Life was bad for poor Jack. His own father, and he offended him. And so Jack decided to run away from home and go seek his fortune around the world.
He ran and ran, completely exhausted, when suddenly he ran into a little old woman who was collecting brushwood. Jack was so out of breath that he didn’t even ask the old woman for an apology. But the old lady was kind. She said that Jack, by all appearances, was a nice fellow, and if he worked for her, she would pay him well. Jack agreed because he was already pretty hungry.
The old woman brought Jack to her house - it stood in the forest - and Jack served her for twelve months and one day. When a year had passed, the old woman called Jack to her and said that she had prepared a good reward for him. Then she took the donkey out of the stall and told Jack to pull his ears. The donkey brayed: “E-a-a-a!” - and then silver sixpence, half-crowns and even gold guineas fell from his mouth!
The guy liked this board. He sat on the donkey and rode off. I got to the inn and ordered myself all the best. But the owner demanded the money in advance - otherwise he did not want to give it to him. Then Jack went to the stable, pulled the donkey by the ears and filled his pockets with money. Unfortunately, there was a gap in the stable door, and the owner spied on everything, and when night came, he replaced Jack’s precious donkey with his ordinary one. Jack didn't notice anything and went home in the morning.
Now I need to tell you that next door to Jack’s house there lived a poor widow who had one and only daughter. The girl was friends with Jack, and then they fell in love with each other. So Jack asked his father to let him marry her, but he replied:
“I won’t allow it until you have money to feed your wife!”
- I have money, father! - said Jack. He went to the donkey and began to pull his long
ears. He pulled and pulled and almost tore his ears off, but he didn’t get a guinea or even half a crown. The donkey just brayed: “E-aa-i-aa!” - but he didn’t spit out the money.
- What kind of joke is this? - the father got angry.
“Don’t be angry, father,” Jack replied, “it’s just the wrong donkey.” Yesterday I had another one, wow!
“I don’t know what yesterday was like, I just see that you yourself have remained the same donkey!”
Then the father grabbed a wooden pitchfork and pushed his son out of the house. Jack started running as fast as he could and ran and ran until he ran into a house. And it was a carpentry workshop.
- You seem to be a nice fellow! - the carpenter said to Jack. “Serve me for twelve months and one day, and I will pay you well.”
Jack agreed and worked for the carpenter for a year and one day.
“Well, here’s your salary,” said the owner and handed Jack a table. - Shout: “Table, set it!” - and any food and drink will immediately appear on it.
Jack hefted the table onto his back and walked away. He walked and walked until he reached the inn where he had spent the night before.
- Hey, master! - he shouted. - Lunch for me! Live and taste better!
“I’m very sorry, but we have nothing but ham and eggs!”
- This is ham and eggs for me?! - Jack exclaimed. “If that’s the case, I’ll manage without you.” Come on, table, set up!
And at the same moment, various sausages, turkey, fried lamb, potatoes, and greens appeared on the table. The owner of the inn just widened his eyes in surprise, but didn’t say a word. When night came, he brought his table from the attic, and kept Jack's table for himself. The tables looked almost identical, and the next morning Jack again did not notice anything. He heaved the useless table onto his back and carried it home.
- Well, father, now can I marry my sweetheart? - he asked his father.
“And don’t think about it if you can’t feed her!” - answered the father.
- Listen, father! - Jack exclaimed. - I have a magic table. I’ll shout to him: “Cover the table!” - and everything I want will appear on it instantly.
- So show it to me! - said the old man.
Jack placed a table in the middle of the room and ordered it to be covered, but nothing appeared on it. The father got angry, grabbed a brazier from the shelf and hit his son on the back with it so hard that he howled in pain and rushed out of the house.
Poor Jack ran headlong until he reached the river and fell into the water. But some man pulled him out and asked him to help him build a bridge across this river. How do you think he built the bridge? Yes, he was simply throwing a tree from bank to bank.
So Jack climbed to the top of the tree and hung on it with all his weight, and when the man dug up the roots, Jack fell along with the tree to the other side.
- Thank you! - said the man. - Now I will pay you for the service.
He broke off a branch from the tree and whittled it with a knife.
- Here, take this baton! - he said. - Just tell her: “Beat him, stick!” - and she will knock down anyone who annoys you.
Jack was very happy with such a club, and went straight to the inn, and as soon as the owner appeared, he shouted:
- Hit him, stick!
Before he had time to shout this, the club tore out of his hands and began to beat the owner on the back, and on the head, and on the arms, and on the sides, until he fell to the floor with a groan. But the club did not stop: Jack did not stop it until the owner returned the donkey and the table to him.
And so Jack rode home on a donkey, with a table on his shoulders and a club in his hand. And when he arrived, it turned out that his father had died.
Jack took the donkey into the stall and dragged it by the ears until the donkey feeder was filled with money.
Soon the news spread throughout the city that Jack had returned home and that he had no money. Then all the local girls began to hunt for him.
“Tell you what,” Jack announced to them, “I’m marrying the richest girl in the area.” Come to my house tomorrow and take your money in your aprons.
The next morning the whole street was full of girls, and each one could hardly support her apron with gold and silver money. Jack's former bride also came, but she had neither gold nor silver, only two copper pennies - that was all her wealth.
- Step aside, honey! - Jack told her sternly. “You have neither gold nor silver, you don’t belong here.”
The girl walked away. And then tears rolled from her eyes, fell into her apron and suddenly turned into diamonds.
“Well,” said Jack, “it turns out that you are richer than everyone else, so I’ll marry you!”
And the rest of the girls had to leave with nothing.
But as Jack himself later said, he would only marry his bride, even if she didn’t have one penny.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru