KITTENS AND CATS THE QUEEN I am the Queen of all the Kittens. I am the Queen! the Queen! Come, all you kittens and cats. Hear what I have to say. To-morrow I give a grand party. The party will be in my palace. You are all invited from the biggest to the littlest, from the oldest to the youngest, from the blackest to the whitest. So wash your paws and shine your fur. Forget your naughty tricks and do not one of you dare be late to your Queen’s party. To-morrow at one o’clock. [Illustration: IT IS MY PARTY] GRANNY GRAY I am Granny Gray. I am very, very old, but I am going to the Queen’s party. I am grandmother to a great many kittens. When any of them are naughty their mothers always send for me. When any of them are sick I always know what to do. I teach them how to sing. I teach them how to scratch. I teach them how to catch mice. I am very, very old. They call me Granny Gray. [Illustration: I AM GRANNY GRAY] GETTING READY Hark, hark! what is that noise? No, I cannot play with you now. I must take my bath. I must get ready for the party. I have a new jacket and a new hat to wear. My pants were new last week, but they are not new now. I tore two holes in them when I climbed the apple tree in the back yard. Mother patched them, but someway the patches show more than the holes did. Perhaps my new jacket will cover the patches. I hope I shall look well dressed. [Illustration: I AM TAKING MY BATH] I WONDER I wonder if those horrid patches Upon my trousers white Would show as much if they were not As black as black as night? READY FOR THE PARTY Mew! mew! mew! mew! Come, mother, come quickly! We are all ready and waiting to start. Yes, we are all here. There are one, two, three, four of us. The carriage is pretty small, but we think we can all get in. We will be good this time and not push each other out. But please do come quickly, mother. It is hard to sit so still. Mew! mew! mew! mew! [Illustration: WE ARE ALL HERE] A FULL CART We are three little cats in a cart And one underneath on the floor, The cart is so full we hardly see how There’ll be any room for more. TIME TO START Dear me! my kittens are in such a hurry! They give me no time to dress. It takes a very long time to shine my fur and to fix my bonnet. It is a new bonnet. This is the first time I have worn it. I hope it looks all right. I must practice sitting up straight and proper just for a minute. I want the Queen to know that I am a fine lady. I hope my kittens will not rough up their fur. If they do I shall have to shine it all over again. Now we must start. Where is their father? [Illustration: I HAVE A NEW BONNET] IS MY HAT ON STRAIGHT Here I am. Yes, I am the father of those four fine kittens. They are such beautiful kittens their mother does not even tie ribbons around their necks. I am glad of that, for I do not like ribbons.