ONCE upon a time, a miller died, leaving his mill to his eldest son, his donkey to his second son, and a cat to his youngest son.
The eldest son kept the mill, the second son took the donkey and set off in search of his fortune, but the third sat down upon a stone and sighed, “A cat! What am I going to do with that?”
But the cat heard his words and said, “Don’t worry, Master. What do you think? That I’m worth less than a half-ruined mill or a mangy donkey? Give me a cloak, a hat with a feather in it, a bag, and a pair of boots, and you will see what I can do.”
The young man, a bit surprised that his cat could speak, decided he had nothing to lose and gave the cat what he asked for. As he strode away, the cat said, “Do not look so glum, Master. I’ll return soon!”
Swift of foot as he was, the cat soon caught a fat wild rabbit to put into his bag. Then he knocked at the castle gate, went before the king, and, removing his hat with a sweeping bow, he said:
“Sire, the famous Marquis of Carabas sends you this fine plump rabbit as a gift.”
The king was very much amazed. But before he could speak, the cat had bowed and taken his leave.
The next day, the cat returned with some partridges tucked away in his bag. “Another gift from the brave Marquis of Carabas,” he announced. The queen remarked, “This Marquis of Carabas is indeed a very courteous gentleman.”
In the days that followed, the cat regularly visited the castle, carrying rabbits, hares, partridges, and skylarks, and presenting them all to the king in the name of the Marquis of Carabas. Soon, people at the palace began to discuss the Marquis.
“He must be a great hunter,” someone remarked. “He must be very loyal to the king,” said someone else. And yet another said, “But who is he? I’ve never heard of him.” At this, someone who wanted to show people how much he knew replied, “Oh, yes, I’ve heard his name before. In fact, I knew his father.”
The queen was very interested in this generous man who sent gifts to the king. “Is your master young and handsome?” she asked the cat.
“Oh, yes, and very rich, too,” answered the feline. “In fact, he would be very honored if you and the king were to visit him in his castle.” When the cat returned home and told his master that the king and queen were going to visit him, the miller’s son was horrified.
“Whatever shall we do?” he cried. “As soon as they see me they will know how poor I am!”
“Leave everything to me,” replied Puss in Boots. “I have a plan.” For several days, the crafty cat kept on taking gifts to the king and queen, and one day he discovered that they were taking the princess on a carriage ride that very afternoon.
The cat hurried home in great excitement. “Master, come along!” he cried. “It is time to carry out my plan. You must go for a swim in the river.”
“But I can’t swim,” replied the young man.
“That’s all right,” replied Puss in Boots. “Just trust me.” So they went to the river, and when the king’s carriage appeared the cat pushed his master into the water.
“Help!” cried the cat. “The Marquis of Carabas is drowning.” The king heard his cries and sent his escorts to the rescue. They arrived just in time to save the poor man, who really was drowning. The king, the queen, and the princess fussed around and ordered new clothes to be brought for the Marquis of Carabas.
“Wouldn’t you like to marry such a handsome man?” the queen asked the princess.
“Oh, yes,” replied the princess. However, the cat overheard one of the ministers remark that they must find out how rich the marquis was.
“He is very rich indeed,” said Puss in Boots. “He owns the castle and all this land. Come and see for yourself. I will meet you at the castle.”
And with these words, the cat rushed off in the direction of the castle, shouting at the peasants working in the fields, “If anyone asks you who your master is, answer the Marquis of Carabas. If you don’t, you will all be sorry.” And so, when the king’s carriage swept past, the peasants told the king that their master was the Marquis of Carabas.
In the meantime, Puss in Boots had arrived at the castle, the home of a huge, cruel ogre. Before knocking at the gate, the cat said to himself, “I must be very careful, or I’ll never get out of here alive.” When the door opened, Puss in Boots removed his feather hat and exclaimed, “My Lord Ogre, my respects!”
“What do you want, cat?” asked the ogre rudely.
“Sire, I’ve heard you possess great powers. That, for instance, you can change into a lion or an elephant.”
“That’s perfectly true,” said the ogre.
“Well,” said the cat, “I was talking to certain friends of mine who said that you would not be able to turn into a tiny little creature, like a mouse.”
“Oh, so that’s what they say, is it?” exclaimed the ogre.
The cat nodded and said, “Well, sire, that’s my opinion, too. It seems impossible to me that you can turn yourself into not only an elephant, but also a wee mouse.”
“Oh, yes? Well, just observe!” retorted the ogre, and turned into a mouse.
In a flash, the cat leapt upon the mouse and ate it whole. Then he dashed to the castle gate, just in time for the king’s carriage was drawing up. With a bow, Puss in Boots said, “Sire, welcome to the castle of the Marquis of Carabas!” The king and queen, the princess, and the miller’s son, who dressed in his princely clothes really did look like a marquis, got out of the carriage.
The king said, “My dear Marquis, you are a fine, handsome, young man, you have a great deal of land and a magnificent castle. Tell me, are you married?”
“No,” the young man answered, “but I would like to find a wife.” He looked at the princess as he spoke. She, in turn, smiled at him.
The miller’s son, now Marquis of Carabas, married the princess and lived happily with her in the castle. And from time to time, the cat would wink and whisper, “You see, Master, I am worth a lot more than any mangy donkey or half-ruined mill, am I not?”