PART ONE

_A poor bargain can often be turned to good account, by one who knows how._

A long time ago there lived a poor woman who had an only son named Jack. The time came when they had no bread at all, and Jack’s mother said:

“Take the cow, my son, and sell her, so that we can have bread to eat.”

Jack went off with the cow. On the way he met a butcher who said:

“What are you going to do with your cow?” Jack replied:

“I am going to sell her to buy some bread.” The butcher had a handful of beans in his hat, and said:

“I will give you these beans for your cow.” Jack thought this was a good trade and took the beans for the cow, and ran home as fast as he could.

His mother burst into tears. She was so angry that she threw the beans out of the window, and made Jack go to bed without any supper.

The next morning when Jack woke up he was amazed to find that the beans had grown up into the clouds during the night, and were as thick and heavy as trees. Jack wished to climb up the bean-stalk at once, and so he began to climb and climb until he was tired out. Up, up he went past the clouds and right into the sky, until he reached the top.

It was a strange land he came to. Jack walked all day until he came to a great house in which lived a giant and his wife. He knocked at the door and asked the giant’s wife to give him something to eat and a place to sleep.

“What!” she said. “You do not know my husband. He is a giant and will eat you up if he sees you. But you can come in, for you are a fine looking fellow,” and she let Jack come in and gave him something to eat, and hid him in the oven.

Soon the giant came in roaring like thunder. He sat down and ate and drank, and scolded his wife until Jack trembled with fear. At last the giant said: “Bring me my hen.”

The wife brought a hen and placed her before the giant.

“Lay me an egg!” roared the giant, and the hen laid a golden egg.

“Lay me another!” and the hen laid another. Then the giant went to sleep. Afterward Jack crept out and stole the hen and ran until he came to the bean-stalk. He climbed down and down until he came to his home and showed the hen to his mother.

“Lay me an egg!” said Jack, and the hen laid a golden egg for Jack and his mother. The hen did what she was told every day, and they sold the eggs for a bag of money, and ever after had plenty to eat.

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK