Mrs. Katz and Tush

Name: ______Date: ______Mrs. Katz and Tush By Patricia Polacco

1. Larnel didn’t know Mrs. Katz very well, but 1. ______

almost every other day his mother stopped in to

see her after work.

2. “Since her husband died, she’s so alone,” his 2. ______

mother had told him.

3. Mrs. Katz held tight to his mother’s hand the 3. ______

day they looked at an old photo album.

4. “That’s my husband, Myron,” said Mrs. Katz. 4. ______

5. “He came from Poland like me, a long time ago. 5. ______

6. We had such a life, such a life!” Then her voice 6. ______

broke.

7. “We had no children, and I’ll be all alone for 7. ______

Hannukah and Passover.”

8. Then she cried. 8. ______

9. The next day Larnel stopped in to see her 9. ______

himself.

10. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “A cat had 10. ______

some kittens in the basement of our building.

11. We found someone to take them all except this 11. ______

one. 12. She’s the runt. 12. ______

13. Nobody wants her because she is so ugly. 13. ______

14. She doesn’t even have a tail.” 14. ______

15. “Ugly, you say,” Mrs. Katz said. 15. ______

16. “My Myron was ugly, too, when he was little, but 16. ______

he grew up to be such a person!”

17. Mrs. Katz looked at the little kitten. 17. ______

18. “Scrawney little bubeleh…so small…no tail,” 18. ______

she said as she examined the kitten closely.

19. “I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. 19. ______

20. Then she saw the look on Larnel’s face. 20. ______

21. “Larnel I’ll take her!” she announced. 21. ______

22. “But only if you’ll come and help me with her. 22. ______

23. I’ve never had a cat before 23. ______

24. Larnel promised. 24. ______

25. “A good Yiddish name I’ll give her,” said 25. ______

Mrs. Katz.

26. “Let’s see, she has no tail—all you see is her 26. ______

27. That’s it! 27. ______

28. We’ll call her Tush.” 28. ______

29. Little Tush grew healthy and strong. 29. ______

30. Mrs. Katz cooked for her, brushed for her, 30. ______31. knitted toys for her, and even read to her. 31. ______

32. “Such a person,” she’d say as she watched Tush 32. ______

33. Mrs. Katz was in love. 33. ______

34. Larnel kept his promise. 34. ______

35. He visited Mrs. Katz and Tush every day after 35. ______

school.

36. There was always a fresh-bake kugel and a tall 36. ______

glass of milk waiting for him.

37. But as much as he grew to love Tush, he also 37. ______

loved to listen to Mrs. Katz talk about the old

country and the old country and the way times

used to be.

38. “I come from Warsaw. 38. ______

39. That’s in Poland, you know. 39. ______

40. I came here to work sewing dresses in the 40. ______

garment district for my cousin for my cousin

Moyshe.

41. I didn’t speak one word of English!” 41. ______

42. “Then how did you talk to people?” asked 42. ______

Larnel.

43. “I didn’t,” she answered. 43. ______

44. “A lot, I cried in those days… 44. ______45. until I met Myron. He asked me to marry him 45. ______

after he tasted my kugel!”

46. “I believe that?” Larnel said as he ate some. 46. ______

47. “Myron and I used to vacation in the Catskills 47. ______

—a borscht resort, you know, a place for Jews to

stay.”

48. “You mean Jews couldn’t stay anywhere they 48. ______

wanted to?” Larnel asked.

49. Mrs. Katz didn’t answer. Instead she went to 49. ______

a trunk and pulled out some old clothes.

50. “My grandma told me about places she 50. ______

couldn’t stay, either,” Larnel said softly.

51. “Larnel, your people and mine are alike, you 51. ______

52. Trouble, we’ve seen. 52. ______

53. Happiness, too. 53. ______

54. Great strength we’ve had. 54. ______

55. You and I are alike, so much alike! 55. ______

56. “Now where was I? 56. ______

57. Oh yes, the Catskills! 57. ______

58. We used to dress every Sunday and have a 58. ______

costume ball,” said Mrs. Katz.

59. The she put a record on the record player. 59. ______60. It was old and scratched. 60. ______

61. “You hear that, Larnel?” she said. 61. ______

62. “That is what we used to dance to. 62. ______

63. It’s a dance from my homeland. 63. ______

64. Here, I’ll show you.” 64. ______

65. They whirled around the room and laughed 65. ______

and giggled.

66. As the weeks passed, Larnel spent more and 66. ______

more time with Mrs. Katz.

67. “Since you are almost family to me, Larnel,” 67. ______

she said one day, “I want you should come with

me to say kaddish for my Myron.

68. I know you’re not Jewish, but Myron would have 68. ______

liked you.

69. You’re such a person, Larnel!” 69. ______

70. “Hurry—Tush will be worried for us,” she 70. ______

said as they walked.

71. When they got home, they called and called 71. ______

for Tush, but she didn’t come.

72. They looked everywhere for her. 72. ______

73. Suddenly Mrs. Katz gasped. 73. ______

74. The window to the fire escape was open. 74. ______75. “Oh no!” she cried. 75. ______

76. “I forgot to shut the window before I left! 76. ______

77. Poor bubeleh! 77. ______

78. She has never been outside!” 78. ______

79. “We’ll find her.” Larnel tried to reassure her. 79. ______

80. “She has been acting strange lately,” Mrs. 80. ______

Latz said through her tears.

81. “She has been trying to get out, but I was afraid 81. ______

that she would get hit by a car!”

82. “I’ll find here, Mrs. Katz,” Larnel said. “I 82. ______

won’t let you down!”

83. It was getting dark. 83. ______

84. First Mrs. Katz and Larnel looked around their 84. ______

building.

85. Then they went everywhere in the 85. ______

neighborhood.

86. They left notes on doors, telephone poles, and 86. ______

fences.

87. They asked everyone who lived nearby, but no 87. ______

one had seen little Tush.

88. That night it stormed. 88. ______

89. There was rain, awful, awful rain! 89. ______90. Mrs. Katz hardly slept as she thought about 90. ______

her little kattileh.

91. “She’s such a person…such a person!” she 91. ______

whispered.

92. Larnel worried most of the night, too. 92. ______

93. What will Mrs. Katz do! he thought. 93. ______

94. “Please, God, bring that little cat back to her,” 94. ______

he said softly into his pillow.

95. A loud knock on the front door awoke Mrs. 95. ______

96. It was Larnel’s father and two neighbors. 96. ______

97. “Is this yours?” they asked. 97. ______

98. “My bubeleh! Little kattileh!” Mrs. Katz 98. ______

exclaimed.

99. We found her in the back alley, soaking wet 99. ______

and hungry,” Mr. Moore said.

100. “Thank you, thank you!” Mrs. Katz said as 100. ______

she took Tush in her arms.

101. After a while, Tush no longer had the least 101. ______

desire to go outside again.

102.But she slept a lot, even when Larnel came over 102. ______to play with her.

103. “It was at my aunt Havelah’s Passover 103. ______104. seder that I met Myron. 104. ______

105. Did you know that?” 105. ______

106. Mrs. Katz asked as she looked at Larnel. 106. ______

107. “What good times they were, with lots and lots 107. ______

of family.

108. Now it’s just me,” she said softly. 108. ______

109. “Could I have Passover dinner with you?” 109. ______

asked Larnel.

110. “I thought you would never ask!” she 110. ______

exclaimed as she hugged him close.

111. “Such a seder I’ll prepare for you!” 111. ______

112. “Passover is a time for good food,” Mrs. 112. ______

Katz shouted as they edged their way through

the crowd in the deli.

113. “Like your people, my people were slaves, 113. ______

114. They lived in a country where they didn’t want 114. ______

to be.

115. They wanted freedom so much that they prayed 115. ______

to God to help them.

116. So he sent and angel—an angel that brought 116. ______

death and sadness to the houses of our captors.

117. But the angel did not visit the houses of 117. ______118. my people.” 118. ______

119. “How did the angel know where the Jews 119. ______

lived?” Larnel asked.

120. “They marked the doors. 120. ______

121. Then the angel passed over. 121. ______

122. Passed over, Larnel, that’s why we call this 122. ______

time of celebration Passover!”

123. “So, Larnel, we have a big feast to 123. ______

celebrate, but we also remember those who had

to suffer so we could be free,” Mrs. Katz said.

124. “Part of the dinner is sad and part of it is 124. ______

happy!”

125. As Larnel helped get out the linens and 125. ______

china, Mrs. Katz said, “You see this tablecloth,

this was our wedding chuppa, our canopy.

126. For all these years we have used it for holy 126. ______

days and celebrations.”

127. “How come you have so many different 127. ______

dishes?” Larnel asked.

128. “Because some Jews don’t eat dairy and 128. ______

meat off the same dishes,” she answered.

129. When they sat down to seder together, 129. ______130. Mrs. Katz lit two candles and waved her hands 130. ______

over them.

131. She read from her book, said prayers, then 131. ______

smiled and said, “Let the feast begin!”

132. They drank red wine and water. 132. ______

133. They ate bitter herbs, lamb, and chicken. 133. ______

134. They also had gefilte fish and spicy chopped 134. ______

apples with potato pancakes.

135. “This bread looks like a soda cracker!” 135. ______

Larnel exclaimed.

136. “We call it matzoh, dear. 136. ______

137. We eat it at Passover. 137. ______

138. It’s flat because there is no yeast in it, so it 138. ______

doesn’t rise.”

139. “Larnel, I have hidden one piece of the 139. ______

matzoh here in the apartment.

140. If you can find it, I have a surprise for you!” 140. ______

141. The surprise was a hand-knit sweater that 141. ______

she had made just for him!

142. The next day Mrs. Katz yelled out her back 142. ______

window to Larnel’s apartment.

143. “Come quick, already… 143. ______something wonderful!”

144. “Larnel and his mom and dad rushed to her 144. ______

145. “The angel of death passed over, but the 145. ______

angel of life didn’t!

146. Matzel tov, Tush! Four babies—at last I am a 146. ______

bubeee!”

147. As the years passed by, Mrs. Katz, Tush, 147. ______

and her descendants became part of Larnel’s

family.

148. There were graduations, weddings, new 148. ______

babies, and finally a kaddish.

149. Larnel stood in front of the headstone. 149. ______

150. He read from her book. 150. ______

151. He placed a small rock on top of her 151. ______

headstone.

152. Then he, his wife, and their children read 152. ______

the inscription together.

153. MRS. KATZ, OUR BUBEE…SUCH A 153. ______

PERSON.