The Story of
Puss in Boots
|
|
Puss In Boots
The following is an annotated version of the fairy tale.
THERE was a miller who left no more estate to the three sons he
had than his mill, his ass, and his cat. The partition was soon
made. Neither scrivener nor attorney was sent for. They would
soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony. The eldest had the
mill, the second the ass, and the youngest nothing but the cat.
The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a
lot.
"My brothers," said he, "may get their living handsomely enough
by joining their stocks together; but for my part, when I have
eaten up my cat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die of
hunger."
The Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to
him with a grave and serious air:
"Do not thus afflict yourself, my good master. You have nothing
else to do but to give me a bag and get a pair of boots made for
me that I may scamper through the dirt and the brambles, and you
shall see that you have not so bad a portion in me as you
imagine."
The Cat's master did not build very much upon what he said. He
had often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats
and mice, as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself
in the meal, and make as if he were dead; so that he did not
altogether despair of his affording him some help in his
miserable condition. When the Cat had what he asked for he booted
himself very gallantly, and putting his bag about his neck, he
held the strings of it in his two forepaws and went into a warren
where was great abundance of rabbits. He put bran and sow-thistle
into his bag, and stretching out at length, as if he had been
dead, he waited for some young rabbits, not yet acquainted with
the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for what he
had put into it.
Scarce was he lain down but he had what he wanted. A rash and
foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss,
immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him
without pity. Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace
and asked to speak with his majesty. He was shown upstairs into
the King's apartment, and, making a low reverence, said to him:
"I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren, which my noble
lord the Marquis of Carabas" (for that was the title which puss
was pleased to give his master) "has commanded me to present to
your majesty from him."
"Tell thy master," said the king, "that I thank him and that he
does me a great deal of pleasure."
Another time he went and hid himself among some standing corn,
holding still his bag open, and when a brace of partridges ran
into it he drew the strings and so caught them both. He went and
made a present of these to the king, as he had done before of the
rabbit which he took in the warren. The king, in like manner,
received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some
money for drink.
The Cat continued for two or three months thus to carry his
Majesty, from time to time, game of his master's taking. One day
in particular, when he knew for certain that he was to take the
air along the river-side, with his daughter, the most beautiful
princess in the world, he said to his master:
"If you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have
nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river, in that
part I shall show you, and leave the rest to me."
The Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to, without
knowing why or wherefore. While he was washing the King passed
by, and the Cat began to cry out:
"Help! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned."
At this noise the King put his head out of the coach- window,
and, finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such
good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the
assistance of his Lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they
were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up
to the coach and told the King that, while his master was
washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his
clothes, though he had cried out: "Thieves! thieves!" several
times, as loud as he could.
This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. The King
immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and
fetch one of his best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas.
The King caressed him after a very extraordinary manner, and as
the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good mien
(for he was well made and very handsome in his person), the
King's daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis
of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and
somewhat tender glances but she fell in love with him to
distraction. The King would needs have him come into the coach
and take part of the airing. The Cat, quite overjoyed to see his
project begin to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with
some countrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he said to them:
"Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King
that the meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas,
you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot."
The King did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow
they were mowing belonged.
"To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," answered they altogether, for
the Cat's threats had made them terribly afraid.
"You see, sir," said the Marquis, "this is a meadow which never
fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year."
The Master Cat, who went still on before, met with some reapers,
and said to them:
"Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King
that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall
be chopped as small as herbs for the pot."
The King, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to whom
all that corn, which he then saw, did belong.
"To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," replied the reapers, and the
King was very well pleased with it, as well as the Marquis, whom
he congratulated thereupon. The Master Cat, who went always
before, said the same words to all he met, and the King was
astonished at the vast estates of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.
Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle, the master of
which was an ogre, the richest had ever been known; for all the
lands which the King had then gone over belonged to this castle.
The Cat, who had taken care to inform himself who this ogre was
and what he could do, asked to speak with him, saying he could
not pass so near his castle without having the honor of paying
his respects to him.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made
him sit down.
"I have been assured," said the Cat, "that you have the gift of
being able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures you
have a mind to; you can, for example, transform yourself into a
lion, or elephant, and the like."
"That is true," answered the ogre very briskly; "and to convince
you, you shall see me now become a lion."
Puss was so sadly terrified at the sight of a lion so near him
that he immediately got into the gutter, not without abundance of
trouble and danger, because of his boots, which were of no use at
all to him in walking upon the tiles. A little while after, when
Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form, he came
down, and owned he had been very much frightened.
"I have been, moreover, informed," said the Cat, "but I know not
how to believe it, that you have also the power to take on you
the shape of the smallest animals; for example, to change
yourself into a rat or a mouse; but I must own to you I take this
to be impossible."
"Impossible!" cried the ogre; "you shall see that presently."
And at the same time he changed himself into a mouse, and began
to run about the floor. Puss no sooner perceived this but he fell
upon him and ate him up.
Meanwhile the King, who saw, as he passed, this fine castle of
the ogre's, had a mind to go into it. Puss, who heard the noise
of his Majesty's coach running over the draw-bridge, ran out, and
said to the King:
"Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of
Carabas."
"What! my Lord Marquis," cried the King, "and does this castle
also belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court
and all the stately buildings which surround it; let us go into
it, if you please."
The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King,
who went first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they
found a magnificent collation, which the ogre had prepared for
his friends, who were that very day to visit him, but dared not
to enter, knowing the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly
charmed with the good qualities of my Lord Marquis of Carabas, as
was his daughter, who had fallen violently in love with him, and,
seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him, after having
drunk five or six glasses:
"It will be owing to yourself only, my Lord Marquis, if you are
not my son-in-law."
The Marquis, making several low bows, accepted the honor which
his Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same
day, married the Princess.
Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more but
only for his diversion.
Does your kitty just play with it's food?
If so, then perhaps you should consider providing your
Precious feline companion with a Dining Experience they
will enjoy eating
Your Kitty Deserves the Ultimate in Feline Cuisine
Check out Alfred's
Favorite Feline Cuisine Here
See Also:
Back to All Cat Care & Kitty Fun Stuff
Search Our Site for Really Cool Stuff about Cats and Pets:
|
