The Story
In the forests of Quebec, long ago, there lived a widow with three sons. The two older brothers were tall and strong. The youngest — called Ti-Jean, which means Little John — was small and thin, but his mind was quick as a fox.
One bitter winter, the family ran out of food and firewood. The eldest brother set off to find work, but he never came back. The second brother went looking for him, and he too disappeared. Finally, Ti-Jean pulled on his worn-out boots and set off into the snowy forest.
He had not gone far when he met a tall man in a long black coat, with eyes that glowed like hot coals. It was the Devil himself, though Ti-Jean did not let on that he recognized him.
"I need a hired hand," the Devil said. "Work for me for one season, and I will give you riches enough for your whole family. But if you complain even once before the season is done, I keep your soul."
Ti-Jean agreed, and the work began. The Devil set him impossible tasks — clearing forests that stretched to the horizon, plowing fields of solid rock, hauling wagons full of iron chains. But every time the Devil sneered and waited for Ti-Jean to cry out that the work was too hard, Ti-Jean only whistled and said, "Is that all? I was just getting started."
When the Devil tried to tire him out with no food, Ti-Jean found berries in the forest. When the Devil flooded his field, Ti-Jean built a raft and kept on working, singing as he went.
At last, frustrated and beaten, the Devil had to admit that the season was over and Ti-Jean had not complained once. He returned Ti-Jean's brothers — who had been trapped in the barn all along — and paid the boy his wages in gold.
Ti-Jean walked home through the snow, whistling. He had beaten the most powerful being in the dark world, not with muscles, but with a cheerful, stubborn, clever heart. His mother dried her eyes, his brothers shook their heads in wonder, and the whole family ate well that winter — and for many winters after.