They ran down the tree and over the dry leaves. On and on they went until they came to a place in the wood which the squirrel had never seen. Soon they came to a large oak tree and up the father went, the little squirrel following. Near the top they found a large hole. The father said:

“Go into this hole and stay there until you can be a good little squirrel.”

The little squirrel crept in and heard his father run down the tree and over the leaves. He felt very lonely. He began looking around the hole and found a soft bed of leaves and a pile of nice nuts. He thought:

“It will be fun to have this place all to myself, and do just as I please.” So he tried to play, but it was no fun playing alone. Then he went back into the hole and began to think that his brothers and sisters were better off than he had thought them. It began to grow dark, and there was no one to cuddle up to and keep warm, and no mother to say “good-night,” to him. The night was very long, and the next morning it was raining. He felt very far from home. He sat thinking of all the jolly things his brothers and sisters were doing, and he wanted to go home.

Late that night an old owl looked in the hole.

“You are a nice fat little squirrel,” he said. “I believe I’ll eat you in the morning.” The little squirrel sat up and trembled with fear.

“Oh, Mr. Owl, please don’t eat me. I will be very good,” cried the little squirrel. The old owl blinked and blinked but made no promises. That night was a very unhappy one for the poor little squirrel. He dare not go out for fear of the owl and the owl could not get in the small hole where the squirrel was.

Next morning his father came along and the owl flew away. His father looked in the hole and said:

“Now, will you be good?” But there was no need for an answer, the poor little squirrel was only too glad to go back home, and he was never bad afterwards.

JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK

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

Part Two

Jack and his mother had plenty of money, but still he could not help thinking about the giant, and wondering what he was doing, and if there was any way to slay him. Every day he looked at the bean-stalk and longed to climb again. At last he stained his face a dark brown, put on some old clothes, and climbed the bean-stalk up to the sky as he had done before.

He went straight to the giant’s door and knocked as he had done the first time. The giant’s wife came and he asked for something to eat and a place to sleep.

“Go away!” she said. “Once I let a boy in here and he stole my husband’s hen!” But Jack looked so hungry that she let him in and fed him and hid him in the closet.

The giant came along soon and made so much noise the house shook. He sat down and sniffed the air. “I smell fresh meat,” he said, and Jack trembled for his life.

“Oh, the crows left some fresh meat in the house,” his wife said, and then she fed the giant until he was quite full and in a good humor. Then he pulled out his money bags and began to count his money. Jack’s eyes glistened when he saw so much gold and silver, but he kept very still in the closet. By and by the giant came to some gold eggs the hen had laid. He was so cross when he thought about the hen that he was terrible and scolded his wife so hard that she ran out of the house.

The giant got up and stamped about the room until he all but knocked holes in the floor. Finally he came to his magic harp in the corner. He took the harp and set it on the table.

“Now, play me a tune,” said he, and the harp began to play the most beautiful music. It played and it played, one tune after another, until the giant lay down on his couch and fell asleep.

Jack crept out of the closet and seized the harp and ran off with it as fast as he could. But the harp was an enchanted harp and it cried out:

“Master! Master! Come quick! Come quick!” Then the giant awoke and saw Jack running down the road with the harp.

Away went Jack, the giant right after him. The harp kept on calling, and Jack kept on running until he came to the bean-stalk. Down he began to climb, and down the giant came after him!

But Jack was very nimble, and reached the ground before the giant was half way.

“Run, mother! bring the axe!” he cried. His mother came running with the axe, and Jack began cutting down the bean-stalk, and crash! it fell to the ground bringing the giant with it. He fell and he fell until he hit the ground so hard he went on through and has never been seen or heard of since.