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.