Once upon a time, there was a man who had three sons named Peter, Paul, and Boots.
The father was very poor. He didn't have a single penny to give to his sons.
One day he said to his sons, "I am poor. I have nothing to give you.
It is time for you to lead your own lives in the world."
As the brothers were preparing to start their new lives, a man came to their town.
He said to everyone, "Our great king has two terrible tasks.
First, you must chop down a giant oak tree that is blocking his window.
Next, you must dig him a well. If you complete these two tasks, he will give you half of his kingdom and half of his treasure.
If you fail these tasks, you will be sent to a faraway island."
The father was delighted. The tasks did not seem too hard.
The brothers were delighted because they had already chopped down many trees and dug a well for their father.
They set off for the palace with dreams of gold and jewels.
What the king's messenger had not said was that as soon as one chip of the oak's trunk flew off, two more grew back in its place.
The king's messenger also forgot to say that the king's palace was on top of a high hill, and that this hill was made of solid rock.
When the brothers entered the forest, they heard something chopping and hacking away among the trees.
"Do you hear that sound?" asked Boots.
"Yes," said Peter and Paul together.
"Is it unusual for a woodcutter to chop trees?" asked Paul.
"No, but this sounds strange," said Boots. "I want to see what it is."
"Oh, Boots! You're the one who is strange.
Our father was too poor to give you a real name, so he named you after an old pair of boots." His brothers laughed.
Boots didn't care what they said.
He walked towards the noise, and when he reached where it was coming from, he couldn't believe what he saw.
There hung an ax, hacking and chopping all by itself.
"Good day!" said Boots. "You look busy. Can I help you?"
"Yes, I am busy. And, yes, you can help.
I've stood here chopping and hacking for a long time waiting for you," said the ax.
"Well, I'm here, and you can come with us," said Boots.
He took the ax and tucked it under his belt.
From the forest the brothers walked into the mountains.
The mountains were very rocky, but soon they heard a noise that sounded like digging.
"I wonder," said Boots, "what could be digging and shoveling in all this rock?"
"There you go acting strange again. Poor Boots." Peter laughed.
"It's just a woodpecker," continued Paul.
"This sounds different," said Boots. "I think I'll go see what it is."
He climbed up the rocks. His brothers laughed and made fun of him.
But he didn't let their teasing upset him.
When he got to the top, he couldn't believe what he saw.
There was a shovel that stood digging all by itself.
"Good day!" said Boots. "You look busy. Can I help you?"
"Yes, I am busy," said the shovel, "and yes, you can help.
I've stood here digging and shoveling for a long time waiting for you."
"Well, I'm here, and you can come with us," said Boots.
He took the shovel and put it over his shoulder.
After climbing over the mountains, the brothers were thirsty, so they stopped at a brook.
"I wonder where all this water comes from," said Boots.
"We wonder if you're sick in the head." Peter and Paul laughed.
"Still I would like to see it for myself," said Boots.
"You're crazy, or you'll go crazy soon," said Paul.
"The brook's here; that's all that matters. Who cares where it comes from?"
"Still I'd like to see it just the same," said Boots. So he went away.
He followed the brook and soon he could no longer hear the laughter of his brothers.
The brook got smaller and smaller, and finally he couldn't believe what he saw.
There was a large walnut, and out of that walnut came a stream of water.
"Good day!" said Boots. "You look busy. Can I help?"
"Yes, I am," said the walnut. "And yes, you can, because I have let this water run for a long time waiting for you."
"Well, I'm here," said Boots. He plugged the hole with some moss, so the water wouldn't run out anymore.
Then he stuffed the walnut into his pocket.
His brothers hadn't waited for him.
They decided that they didn't want to share the kingdom and the treasure with their strange brother, Boots.
The oak was now twice as wide and twice as tall as it had been at first because two chips grew for every one chopped out.
When Boots reached the city, his two brothers had already tried and failed.
The king was very angry; he had seen many men try and fail.
He looked at Boots and said, "If you are going to perform as well as your brothers, then go directly to the ship.
I don't want to watch another person fail."
"Well, I can't succeed unless I try," said Boots.
The king wasn't happy, but he gave Boots permission, and Boots took out his ax.
"Chop away!" he said to the ax, and away it chopped.
It chopped out four chips for every two that grew back, so it wasn't long before the old oak came down.
When that was done, Boots took out his shovel.
"Dig away!" he said to the shovel. And the shovel began to dig and dig.
The rocks flew like leaves in the wind.
Soon he had dug the well, but still there was no water.
Boots took out the walnut, he placed it in one corner of the well, and then he pulled out the moss.
"Run away!" said Boots. And so the water ran out.
At first the well filled with water very slowly, but soon the well filled and made a stream.
The king had all the water he could ever want.
The king gave Boots half his kingdom and half his treasure as promised, but he was so pleased with Boots, he said,
"Is there anything else that I can give you?"
Boots thought for a second and said, "Well, it would be nice if you'd let all the people who failed come back from the island."
The king agreed and said, "Still that is a gift to those who failed.
Is there anything else I can give to you?"
Boots remembered that his brothers made fun of his name, and he said, "Yes, I would like to change my name. Can I be called Mr. Boots?"
The king smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Boots, you can."