KATY AND “PLEASE”
凯蒂说“请”
1.Katy had of late got a bad tone to her voice.It was a tone of command，very unbecoming a little girl.Instead of saying，in a gentle tone，“Will you be kind enough to do this or that？”or，“Please do this；”or，“Will you？”she said，“Do this，”or，“Do that，”like a little tyrant.
2.Her mother，as you may well think，was very sorry，and talked with her little girl about this new fault.One day her shoe came off while she was playing.When it was near dinner-time she called to Bridget to put it on.
3.“Bridget，”she said，“I want my shoe on.Put it on quick，for my pa will come soon.”Bridget was doing something in the closet，and did not come out at once.“Bridget，”she called again “don‘t you hear me？Come and put on my shoe，”
4.Her mother was in the next room，and hearing her little daughter said，“Say ’please，‘Katy，and she shall put on your shoe.”
5.Katy pouted，but did not speak.She took hershoe，sat down on the floor，and tried to put it on herself.
6.This was all very well，had she not done it angrily，for children ought always to help themselves.Katy tugged and tugged at her shoe；but her little fat foot had grown fatter since the shoe was bought，and Katy could not get the shoe on.
7.Soon she heard her papa’s step in the entry，and began to cry.“Bridget will help you，Katy，”said her mother，looking into the chamber；“ask her，my child.”But Katy looked “No，I‘ll not，”though she did not say it in so many words.The dinner bell rang.
8.“You can stay here，Katy，until you can ask Bridget to put on your shoe；”and her mother went down stairs.Katy turned very red，and burst into a hard，angry fit of crying.Then she got up，ran into a little dressing-room，and shut the door.
9.O，naughty，foolish Katy！How much trouble she was making herself，and how grieved her parents were to see no dear little Katy in her own high chair at the table，and for such a reason too；that was the worst of it all.
10.By-and-by her papa came up stairs，and not finding her in her mother’s room，went to the little room.“Where is my Katy？”he asked，in a sorry tone.
11.The little girl jumped up from the corner，and going toward him，said，“O，papa，‘please’wouldn‘t come out of my throat；it stayed there；it’most choked me；but maybe it will come out now.”
12.She took her father‘s hand，and picking up the shoe，went to find Bridget；and when she found her she said，“Please，Bridget，put my shoe on a naughty little girl’s foot.”Bridget didit very willingly.
13.Then Katy ran down stairs，and throwing her arms around her mother‘s neck，said with a sorry-and-glad tear in her eye，“Mamma，’please‘would stay in my throat，and it ’most choked me；but，mamma，it is out now，and I think it will come out quick next time.Please kiss me，mamma.I am very sorry.”
14.Katy did not get “choked”so again.She found it easier to say “please”after this；and “please”made little Katy very many friends，and so it will you.
【中文阅读】
1.凯蒂最近说话总是怪里怪气的，总是用命令的口吻，根本不像个小女孩的语气。她说话不是用亲切的语调说话，例如：本应该说：“你做这个好吗？做那个好吗？”或者“请这样做”或者“好吗”，她却这样说：“做这个，”或者“做那个”，就像个小独裁者。
2.正如你们所想象的那样，她的妈妈感到非常伤心，于是就这个问题和她交谈了一番。后来有一天，她玩的时候鞋突然掉了，这时马上就要吃晚饭了，她喊布丽姬特来给她穿鞋。
3.“布丽姬特，”她喊道，“我要穿鞋，快点给我穿鞋来，因为爸爸马上就要回来了。”布丽姬特正在储藏室忙，没有立刻过来。“布丽姬特，”她再次喊，“你没听到我叫你吗？过来给我穿鞋。”
4.她的妈妈正在隔壁房间里，听到她的喊声，对她说：“要说‘请’，那样她就会过来给你穿鞋了。”
5.凯蒂生气了，嘴撅了起来，不过她什么都没说，拿起了鞋，坐到地板上，想自己把鞋穿上。
6.如果不是她很生气地这么做，那这样做是很好的，因为孩子应该学着自理。但是凯蒂一遍一遍地把脚往鞋里塞，由于她那小胖脚丫比刚刚买来鞋的时候又胖了，所以她怎么也穿不进去。
7.不久她听到爸爸的脚步声离门口越来越近，就开始哭了起来。“凯蒂，布丽姬特会帮你，”妈妈边说边看储藏室方向，“不过孩子，你要恳求她。”“不，我就不求她！”尽管凯蒂没说出来这几个字，但是她的眼神中已经表现出这个意思了。这时吃饭的时间到了。
8.“你可以待在这，凯蒂，直到你求布丽姬特给你穿上鞋。”说着妈妈下了楼。凯蒂的脸开始憋得红红的，不一会儿就大声哭了起来。她从地上爬起来，跑进一间小房间，关上了门。
9.哦，淘气、愚蠢的凯蒂！她自己闹出这么大麻烦，爸爸妈妈在饭桌上看不到他们可爱的小凯蒂坐在椅子上有多伤心！而且又是因为这样的原因！这是最糟糕的原因了。
10.过了一阵，爸爸走上楼来，他在妈妈的房间里没看到凯蒂，于是走进小房间。“我的小凯蒂哪去了？”他用伤心的语调问。
11.小女孩一下子从一个角落里跳了出来，扑向爸爸，说道：“哦，爸爸，‘请’这个字刚才就是不想从我嗓子里跳出来，堵在我的嗓子眼里不出来，不过现在好像可以出来了。”
12.她拉上爸爸的手，提起了自己的那双鞋，一起去找布丽姬特。找到布丽姬特后，她说：“布丽姬特，请把鞋给这个淘气的小女孩穿上。”布丽姬特非常乐意地给她穿上了鞋。
13.穿好鞋后凯蒂跑到了楼下，一下子双臂抱住了妈妈的脖子，眼里充满了歉疚与高兴同在的泪水说：“妈妈，‘请’这个字刚才就堵在我嗓子眼，把我噎够呛；但是妈妈，现在这个字出来了，我想下次会很容易就出来。请你吻我吧，妈妈，我很抱歉。”
