it was the day before the day before christmas, and there came a big snowstorm, so that kenneth and rose were shut up in the house. now that was a very hard thing to bear, for as every one knows, the last two days before christmas are the longest, slowest days in the whole year. but if one has to stay in the house and just think, it seems as though the time would never go by.
if it had been a pleasant day they could have gone out of doors to skate, or to coast, or to play any number of jolly games which they now remembered sadly. perhaps they would have gone to their cousin charlie’s house, which was in the next block but one beyond theirs. perhaps their papa would have taken[2] them down town for a last look at the christmas shops, and the wonderful toys, some of which they hoped santa claus would remember to bring to the thornton house. there were ever so many nice things which they could have done to make the time pass away, if only it had been a pleasant day. but now there seemed nothing in the world to do.
kenneth and rose wandered dismally about the house. they peeped into the play-room, where the toys were lying about looking very lonely, as though they would say,—
“o kenneth! do come and play with us. please, rosie, don’t go away and leave us all alone!”
but kenneth and rose were tired of all the old toys, they had played with them so many, many times. they hoped that santa would bring them some new ones on christmas morning, if christmas morning would ever, ever come!
in the dining-room rose’s old doll, matilda, was lying face downward on the sofa, quite[3] heart-broken because she had been so long deserted. rose looked at her, then she turned her back sadly.
“matilda is growing very ugly,” she said. “no wonder she hides her face, with only one eye and a broken nose. i still love her very much, but i do so hope that santa will not forget how much i need a new dollie.”
they went down into the kitchen, with a vague hope that katie might find them something to do. but katie was too busy baking the christmas pies and cake to bother with children. she would not even give them a bit of dough to play with.
“whisht!” she cried, flapping a dishcloth at them fiercely, “rin out o’ me kitchen, you childer! i can’t have ye fussing about here this day, niver a bit. rin off an’ play somewheres else, like a good little lad and lassie, now.”
run off and play! where should they run, and what should they play? there was no one to help them. papa was down town in[4] spite of all the snow. kenneth wished that he too was a big man who could go out of doors in spite of all the snow. mamma was busy in the library with secrets of her own, and would not let them in. rose wished that she too was a big lady who could have secrets all by herself. then she would not mind however hard it might storm outside.
kenneth flattened his nose against one dining-room window, and rose flattened her nose against the other, and they stared out at the snow smoothly spreading itself over everything, just as katie was frosting the cake downstairs. big drifts were piling up beyond the curbstones, and in the doorways opposite. now and then a sleigh floundered past, the horses making their way with difficulty. supposing, oh, supposing that it should storm for two whole days, and the snow should grow so deep that even santa claus’s reindeer could not get through with the gifts for their christmas stockings!
suddenly kenneth jumped right up in the[5] air and cried, “look, rose!” and at the same moment rose pressed her nose even flatter on the window and said, “o kenneth, what is it?”
something tiny and black was moving along through the snow on the sidewalk. it gave little hops, each time sinking down almost out of sight, stopping to rest between jumps as though it were very tired. the children watched it breathlessly.
at last it came to the long flight of steps, which looked like a smooth toboggan-slide of snow. but the little black creature seemed to know what was underneath the cold white covering, for it hopped bravely up on the lowest step, then up and up, step by step, to the landing, where the snow was not so deep. and now the children could see it plainly.
“why, it’s a poor little kitty!” cried kenneth, almost pushing the glass out of the window with his small, cold nose, so eager was he to watch the little stranger.
“and she has come to our ownty-donty[6] steps!” echoed rose. “poor little kitty, how cold she must be!”
just at that moment the wet little black thing looked up at the window where rose stood, and just as if she had heard what rose said, the poor kitty answered very sadly, “mi-a-o-ow!”
all this time it had been snowing harder and harder, and already the tracks which the kitty had made in the snow were blotted out of sight. at the same moment kenneth and rose made a dash for the front door. “we mustn’t let the poor kitty stay there,” said kenneth, “she will be all drowned in the snow, and frozen, too.”
“yes, we must bring her in and make her nice and warm,” said rose.
so they opened the front door, and stood at the head of the steps calling, “kitty, kitty!” very gently, while the snow whirled in about their ankles.
“mi-a-ow!” answered the black cat, but this time she spoke more cheerfully. “thank[7] you!” she seemed to say. “may i really come in?”
“come in,” said kenneth.
“poor kitty, do come in!” cried rose, holding out her hand invitingly. and the black cat walked in.
she was very wet and draggly, but kenneth took her in his arms and carried her upstairs. rose ran before, and they knocked on the library door, where their mamma was hidden with her secrets.
“mamma, mamma! come here a minute!” they cried. “come and see what we have found. come quick, mamma!”
in a minute their mamma came hurrying, and opened the door just a tiny little crack, through which she peeped at them. but when she saw what kenneth had in his arms she came out quickly, shuttling the door carefully behind her (to keep the christmas secrets from running away, i suppose).
“what have you found, kenneth?” she cried, holding up her hands.
[8]“a kitty, a poor kitty, lost in the snow,” said kenneth.
“we had to take her in and make her warm and comfy at christmas time, didn’t we, mamma?” said rose.
“please, mamma, you will let us keep her, won’t you?” they both pleaded.
mrs. thornton hesitated. the cat was very wet and homely. she had meant to give the children a pretty little kitten some day. but just then the poor hungry animal looked up and gave a pitiful “mi-a-ow,” and mrs. thornton remembered how dreadful it was that any living creature should be miserable and cold and homeless at the happy christmas time.
“yes, you may keep her, children,” she said. “keep her and make her have a merry christmas.”
kenneth and rose took the little cat downstairs and gave her a good dinner. “but you shall have a better one on christmas day,” promised kenneth. rose found a tiny basket[9] and made a bed beside the fire in the dining-room. and there the black cat slept all the afternoon, she was so tired, and so glad to rest and to be warm. rose sat beside her, stroking her soft fur, and kenneth sat at the other side of the fireplace trying to think up a good name for the new kitty, so that the time went before they knew it, and they had forgotten to wish it were christmas day.
“what have you named the little cat?” asked their papa when the children showed him their new pet that evening.
“oh, kenneth has thought of the loveliest name!” cried rose, jumping up and clapping her hands. “we are going to call her christine,—because she is a little christmas cat. isn’t that a beautiful name, papa?”
and papa said that he thought it was a very beautiful name indeed.
