Tale of Tom Kitten

Once upon a time there were three little kittens. Their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet. They liked to tumble on the doorstep and play in the tall grass.

One day, their mother, Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, had friends coming over for tea. So, she brought the kittens indoors, to wash and dress them before the company arrived.

First, she scrubbed Moppet's face. Next, she brushed Mittens's fur. Then, she combed Tom Kitten's tail and whiskers.

Mrs. Tabitha dressed the kittens in nice clean clothes. Tom Kitten asked to wear his dress-up clothes. So, she chose his red wool sweater and his brown plaid jacket along with his special blue hat.

When the three kittens were ready, Mrs. Tabitha needed space in her kitchen to make her hot buttered toast. So, she let them play in the garden by themselves. Before the kittens left she said, "Now kittens, you play carefully in the garden and take care of your nice clothes!"

Moppet and Mittens ran too quickly down the grassy garden path and fell on their noses. When they stood up, there were green stains all over their clothes!

Tom Kitten had a hard time jumping when he walked up on his hind legs in his long pants. He came to some rocky ground and he fell down too! Tom Kitten lost the buttons right off of his brown plaid jacket!

All of a sudden, there was a "pit pat paddle pat" sound coming from behind them. It was three ducks coming along one behind the other. Their feet went, "Pit pat paddle pat! Pit pat waddle pat!"

The ducks stopped, standing in a row, and looked at the fallen kittens. Then, the mother and daughter ducks, whose names were Rebeccah and Jemima Puddle-Duck, picked up Tom Kitten's blue hat and brown plaid jacket and put them on!

Mittens laughed so hard that she rolled down the path. Moppet and Tom went rolling behind her with their clothes falling everywhere! Now the kittens' clothes were all mixed up!

When the kittens noticed the mess they were in, Moppet called to the father duck, "Come Mr. Puddle Duck! Can you please help us get dressed again?" "Sure!" quacked Mr. Puddle Duck. He and his duck family gave the kittens their clothes back and helped them get dressed. They said goodbye and all headed home.

When Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit came down the garden path, to her surprise, she found all her kittens the way she had left them! She never knew what a mix up day it had been!