Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons

"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons" is a classic science fiction short story written by Cordwainer Smith, first published in Galaxy Magazine in 1961. A rather oblique look at Old North Australia, source of the stroon by which men live four hundred years or more—a fabulously wealthy, and therefore well-defended world. The plot is taken partly from "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, " and the action apparently occurs about a generation before that of Nor str ilia—wherein Viola Siderea is still trying to recover from Bozart’s escapade. Poor communications deter theft; good communications promote theft; perfect communications stop theft.