.TTEN
THE TALE
OF
TOM KITTEN
DEDICATED
To ALL PICKLES,
ESPECIALLY TO THOSE THAT
GET UPON MY GARDEN WALL,
THE TALE OF
TOM KITTEN
BY
BEATRIX POTTER
Author of
" The Tale of Peter Rabbit^ &C,
NEW YORK
FREDERICK WARNE & CO.
12 East 33d Street
COPYRIGHT 1907
BY
FREDERICK WARNE & Co,
ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL,.
261389
upon a time there
were three little kittens,
and their names were Mittens,
Tom Kitten, and Moppet.
They had dear little fur
coats of their own; and they
tumbled about the doorstep
and played in the dust.
UT one day their mother
Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit
expected friends to tea; so she
fetched the kittens indoors, to
wash and dress them, before
the fine company arrived.
THIRST she scrubbed their
-* faces (this one is Moppet).
15
HTHEN she brushed their fur
* (this one is Mittens).
16
p'':*^ vfjIL
,
29
1V/TOPPET and Mittens
** * walked down the garden
path unsteadily. Presently
they trod upon their pinafores
and fell on their noses.
When they stood up there
were several green smears!
33
"T ET us climb up the
^-^ rockery, and sit on the
garden wall," said Moppet.
They turned their pinafores
back to front, and went up
with a skip and a jump;
Moppet's white tucker fell
down into the road.
34
i
35
:--.
HTOM KITTEN was quite
unable to jump when
walking upon his hind legs
in trousers. He came up the
rockery by degrees, breaking
the ferns, and shedding buttons
right and left.
39
T TE was all in pieces when
* A he reached the top of
the wall
Moppet and Mittens tried
to pull him together; his hat
fell off, and the rest of his
buttons burst.
\ 11 7HILE they were in dif-
ficulties, there was a pit
pat paddle pat! and the three
Puddle-Ducks came along the
hard high road, marching one
behind the other and doing
the goose step pit pat paddle
pat! pit pat waddle pat!
45
T^HEY stopped and stood
in a row, and stared up
at the kittenSo They had very
small eyes, and looked sur-
prisedo
47
g
jJpPwr r
HTHEN the two duck-birds,
Rebeccah and Jemima
Puddle-Duck, picked up the
hat and tucker and put them
on.
MITTENS laughed so that
she fell off the wall.
Moppet and Tom descended
after her; the pinafores and
all the rest of Tom's clothes
came off on the way down.
"Come! Mr. Drake Puddle-
Duck/' said Moppet " Come
and help us to dress him 1
Come and button up Tom! "
53
IV/TR. DRAKE PUDDLE-
* DUCK advanced in a
slow, sideways manner, and
picked up the various articles.
57
"ID UT he put them on him-
*-* self! They fitted him
even worse than Tom Kitten.
" It's a very fine morning! "
said Mr. Drake Puddle-Duck.
59
A ND he and Jemima and
^"*- Rebeccah Puddle-Duck
set off up the road, keeping
step pit pat, paddle pat! pit
pat, waddle pat!
TTHEN Tabitha Twitchit
came down the garden
and found her kittens on the
wall with no clothes on.
58
OHE pulled them off the
^ wall, smacked them, and
took them back to the house.
" My friends will arrive in
a minute, and you are not fit
to be seen ; I am affronted,"
said Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit.
E sent them upstairs;
and I am sorry to say she
told her friends that they were
in bed with the measles;
which was not true.
70
74
QUITE the contrary; they
were not in bed; not in
the least
Somehow there were very
extraordinary noises overhead;
which disturbed the dignity and
repose of the tea-party.
75
A ND I think that some day
^~~*- I shall have to make
another, larger, book, to tell
you more about Tom Kitten !
76
77
A S for the Puddle-Ducks
**- they went into a pond.
The clothes all came off
directly, because there were no
buttons.
81
8 4
A ND Mr. Drake Puddle-
*~^ Duck and Jemima and
Rebeccah have been looking
for them ever since.
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LA*
STAMPED BELOW
AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 C.
WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO R
THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PE,
WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FC
DAY AND TO $I.OO ON THE SEVENTH
OVERDUE.
Wt 22
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DEC 22 1939
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