



Produced by Lynn Hill. Dedicated to Luana Rodriquez. HTML
version by Al Haines.











This book belongs to Lawrence and other children




THE DUTCH TWINS


By

Lucy Fitch Perkins



ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR




Geographical Series

  THE DUTCH TWINS PRIMER. Grade I.
  THE DUTCH TWINS. Grade III.
  THE ESKIMO TWINS. Grade II.
  THE JAPANESE TWINS. Grade IV.
  THE SWISS TWINS. Grade IV.
  THE IRISH TWINS. Grade V.
  THE ITALIAN TWINS. Grades V and VI.
  THE SCOTCH TWINS. Grades V and VI.
  THE MEXICAN TWINS. Grade VI.
  THE BELGIAN TWINS. Grade VI.
  THE FRENCH TWINS. Grade VII.

Historical Series

  THE CAVE TWINS. Grade IV.
  THE SPARTAN TWINS. Grades V-VI.
  THE PURITAN TWINS. Grades VI-VII.




CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION--KIT AND KAT

   I.  THE DAY THEY WENT FISHING
  II.  MARKET DAY WITH FATHER
 III.  MOTHER'S DAY
  IV.  ONE SUNDAY
   V.  THE DAY THEY DROVE THE MILK CART
  VI.  THE DAY THEY GOT THEIR SKATES

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS




THE DUTCH TWINS

KIT AND KAT


This is a picture of Kit and Kat. They are Twins, and they live in
Holland. Kit is the boy, and Kat is the girl.

Of course their real names are not Kit and Kat at all. Their real names
are Christopher and Katrina. But you can see for yourself that such
long names as that would never in the world fit such a short pair of
Twins. So the Twins' Mother, Vrouw Vedder, said,

"They cannot be called Christopher and Katrina until they are four and
a half feet high."

Now it takes a long time to grow four and a half feet of Boy and Girl.
You know, chickens and puppies and colts and kittens always grow up
much faster than twins. Kit and Kat ate a great many breakfasts and
dinners and suppers, and played a great many plays, and had a great
many happy days while they were growing up to their names. I will tell
you about some of them.




I.

THE DAY THEY WENT FISHING


One summer morning, very early, Vrouw Vedder opened the door of her
little Dutch kitchen and stepped out.

She looked across the road which ran by the house, across the canal on
the other side, across the level green fields that lay beyond, clear to
the blue rim of the world, where the sky touches the earth. The sky was
very blue; and the great, round, shining face of the sun was just
peering over the tops of the trees, as she looked out.

Vrouw Vedder listened. The roosters in the barnyard were crowing, the
ducks in the canal were quacking, and all the little birds in the
fields were singing for joy. Vrouw Vedder hummed a slow little tune of
her own, as she went back into her kitchen.

Kit and Kat were still asleep in their little cupboard bed. She gave
them each a kiss. The Twins opened their eyes and sat up.

"O Kit and Kat," said Vrouw Vedder, "the sun is up, the birds are all
awake and singing, and Grandfather is going fishing to-day. If you will
hurry, you may go with him! He is coming at six o'clock; so pop out of
bed and get dressed. I will put some lunch for you in the yellow
basket, and you may dig worms for bait in the garden. Only be sure not
to step on the young cabbages that Father planted."

Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute. Their mother helped them
put on their clothes and new wooden shoes. Then she gave them each a
bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast. They ate it sitting on the
kitchen doorstep.

This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms. You see they did just
as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages. They sat
on them, instead. But that was an accident.

Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in
it to make them feel at home.

When Grandfather came, he brought a large fishing-rod for himself and
two little ones for the Twins. There was a little hook on the end of
each line.

Vrouw Vedder kissed Kit and Kat good-bye.

"Mind Grandfather, and don't fall into the water," she said.

Grandfather and the Twins started off together down the long road
beside the canal.

The house where the Twins lived was right beside the canal. Their
father was a gardener, and his beautiful rows of cabbages and beets and
