E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Ronald Holder,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
()

THE TALE OF

SAMUEL WHISKERS

Or,

THE ROLY POLY PUDDING

In Remembrance of
"SAMMY,"
The intelligent pink-eyed Representative
of
a Persecuted (but Irrepressible) Race
An affectionate little Friend,
and most accomplished
thief

FREDERICK WARNE

First published 1908
(Originally published in U.S.A. as The Roly-Poly Pudding)

Once upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, whowas an anxious parent. She used to lose her kittens continually, andwhenever they were lost they were always in mischief!

On baking day she determined to shut them up in a cupboard.

She caught Moppet and Mittens, but she could not find Tom.

Mrs. Tabitha went up and down all over the house, mewing for TomKitten. She looked in the pantry under the staircase, and she searchedthe best spare bedroom that was all covered up with dust sheets. Shewent right upstairs and looked into the attics, but she could not findhim anywhere.

It was an old, old house, full of cupboards and passages. Some of thewalls were four feet thick, and there used to be queer noises insidethem, as if there might be a little secret staircase. Certainly therewere odd little jagged doorways in the wainscot, and things disappearedat night—especially cheese and bacon.

Mrs. Tabitha became more and more distracted, and mewed dreadfully.

While their mother was searching the house, Moppet and Mittens had got into mischief.

The cupboard door was not locked, so they pushed it open and came out.

...