PUSS IN BOOTS.

H

ERE is a story of a wonderful cat! Come and listen to it. Every child who has not heard it before should hear it now, and those who have heard it may hear it again. For of all the clever cats that ever existed, the cat of which I am going to tell you now was certainly the head and chief; and I think none of you will like to annoy cat or kitten again, from the respect you will feel for the whole race when you have once heard this marvellous, tremendous, and astonishing tale of Puss IN BOOTS.

There was once an old miller who had three sons. In

NOTE. The story of "Puss in Boots" came to England from France. It is to be found in Perrault's "Contes des Fées," published in 1697, and to be found in that "Bibliothèque des Fées" which Dr. Johnson regarded with disdain when he found it in a lady's library in Paris. "I looked into the books in the lady's closet," says the Doctor," and showed them, in contempt, to Mr. Thrale-' Prince Titi,' Bibliothèque

course of time he died, and his sons divided the property he left behind him, as is usual in such cases. But you will think the old miller's goods were not quite equally shared when I tell you how it was managed. In fact, it will appear at first sight as if the miller had treated the youngest of his sons in a very shabby manner. This is how it was:

The eldest son had the mill. He was well off enough, for he soon set the sails going, and the corn ran merrily out of the hopper into the sacks. The farmers and neighbours gave him plenty of work to do; and with industry and honesty he could look to becoming a rich man. So he had nothing to complain of.

des Fées,' and other books." Like the rest of Perrault's tales, "Puss in Boots" is founded on an older story. Mr. Halliwell points out that the plot is to be found in Straparola's novels-the first of the eleventh night. "Der gestiefelte Kater" became as popular in Germany as those redoubtable heroes "Puss in Boots" in England, and "Le Chat Botté" in France.

The second son was not so lucky. He had only a useful steady servant, in the shape of the ass which the old miller had used for carrying the sacks; and he walked off rather crestfallen, leading his property by a halter. For, you see, though donkey-riding is a very capital amusement, a man ought not be obliged to depend on an ass for his living. The ass is very well as far as it goes, but the difficulty is to find out how to make him go far enough; and this is how it was in the case of the miller's second son. He had, however, some hopes of getting employment from his brother, who would require some beast of burden to carry corn-sacks to the mill and the sacks of flour back to the customers; so that there was some hope of the second son being able to carn his living; and his father had left him at any rate a useful legacy, though not a very brilliant one.

But the third son was in a sorry plight, and my readers will think with me, that the old miller had been unjust towards his youngest boy, when I inform them that this young man's whole property consisted in—a cat!—a fine cat, certainly, with a thick fur and a handsome tail, but, after all, only a cat! Therefore he sat down and thought what he should do to gain a living; and the more he thought, the less able did he seem to come to any decision.

At last he began to bemoan himself aloud. "My brothers," he said, "may join as partners, and get on very well, if they are industrious and obliging; but what am I to do? When my brothers set to work, one of them can help the other; for there is always corn to be ground, and a miller has a good living, especially if his mill is the only one in the village; and as there are always either sacks to carry, or odd jobs of work to be done, the ass will be fully employed. But I wonder what I am to do. So far as I see, when

I have killed my cat, and made a fur cap or a pair of mittens of his skin, I shall have disposed of all my property, and may go and die of hunger."

The cunning cat had been sitting behind his master's chair listening to every word he said; and when he paused for a short time in his complainings, he came forward, and in a clear treble voice said, "Dear master, don't be so out of spirits. If you will only give me a pair of boots and a canvas bag, you shall see you have no cause for complaint." The young man did not quite understand how this would better his condition for which he was grieving, and certainly not without good reason for so doing; nor did he see how a pair of boots and a canvas bag could be very valuable to a cat; for as there is a proverb that a cat in gloves catches no mice, the same may be supposed to apply to a cat in boots. However, he was so poor he could hardly be in a worse con

dition; but as the cat had always been a very clever Puss, and very dexterous in catching mice, he thought it best to humour him.

A bootmaker was sent for to measure Puss, and the directions he gave him in reference to the boots were very explicit : he was to be sure and give them a good high heel, the very best of leather, and superior workmanship. The bootmaker

obeyed his orders to the letter, and when the new boots came home, great was the triumph of the cat. He sat down on the corner of a box, and after surveying them for some time in silent admiration, he proceeded to draw them on in a highly scientific manner, as if he had been used to boots all his life. The canvas bag came home at the same time, and this met with Pussy's approval. Being now equipped for adventures, he sat down before the fire with a very grave face, every now and then passing his hands (I mean his paws) over his ears in a thoughtful and meditative way, muttering: "Pussy cat, wussy cat, with a white foot,

When is your wedding, and I'll come to't?
The beer's to brew, and the bread's to bake,
Pussy cat, wussy cat, be not too late."

And all this time Puss gazed into the fire very earnestly,