manners you really want to know,Bow politely, and stand in a row.”

“If manners you really want to know,

Bow politely, and stand in a row.”

The Three Little Kittens stood up in a row and bowed politely.

Old Mother Catastrophe said,

“Dot will make a bow next, and say to Madam Red Fox, How is your cousin the Kit-Fox? Has he changed his coat this season?”

Dot said, “Do Foxes change their coats? Do tell us about it.”

“Of course they change their coats,”said Mother Catastrophe. “The Kit-Fox wears a coat of one color in the summer, and another color in the winter.

“Tot may next make a bow and say, How is your cousin the Cross-Fox? He is not really a very cross Fox but he is named from his markings.”

“At this very minute little Trot may shout at the top of his lungs,

“We are the kittens who lost our mittens,Oh, Red Fox, give them to us to-day,Oh, we are the Kittens who lost our mittens,But truly Red Fox we’ve not come to stay.”

“We are the kittens who lost our mittens,

Oh, Red Fox, give them to us to-day,

Oh, we are the Kittens who lost our mittens,

But truly Red Fox we’ve not come to stay.”

“You must thank Madam Red Fox when she hands you the mittens.”

Trot went out to get the wheel-barrow for they were going to wheel Mother Catastrophe to the Foxes’ den.

They helped her into the wheel-barrow and went through the woods by the most crooked paths they could find.

Suddenly they all stopped still and Trot said, “What if Madam Red Fox should not be at home?”

“Old Mother Catastrophe answered,

“I’m Mother Catastrophe, old and gray,I don’t cross a bridge while on the way.”

“I’m Mother Catastrophe, old and gray,

I don’t cross a bridge while on the way.”

Dot and Tot said, “Where is the bridge? We don’t see any bridge at all.”

THE DOOR OPENED AND IN WALKED GRANDPA GROWLER, THE FUNNIEST BEAR IN THE WORLD

Old Mother Catastrophe said,

“You can have good manners, if you choose,You had better mind your “P’s” and “Q’s.”

“You can have good manners, if you choose,

You had better mind your “P’s” and “Q’s.”

“Our “P’s” and “Q’s” repeated the Three Little Kittens.

At that very minute they heard the “patter, patter, patter” of feet behind them.

“The Foxes, the Foxes,” cried the Three Little Kittens, “Oh where shall we hide?”

They turned over the wheel-barrow and crept under it, and to the surprise of all, Old Mother Kit-Cat came down the path singing,

“Where are the three Kittens,Who once lost their mittens?”

“Where are the three Kittens,

Who once lost their mittens?”

“Here we are, here we are,” they all shouted rumbling and tumbling out from under the wheel-barrow.

They hugged and kissed all around and Mother Kit-Cat said,

“Come let us journey on again,Until we come to the Foxes’ den.”

“Come let us journey on again,

Until we come to the Foxes’ den.”

So, on and on, they went, Old Mother Catastrophe riding in the wheel-barrow all the way, and the wind whistled a merry tune,

“You’ll not find your mittens,You Three Little Kittens,They were stolen away,For a year and a day.”

“You’ll not find your mittens,

You Three Little Kittens,

They were stolen away,

For a year and a day.”

“Hark! What does the Wind say aboutour mittens?” asked the Three Little Kittens. They shouted at the top of their lungs, “We cannot spare our mittens for a year and a day, perhaps the wind is only teasing.”

“The Wind may be false, the Wind may be trueWe’ll accomplish what we set out to do,”

“The Wind may be false, the Wind may be true

We’ll accomplish what we set out to do,”

said Mother Catastrophe, and they drew nearer and nearer the Foxes’ den every step they took.

Dot and Tot said, “By our long whiskers, we wish we were home.”

THEY WENT ON UNTIL THEY CAME TO THE HOUSE OF THE THREE BEARS

Trot said,

“We are on an adventure bound,Perhaps the mittens will soon be found.”

“We are on an adventure bound,

Perhaps the mittens will soon be found.”

At that very minute they came upon the Foxes’ Den and they were all surprised to read a sign in big letters,

“OH, THREE LITTLE KITTENS, WE DID TAKE YOUR MITTENS,WE WORE THEM AS LONG AS WE COULD,OH, THREE LITTLE KITTENS, WE GAVE UP THE MITTENSTO THREE LITTLE BEARS WHO LIVE IN THE WOODS.”

“OH, THREE LITTLE KITTENS, WE DID TAKE YOUR MITTENS,

WE WORE THEM AS LONG AS WE COULD,

OH, THREE LITTLE KITTENS, WE GAVE UP THE MITTENS

TO THREE LITTLE BEARS WHO LIVE IN THE WOODS.”

“Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah,” cried the Three Little Kittens, “We will go to the home of Three Little Bears who live inthe woods. Hurrah for the three little friendly Bears.”

Old Mother Kit-Cat said, “Indeed, I think you will come home with me.”

Old Mother Catastrophe said,

“I do not like in the woods to roam,Come, Three Little Kittens, and wheel me home.”

“I do not like in the woods to roam,

Come, Three Little Kittens, and wheel me home.”

They all took turns in wheeling Mother Catastrophe home, and then they ran beside Mother Kit-Cat until they came to their neat little house at the edge of the woods.

They said,

“Tis dark within the Foxes’ den,We hope we’ll not go there again.”

“Tis dark within the Foxes’ den,

We hope we’ll not go there again.”

The Wind whistled merrily,

“Oh Three Little Kittens, oh Three Little Kittens,Three Little Bears are wearing your mittens.”

“Oh Three Little Kittens, oh Three Little Kittens,

Three Little Bears are wearing your mittens.”

The Three Little Kittens said, “Oh Ma, may we go to the house of The Three Bears to-morrow?”

Old Mother Kit-Cat washed their faces and said, “When to-morrow comes we shall see.”

THEY BEGAN TO EAT PORRIDGE AS FAST AS THEY COULD

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