Two Nameless Kittens by Amy Ella Blanchard

Two little kittens, quite aristocratic, / Lived in a rummagy, cobwebbed attic. / They were no commonplace cats, if you please, / But sleek-coated, fine-furred, thorough Maltese. / Said one to the other, "It is a shame / That we two kittens have never a name. / We belong to no one, none belongs to us, / Though I've heard some call our mother ‘Ma'am Puss. " / "Hark! " said the other, "here mother comes now. / We'll both of us set up a dismal meow. / If she boxes our ears, or gives a cuff, / Or asks if we haven't had food enough, / We'll tell her our grief is deeper than that, / We think it a shame that so proud a cat / Should have two children with no names, at all. / And then we will mew and cat-er-waul, / Till she tells us how she came to be named.

We will let her know that we feel ashamed. " / With a waving tail, and a stately tread, / In came the mother cat, stopped short, and said, / "What has happened, children, since I went out? / What in the world is this fuss about? " / "O, mother, mother! we cannot be blamed; / Tell us, dear mother, why we are not named; / We are so ashamed, oh, what shall we do! / Meow, meow! O, dear mother! Meow, meow! Mew, mew! " / "Well," said their mother, "blood will tell, I'm sure; / Such ambitious kittens show Maltese, pure. / Let me think, my dears, of some right good plan; / Now, keep very still, for I must and can. " / Then, softly licking one little, grey kit, / By the nape of the neck she picked up it, / And marched off grandly, came back for the other, / And laid it down gently beside its brother. / On the bed of her mistress, Florence Flippet, / One on her muff, and one on her tippet, / Then sat down, placidly washing her face, / Well pleased that her kits were in a good place.