"If he really is the 'rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built' I don't believe Jack will be very glad to see him," said the little tabby cat, pulling on her mittens.
"My paws are almost frozen," cried the little gray kitten. "I'm so glad we have found our mittens."
"Good-by, mousie," cried the little black kitten, going up to the mouse hole and peeping in. "We all thank you very much for telling us where our mittens were. We're going into the house now, for mother has some pie for us. We'll bring you out a little piece of crust in a few minutes."
"Don't forget!" she answered, peeping out of her hole. "Bring us three pieces, for I have two little children who are very fond of pie crust."
"You be sure to save a little piece of crust," said the black kitty to the tabby kit, "and you, too," he said, turning to the gray kitten; "then we'll have three pieces!"
"Let's close the barn door," said Puss, before they started off for the house. "The little mouse may freeze if we leave it open."
It was a very big barn door that ran on little iron wheels, and it wasn't easy to move. "Push!" cried Puss, bracing his feet against the side of the barn.
"We can't push any harder," cried the three little kittens.
"Try again," said Puss. "Now, all together, heave ho, heave ho!" The big door began to move. "Push!" cried Puss. "It's beginning to move."
The three little kittens did their best, and pretty soon the little wheels went round and round, faster and faster, until all of a sudden the big door bumped into the other end of the doorway, sending Puss, Junior, and the three little kittens head over heels into the snow.