as his feet could carry him.

He did not stop running until he reached the beanstalk. All out of
breath, he climbed down the ladder with the hen in his arms.

Now, all this time, Jack's poor mother thought her son was surely lost.
When she saw him she said:

"Oh, Jack, why did you go off and leave me like that?"

"But, mother," said Jack--and proudly he held out the hen--"see what I
have brought you this time: a hen that lays golden eggs. Now we can
have everything we want. You need never be sad any more."

Jack and his mother were very happy together for many months. Whenever
they wanted anything, they just told the hen to lay a golden egg.

But after a while Jack remembered his promise to the Fairy to punish the
Giant. So he said to his mother:

"Mother dear, I think I will go back and get some more of our treasure
from the Giant."

The poor woman felt very bad when her son said this. "Oh, please do not
go, Jack," she begged. "This time the Giant will find you and kill you
for stealing his hen."

Jack decided he would not worry his mother, but he would find a way to
fool the Giant. He got some paint to color his skin brown and had a
queer suit of clothes made so that no one could discover who he was.
Without telling anyone, he got up early one morning and climbed up the
beanstalk.

It was dark and cold before he reached the Giant's house. There at the
front door was the Giant's wife; but she did not know Jack in his queer
clothes.

"Good evening, Lady," said Jack, very politely. "Will you let me in for
a night's rest? I am very tired and hungry."

But the woman shook her head. "I can't let anyone in. One night I let in
a poor boy like yourself, and he stole my husband's favorite treasure.
My husband is a cruel Giant, and since his hen was stolen he has been
worse than ever."

"Oh, _please_ let me come in just for to-night. If you don't I shall
have to lie here on the ground and die."

"Well, I can't let you do that. But mind, I shall have to hide you in
the lumber-closet, or my husband may find you and eat you up."

Of course, Jack was very glad to agree to do this. As soon as he was
safely hidden away he heard a tremendous noise, and knew that the Giant
had come home. The big fellow walked so heavily that he shook the whole
house.

"Fe, fi, fo, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman!" he shouted.

"Oh, no, my dear," she answered. "It is an old piece of meat that a crow
left on the ro