When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew: Tales of Ti-Jean
Ti-Jean and the Princess of Tomboso Cric crac Parli parlons parlo If you won’t listen Out you go L ÉTAIT UNE FOIS Which is to say There was once There was once a farmer That farmer had come to the New World from France in a ship with great white sails He was just like everyone else who had chosen to journey here He was searching for a better life He lived on a narrow strip of land running down to a river All of the farms in that part of the country were narrow strips All of them ran down to rivers so everyone could have a proper share of water and an easier way of getting about The work of the farm was hard It did not exactly bring the farmer the riches he had hoped for but he was content enough He had three sons and whenever they were worried about what the future might bring he always said
Go into the barn he told them Far at the back deep under the hay you’ll find a chest That chest contains three objects one for each of you I’ll give you the key now but if you care about me you’ll wait until I am dead to use it The sons did wait They nursed their father and tended to him They made sure he had a fine funeral with all of the neighbors to pray for his soul At last however the funeral was over I believe we can look in the chest now the oldest son announced When I came from the Old Country I brought gifts that I have saved for you When I die you will have them When you have the gifts you’ll have nothing to worry about Time passed and the farmer grew old He grew sick and took to his bed He called his sons to him They went into the barn all three of them together They dug into the hay at the back Sure enough the chest was there as their father had told them it would be The oldest brother put the key in the lock and turned it The second lifted the lid The third just watched and waited His name was Ti-Jean He wasn’t as quick off the mark as the other two They didn’t think much of his chances in the world Inside the chest were three objects just as their father had said One was a purse one was a bugle one was a belt The
objects were not quite the gifts the brothers had been expecting but when the oldest brother saw his name on the purse he picked it up On the side of the purse was writing Every time I open wide a hundred gold coins are inside The oldest brother opened the purse He could hardly believe his eyes There were the gold coins all ready to be counted He opened the purse again There were more coins The brothers knew the money was going to be useful It was going to be very useful indeed The second brother saw his name on the bugle That had narrow end the mouthpiece Outside the barn there was the sound of marching feet and officers shouting orders The second brother went to the door to look I’ve never seen so many soldiers in my life he cried His brothers were quite relieved when he blew on the wide end of the bugle and the soldiers disappeared Now of course the brothers wanted to know about the belt writing on it too is clear Blow one end the troops appear Blow the other the field The second brother blew on the bugle He blew on the
Ti-Jean saw his name on it He picked it up He looked at It says Put me on and tell me where In a minute you’ll the back be there he read Where are you going to go his brothers asked I want to see the Princess of Tomboso Ti-Jean replied She’s just in a story his brothers insisted She isn’t said Ti-Jean I want to go to the Princess of Tomboso With that he was in the Princess of Tomboso’s room She was sitting on her throne eating an apple She was very pretty and very surprised to see him Who are you Why have you come here she asked My name is Ti-Jean I’ve come for a visit The princess looked at him more carefully She noticed he
