“Puss In Boots” – A Classic Children's Story

Hi,

This is Stefania,

And this is the story of Puss in Boots.

Puss in Boots.

A miller died,

Leaving three sons to divide his fortune among them.

The eldest took the mill and the land around it.

The second took the flocks and herds.

And then there was nothing left for the third son Jack,

But three bits of silver money and a little cat that lived in the mill.

This is all very well,

Said Jack,

And the cat is a fine little cat and can feed on the mice it catches.

But I do not see how I am to live on three pieces of money.

Oh,

Ansed his brothers,

You will have to start out in the world and do the best you can for yourself.

Jack took the little cat and started out.

Do not be uneasy,

Master,

Said the little cat.

You have three silver pieces.

Take them and buy me a little pair of boots and a bag,

And I will make your fortune for you.

Jack did not like to spend his money on a pair of boots for a cat,

But he knew he was a wise little animal,

So he did as he said.

He went to a tailor,

And for the three pieces of silver,

The tailor made him the prettiest pair of little boots that were ever seen.

And when Puss drew them on,

They fit exactly.

The tailor also gave Jack an old bag that lay in the corner,

And for which he had no use.

Puss led Jack off into the country,

And then he bade him sit down by the roadside and wait for his return.

The little cat ran off into a wood nearby where there were a great many rabbit holes,

And there he managed to catch two fine fat rabbits.

He put the rabbits in the bag and trotted away in his neat little boots until he came to the king's palace.

There he asked to see the king,

And a cat in boots was such a strange sight that he was at once brought before his majesty.

The courtiers nudged each other and laughed when the cat came into court,

But Puss marched up to the king and bowed low before him.

Your majesty,

My master,

The Marquis of Caraba has sent you a present of these two fine fat rabbits for your supper,

Said he,

And he took out the rabbits and presented them to the king.

The king was very much pleased.

He ordered a piece of money to be given to Puss,

And bade the little animal thank his master for the fine present he had sent.

Puss ran back to where Jack was waiting and gave him the piece of money.

There,

He said,

That is enough to pay for a bed and a supper at the inn.

The next day Puss set off for the forest again,

And this time it was a pair of fine fat partridges that he caught and carried to the king.

They are sent by my master,

The Marquis of Caraba,

Said Puss.

Then the king sent his thanks to the Marquis and gave Puss a piece of money,

Which the little cat carried back to his master,

And it was enough to buy Jack food and lodging.

So it went on day after day.

Every day Puss caught some fine game in the forest and took it to the king with the compliments of the Marquis of Caraba.

And every day the king thanked the cat and gave him a piece of money.

The king began to wonder who the Marquis of Caraba was and where he lived.

He began to think that the Marquis was a very generous fellow.

One day the king went out for a pleasant ride with his daughter,

And many of his court rode with him.

Puss came in haste to his master.

Come quick,

He cried.

We have done well enough so far,

But the time has now come when I will make your fortune.

The cat then led Jack to a river where he knew the king would pass before long.

He asked Jack to take off his clothes and hide them under a rock and then stand in the river up to his neck.

Jack did this,

Though the water was so cold it made him shudder,

And he didn't know how Puss was to make his fortune in this way.

Puss waited until he saw his master well in the river.

Then he ran to the road along which the king was coming.

Help,

Help,

He cried.

Oh,

Help,

My master,

The noble Marquis of Caraba.

He will surely drown.

What,

What is the matter?

Asked the king,

Stopping his coach,

And the princess and all the courtiers listened.

Oh,

Your majesty,

Cried the cat,

My noble master.

He was attacked by robbers,

And they threw him in the river,

And unless he receives help,

You drown.

The king was very much concerned.

He had once sent the courtiers to draw Jack out from the river and dress him in robes of velvet and satin and gold lace.

Jack had never before been so magnificently dressed,

And he looked a fine fellow indeed when he was brought to the king.

His majesty was so pleased with Jack's looks that he made him get into the coach and sit beside him,

And the prince was even better pleased with him than her father.

Meanwhile,

The little cat had hurried on far ahead of the coaches.

Presently,

Puss came to a field where the harvesters were harvesting the grain.

Puss marched up to them bristling out his whiskers until he looked twice as big.

The harvesters were a bit frightened.

Listen,

Men,

Cried Puss,

The king will soon come this way with my master,

The Marquis of Caraba,

Riding beside him.

If he should ask you to whom this grain belongs,

Answer that it belongs to the noble Marquis of Caraba.

I will give you some coins.

They promised to do exactly as the cat had baked them.

Then Puss ran on until he met a drover driving a great herd of cattle.

Him too.

He promised if the king asked him to whom the herd belonged,

He would say to the noble Marquis of Caraba.

And he received his coin.

A little further on,

The cat met a shepherd with his sheep.

And for a coin,

He also promised to say his flocks belonged to the Marquis of Caraba.

So it went on.

It seemed as though everything was to be claimed by the Marquis of Caraba.

Now,

All these things really belonged to an ogre who was very rich and fierce and strong.

And after a while,

Puss came to the castle where the ogre lived.

The little cat was not afraid of ogres,

However.

He made his way into the castle and ran along into one room after another until he came to where the ogre was sitting.

When the ogre saw the little cat in his fine,

Shiny creaking boots,

He was so amused that he laughed aloud.

He had never seen such a sight before.

And,

Where do you come from,

My fine little cat?

He asked.

Oh,

From over the hills and far away.

And what do you want here?

I only wanted to see you because everyone says you are the strongest and most wonderful ogre in the world.

When the ogre heard that,

He was much pleased,

For he was very vain.

Well,

And now you have seen me.

What do you think of me?

He asked.

Oh,

Puss thought he was a very wonderful ogre indeed.

And was it true that he had magic powers too?

Yes,

The ogre had magic powers.

Can you change yourself into animals if you choose?

A lion or an elephant,

For instance,

Asked Puss.

Oh,

Yes,

That was easy enough.

I should like to see you do that,

Said the cat.

Well,

The ogre was willing to oblige him.

At once he turned himself into a lion,

For he really had that power.

And he was a very terrible looking lion indeed.

He roared and lashed his tail and his mane bristled.

Puss was scared,

So scared that he ran through the window and scrambled up the roof,

Though he almost slipped and fell on account of the boots.

There he sat spitting and trembling.

Then the ogre turned himself back into his own shape and he laughed and laughed.

Come back,

Puss,

He called.

I will not hurt you,

But now you see that everything they told you was true.

Puss came scrambling back into the room and he looked very meek and timid and scared.

Yes,

I see,

It was all true,

He said.

But Mr.

Ogre,

Could you turn yourself into a small animal as well?

That must be a great deal harder.

Could you turn yourself into a mouse?

Yes,

The ogre could do that too.

And at once he turned himself into a mouse and ran,

Scampering gaily about the room.

But he did not scamper long,

Pssh,

Where the bound Puss caught him.

Meanwhile,

The King and the Princess and Jack were rolling along together in the fine coach and talking pleasantly together.

The King was so pleased with Jack's talk that he told the coachmen to drive slowly so that they could have more time together.

Presently,

They came to a field of grain where the harvesters were at work.

That is a fine field of grain,

Said the King,

And he leaned from the coach and called to the harvesters to know to whom the grain belonged.

To the noble Marquis of Carabaugh,

Answered the harvesters.

The King turned to Jack.

My dear Marquis,

Why did you not tell me it belonged to you?

I had forgotten,

Answered Jack.

Soon after,

They came to the drover.

The King admired the herd of cattle and asked the drover to whom they belonged.

To the noble Marquis of Carabaugh,

Answered the drover.

The King turned to Jack and complimented him on his herds.

He began to think the Marquis must be very rich.

Then they came to the shepherd,

And it was the same thing.

His flocks belonged to the Marquis of Carabaugh.

In the forest,

The woodsmen said the wood belonged to the Marquis of Carabaugh.

It seemed as though the Marquis were richer than the King himself.

At last,

They came to the ogre's grand castle,

And the King asked Jack to whom it belonged.

Before Jack could answer,

The doors were thrown open and the little cat came out into the road.

Welcome,

Welcome,

Your Majesty,

He cried.

Welcome to the castle of the Marquis of Carabaugh.

So,

This is where you live,

Said the King.

Yes,

This is where I live,

Answered Jack.

The cat invited them to a light and led the way into a long dining hall.

There the servants had prepared a magnificent feast.

For now they,

As well as the castle and everything in it,

Belonged to Jack.

The King and the Princess took their places at the table,

And Jack sat between them.

They ate and drank and feasted to their heart's content,

And the King had never tasted more delicious food,

And it was all served on golden plates,

Far finer than those he ate from in his own castle.

At the end of the feast,

The King turned to Jack and said,

My dear Marquis,

You must be a very rich man.

I am so rich,

Answered Jack,

That I really do not know how much I have.

It seems to me,

Said the King,

That you ought to marry a Princess,

For no everyday girl would do for you.

Yes,

Jack would like to marry a Princess,

But it would have to be the right Princess.

Then how would my daughter do?

Asked the King.

At that,

Jack was ready to jump out of his skin with joy,

For the Princess was so sweet and pretty that he loved her already.

Yes,

She would do better than anyone else in the world.

And the Princess did not say no.

So Jack went back with the King and the Princess to his own palace,

And then the Princess and Jack were married and lived happily ever after.

The little cat lived in the palace with them,

And always the softest cushion and the warmest corner by the fire were left for him.

As for Jack's brothers,

When they heard of the good fortune that had come to Jack,

And how he had won a Princess for a wife,

They wished they had kept Puss and given him the mill and the flocks and the herds.

Jack was happy for the rest of his days.

And Puss was content for the rest of his days.

Bye for now.

We'll be back again with another story.