Jack was quite fed up of his father’s cruelty, so he ran away from home. Running blindly, he knocked down an old woman, and apologised. “Young fellow, you can apologise by working for me!” said the woman. Jack agreed, for he was tired and hungry. When he had served her for a year, she gave him an ass and told him, “Pull his ear, and he’ll bray!” Jack did as she said and to his surprise, silver and gold coins dropped from its mouth each time it brayed! Delighted with the ass, Jack rode home, but as night fell, he stopped at an inn where he ordered the best meal they could serve. The innkeeper asked for payment first. So, Jack went to the stable and shook the coins from his ass. The greedy innkeeper had watched all this and at night, when Jack slept, he replaced the ass with one of his own.
Cheated Again
Jack went home not realising that his ass had been changed. He wished to marry the daughter of a poor widow near his house. But his father had told him he could only marry if he had enough money. When he showed his father the ass, it would not shed silver and gold coins. The old man thrashed Jack and drove him out of the house. Jack ran till he fell, exhausted, against a door. It was the house of a carpenter who made furniture. The carpenter gave him food and work. And at the end of a year, the carpenter gave him a table. “Place a piece of cloth over it and say, ‘Table, be covered!’ and it will lay out a feast for you!” the carpenter told him. Jack went off carrying the table, but unfortunately, he stopped at the same inn. The innkeeper saw him feasting, so he replaced the table with an ordinary one.
Jack’s Revenge
This time Jack was confident his father would be happy, but the table failed to produce any feast and the old man chased Jack out with a saucepan! Jack ran out and didn’t stop till he came upon a man trying to make a tree fall to bridge a river. Jack helped him and the grateful man cut a thick branch and made a strong cudgel for Jack as a reward. “If you say ‘Up, stick! Thrash him!’ it will beat your enemy down!” said the man. Jack was delighted and set off for the inn. As soon as he saw the innkeeper, he said, “Up, stick! Thrash him!” The cudgel set to work, thrashing the innkeeper and it would not stop till Jack got back his ass and table! By the time he reached home, carrying all his treasures, his father had died. Jack stabled the ass and collected large sacks of silver and gold.
The Widow’s Daughter
As soon as people learnt that Jack was a very wealthy man, the girls started to wish they were married to him and tried to lure him. Jack still loved his old neighbour, but he decided to teach these silly girls a lesson. So, he said he would marry the richest girl. “Bring your money in your aprons!” he said. All the girls arrived next morning, carrying their money and jewels. The widow’s daughter wept for she had nothing, so Jack told her to stand separately. Then, he took his cudgel and said, “Up, stick! Thrash them!” And the cudgel began thrashing the girls. Jack gave some of their money to the widow’s daughter and said, “Now you are the richest, my dear! And it is only you I shall marry!” And that is how Jack married the poor widow’s daughter and they lived happily ever after!
