The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-01-29
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR,
BOOTS AND THE TROLL KING.

Cinderella had four big brothers you
know. What, you didn't know it?
Then, of course, you've never heard Of
her littlest and cleverest brother,
Boots, and you probably haven't heard
of the Trolls and-but, dear me, you
have such lots to learn that I'll jump
right into the middle of story about
Boots and the King of the Trolls at
once If you don't mind.
Boots was a woodcutter. He wasn't
such a very fine woodcutter, to be
sure, for he was quite little fellow;
in fact, not nearly SO tall as Cinder-
ella herself. And his three older and
bigger brothers used to tease him all
day long because they could hew down
three trees while he was cutting only
one.
One day Boots and his three broth.
ers were cutting wood in a thick for
est close beside a great rocky cliff,
when door suddenly opened on the
face of the rock and out stepped the
huge, hairy, horrible King of the
Trolls. Now the Trolls are demons
of the night, and do not often come
out in the day. They are second
cousins to the devil himself, and they
live in the black caves and canyons
of the mountains. Sometimes whole
colonies of woodcutters would disap-
pear from the forests near the home
of Boots and his three brothers. Then
the people would speak of it in terri
fed whispers and tell one another that
the Trolls had made off with the van
ished woodcutters.
So that when the door in the cliff
opened and the King Of the Trolls
stepped out, the three brothers of
Boots ran shrieking and screaming for
the edge of the forest as fast as their
legs would carry them. But Boots
stood still. His heart thumped and
pounded like cooks wedge when she
beats the biscuit, but Boots thrust
his hands into his pockets and whis-
tied.
"Garooooooon!" rumbled the King of
the Trolls in thunderous voice,
stretching out his great hand as
though he would seize Mr.. Boots.
"Garoooooooh yourself" said Boots.
And he pulled a piece of cheese out of
his pocket and squeezed it until the
whey ran out Hold your tongue, you
wicked Troll, or I'll squeeze you as |
squeeze this stone" said he.
The Troll looked at the tiny boy who
seemed to be squeezing water from a
stone and he was filled with fear.
Spare me, spare me, little man,
begged the King of the Trolls, "and
I'll do as you say Then get to
work and help me cut wood, said
Boots.
So Boots and the giant King of the
Trolls fell to work, and the Troll was
so strong that he chopped as much
wood as Boots and his four brothers
could have chopped in week. When
the day was done, Boots heart was
singing with joy. Now, he thought,
my brothers will never dare taunt
me again for being SO small. I am
much cleyerer than they are and I
win think of way to get rid of this
King of the Trolls so that he shall
never harm woodcutters again"
Then Boots turned to the King of
the Trolls and said, might is almost
here. Troll come home with me. and
/ will give you some supper for your
days work. Tiny Boots and the giant
Troll strobe home through the forest
side by side. When they came to
Boots home, they found that the house
was too small for the Troll to enter.
Besides the three brothers had locked
the doors and windows and stood look
ing out at their little brother and the
Troll, trembling with fear. Near the
door stood two iron pots so big that
only the Troll would have been able To
lift them.
Dear me- said Boots, kicking the
great pots. "They surely don't expect |.