e woman's new house; but noon strikes, one
o'clock strikes, it is almost two, and in the kitchen the fire is seen
extinguished, and there were no provisions anywhere. "Are they playing a
joke on us?" said the relatives. "We shall have to depart with dry
teeth." At that moment, however, the clock struck two, and the lad,
after spreading the cloth on the table, commanded: "Tablecloth, prepare
a grand banquet." In short, those people had a fine dinner and many
presents in money, and the boy and his mother remained in triumph and
joy.[10]

* * * * *

The next story to which we shall direct our attention is "Puss in
Boots," which, in the form known to our children, is of French origin,
being one of the tales which Perrault made so popular by his versions.
Before Perrault, however, two literary versions of this story existed:
one in Straparola and one in the Pentamerone. There are, besides,
several popular versions of this story, which are somewhat peculiar. The
one that follows is from Sicily (Pitre, No. 88).

XXXIII. DON JOSEPH PEAR.

There were once three brothers who owned a pear-tree and lived on the
pears. One day one of the brothers went to pick these pears, and found
that they had been gathered. "Oh! my brothers! what shall we do, for our
pears have been picked?" So the eldest went and remained in the garden
to guard the pear-tree during the night. He fell asleep, however, and
the next morning the second brother came and said: "What have you done,
my brother? Have you been sleeping? Do you not see that the pears have
been picked? To-night I will stay." That night the second brother
remained. The next morning the youngest went there and saw more of the
pears picked, and said: "Were you the one that was going to keep a good
watch? Go, I will stay here to-night; we shall see whether they can
cheat me to my face." At night the youngest brother began to play and
dance under the pear-tree; while he was not playing, a fox, believing
that the youth had gone to sleep, came out and climbed the tree and
picked the rest of the pears. When it was coming down the tree, the
youth quickly aimed his gun at it and was about to shoot. The fox said:
"Don't shoot me, Don Joseph; for I will have you called Don Joseph Pear,
and will make you marry the king's daughter." Don Joseph answered: "And
where shall I see you again? What has the king to do with you? With one
kick that he would give you, you would