The Story of Little Whitie

I don't feel good today.  I've had a cold all week, and it's been hard to make myself do anything.  Mostly I've just laid around on the couch.  In my head, though, underneath the stuffiness and the headache, I keep hearing my mother's words;  "Most of the work of the world is done by people who don't feel good."  She always said that, especially when I wanted to stay home from school.  She also told us a story about little Whitie.  It's my favorite, although my kids turn up their nose now when I tell it to the grandkids.  They say it's kind of gross.  Oh well.

Little Whitie

One day Mother Grey Cat woke up bright and early and thought, "Hmmmm…I think I’m going to make a special surprise for my three little kittens. I’m going to make them blue-berry pancakes!"

So Mother Grey Cat went into the kitchen and began making breakfast. Pretty soon Flopsy and Mopsy came in and asked, "Mother Grey Cat! Are you making blue-berry pancakes for breakfast?"

"Yes I am, Flopsy and Mopsy." said Mother Grey Cat.  "But where’s little Whitie? Why isn’t he with you?"

"Oh, Whitie must be sick", said Flopsy and Mopsy. "He’s still in bed."

Mother Grey Cat took off her apron and went down to the bedroom to see what was the matter with Little Whitie.  Sure enough, she found him still in bed.

"Why,Little Whitie, what's the matter?" asked Mother Grey Cat. "Why are you still in bed?"

"I don’t know," said Whitie, "but my nose is cold and my paws are hot and I ache all over."

Mother Grey Cat felt Whitie’s head and said, "I think I’d better call Dr. Tom Cat and have him come over to take a look at you."

So she called Dr. Tom Cat, and pretty soon he came with his big black Dr.’s bag. When he saw Little Whitie he said, "Now Whitie, what is the matter?"

"I don’t know," said Whitie, "but my nose is cold and my paws are hot and I ache all over."

"Well, let’s see," said Dr. Tom Cat, and he listened to Whitey’s chest and looked down Whitey’s throat, and took his temperature, which was 209, which is very high for a kitten.

Then Dr. Tom Cat turned to Mother Grey Cat and said, "Mother Grey Cat. You have a very sick little kitten on your hands. I am going to write you  a prescription and I want you to get it filled right away."

Dr. Tom Cat took out his prescription pad and wrote, "One Fresh Mouse Pie." Then he gave it to Mother Grey Cat and he went away, because he had to see lots more sick little kittens that day.

Mother Grey Cat read the prescription and decided she’d better go to the butcher’s right away so she could start making the pie. So she put on her hat and her coat and went down to the butchers.

When she got there she told the butcher she needed three mice, and they needed to be very fresh so she could make a fresh mouse pie for her little Whitie, who was so very sick.

The Butcher said, "Mother Grey Cat, you're in luck.  I caught three mice just this morning." And he went to the back room to get them. He wrapped them up in brown butcher paper and Mother Grey Cat paid for them and took them home.

Then Mother Grey Cat started to make the pie. First she got out a big bowl and put in it some flour and shortening and water. She mixed it all up, then she put it on the counter so she could roll the dough out, like your mother does when she makes a pie.  Mother Grey Cat put the dough in a pie pan and put the three little mice on it, curling their tails around them so they looked so cute! Then she rolled out the top part of the dough and put it over the mice, crinkling up the edges to make it pretty, like your mother does when she makes a pie. Last of all she made three holes in the top so the steam could come out, and through them you could see the mice’s eyes twinkling so prettily. Then she popped the pie into the oven.

Pretty soon that pie began to smell good. Flopsy and Mopsy came into the kitchen and said, "Oh Mother Grey Cat, are you making a mouse pie?"

"Yes I am, Flopsy and Mopsy," she said, "but I’m afraid it is all for poor little Whitie  because he is so very sick."

When the pie was done Mother Grey Cat took it out of the oven and put it on the table to cool. Flopsy and Mopsy came back into the kitchen and said, "Mother Grey Cat, can’t we just have a little taste of that pie? It smells so good!"

"I’m sorry," said Mother Grey Cat, "but it is all for Whitie because he is so sick."

When the pie was ready Mother Grey Cat took it in to Whitie’s bedroom. He was still in bed. "How are you feeling, Little Whitie?" Mother Grey Cat asked.

"I don’t know," said Little Whitie.  "But my nose is cold and my paws are hot and I ache all over."

"Well, I have something that will make you feel all better," said Mother Grey Cat. "A Fresh Mouse Pie!"
But Whitie took one look at it and said, "I don’t want any," and he turned over in his bed.

Now Mother Grey Cat was a very wise mother. She didn’t make Little Whitie eat that pie. She just got a chair and put it next to Whitie’s bed and put the pie on it.  Then she went away.

Pretty soon Little Whitie began to smell that pie. Mmmmmmm, it smelled good! He thought, "I’ll just turn over and take a look at that pie." Mmmmmmmm, it looked good. So he said, "I’ll just take a little taste of that pie." Mmmmmmmm, it tasted good! So he took another, and another, and before he knew it that pie was all gone! Then Little Whitie felt so much better that he jumped out of bed and got dressed and went outside to play. And he wasn’t sick any more!