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''I'm Jack,'' said Jack, ''and I'm tired and
hungry. Can you please give me something to eat and a place to rest for a
while?''
The giant woman was a kind old lady and took
pity on the tiny boy. ''Don't make a sound,'' she whispered. ''My husband
doesn't like boys, and he will eat you if he finds you.'' Then she gave Jack a
crumb of warm bread and a thimble full of hot soup.
He was just finishing the last drop
when the woman said, ''Quick! Hide in the cupboard! My husband's coming!''
From inside the dark cupboard, Jack could
hear the approach of thundering footsteps. Then a deep voice bellowed, ''Fee,
fie, foe, fume, I smell the blood of an Englishman! Be he alive or be he dead,
I'll grind his bones to make my bread!''
Jack peeked out through a knothole in the
cupboard door, and saw a huge giant standing beside the table.
''Wife!'' shouted the giant. ''I can smell a
boy in the house!''
''Nonsense, dear,'' said the giant's wife
soothingly. ''All you can smell is this lovely roast l' ve made for your dinner.
Now sit down and eat.''
When the giant had gobbled up his
dinner, he shouted, ''Wife! Bring me my gold! l want to count it!''
Jack saw the giant's wife bring out several
enormous sacks of gold coins.
He recognized the sacks at once-they had
belonged to his father!
''This must be the giant who killed my father
and stole all our money!'' thought Jack. ''That's our gold!''
Jack watched as the giant counted the coins
and stacked them up in piles. After a while, the giant stared to yawn, and soon
he was fast asleep.
''It's time to make my move!'' Jack said to
himself. And, quick as a flash, he leaped out of the cupboard, grabbed a sack of
gold, slid down the table leg, and ran for the door.
But the giant's wife heard him.
''Stop, thief!'' she screamed at the top of her voice, which woke her husband.
He jumped up in a hurry and ran after Jack, shouting loudly, ''Come back!''
Jack ran until he came to the top of the
beanstalk. Then, with the giant still after him, he scrambled down as fast as he
could.
''Mother!'' he called, as he got closer to
the ground. ''Mother, get the axe!''
By the time Jack reached the bottom, his
mother was there with the axe. She quickly chopped down the beanstalk, and the
giant came crashing down with it. He never got up again!
Now that they had their gold again, Jack and
his mother were rich. They wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again!''
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