A lad named Jack, and he was much too unhappy with his stepmother's ill-treatment, that he made up his mind to run away and seek his fortune in the wide world.
He ran, and he ran, till he could run no longer, and he put in all his strength in his last sprint and was running with his eyes tightly shut. Suddenly he ran into someone, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that it was a little, old woman, who was gathering sticks. He was very sorry and started to beg pardon of her. The woman was good-natured, and she said: "he seemed to be a good lad, and if was willing, she would take him to be her servant and would pay him well." Jack was delighted, for he was hungry and needed a place to stay, so he quickly agreed to the women's proposal. The old women brought him to her house in the wood, where he served her day and night for a year.
When the year had passed, she called Jack and presented him with a donkey out of her stable. Jack was a bit confused since the women had been good to him; he just kept his silence. The women smiled and said, this is a special donkey, he is called minty, he mints silver and gold coins if you make him bray by pulling his ears. Jack was amused and curious both at the same time, so he pulled Mintys ears to make him bray, bray he did Hee—aw! Hee—aw! Hee—aw! Hee—aw! and the donkey coughed out silver gold coins.
Jack was well pleased with the reward he had received, and away he rode till he reached an inn. There he ordered the best of everything, and when the innkeeper refused to serve him without being paid beforehand, Jack went off to the stable, pulled Minty's ears and obtained his pocket full of money. The innkeeper watched all this through a crack in the stable door. At night the innkeeper swapped his donkey with Minty, Jack's donkey. Jack next morning without even noticing that it wasn't Minty, his donkey that he was riding rode away to his village.
Near to his home in the village dwelt a poor widow with her only daughter. Jack and the girl were good friends and true love, but when Jack asked the Widow, the girl's hand in marriage. The Widow said, "Never till you have the money to keep her,". "I have that," said the Jack, and going to the innkeeper's donkey, he pulled its long ears; well, he pulled, and pulled, till one of them came off in his hands; though the donkey hee-hawed and he hee-hawed, but no coins came out of his mouth. The Widow picked up a hay-fork and beat Jack out of her house.
Jack again ran, and he ran and ran till he came bang against the door and burst it open and fell inside the carpenter's shop. "You're a likely lad," said the carpenter; "serve me for a year, and I will pay you well.'" So again, Jack agreed and served the carpenter well for a year. "Now," said the carpenter, "I will give you your reward", and he presented Jack with a table, telling him, all he had but to say, "Table, be covered," and at once it shall spread with lots choicest eats and drinks.
Once again, Jack hitched the table on his back, and away he went with it till he came to the same inn. "Well, innkeeper," said Jack, "Can I get some my dinner, and that to the best." "Very sorry, but there is nothing in the house but ham and eggs." said the innkeeper. "Ham and eggs for me!" exclaimed Jack. "I can do better than that." Come, my table and be covered!" At once, the table was covered with turkey and sausages, roast mutton, potatoes, and greens. The innkeeper opened his eyes, but he said nothing. That night he fetched down from his attic a table very similar like that of Jack and exchanged the two.
Jack, had not learnt from his previous experience and, next morning, hitched the worthless table on to his back and carried it to is a town and reaching the Widow's house said. "Now, may I marry your girl?" he asked the Widow, " will you give your daughters hand in marriage to me." The Widow said, "Not unless you can keep her," replied the Widow. "Look here!" exclaimed Jack. ", I have a table which does all my bidding."
"Let me see it," said the old Widow. Jack set the table in the middle of the room, and bade it to be covered; but all in vain, the table remained bare. In a rage, the Widow caught the warming-pan down from the wall and hit Jack on his back with it so hard, that Jack fled howling from the house, and ran and ran till he came to a river and tumbled in.
A man picked him out and asked Jack to assist him in making a bridge over the river, and Jack agreed and helped the man make the bridge.
"Thank you," said the man; "and now for what you have done, I will pay you;" so saying, he tore a branch from the tree, and smoothened it with his knife. "There," exclaimed the man; "take this stick, and when you say to it, 'Up stick and bang him,' it will knock anyone down who angers you."
Jack was thrilled to get this stick—so away he went with it to the same inn, and as soon as the innkeeper, appeared, "Up stick and bang him!" was his cry. At the word the stick flew from his hand and battered the old innkeeper on the back, rapped his head, bruised his arms tickled his ribs, till he fell groaning on the floor; still, the stick went on and on, and Jack wouldn't call it off till he got back this stolen donkey Minty and his magic table. The innkeeper pleaded and pleaded, and in the end agreed to give back the donkey Minty, and the Magic Table.
Jack then galloped to the widows home on his donkey. With the table on his shoulders, and the stick in his hand. When he arrived there, he found the Widow was very ill, and on her death bed, but the debt collectors were still harassing her. So Jack said to the sticks "Up stick and bang them!" immediately the debt collectors were soon growling in pain.
Jack Said to the debt collector "this was for troubling the old dying women", now tell me "how much does she owe all of you." Once the debt collector stated the total amount. Jack when to the stable and pulled Minty's ear and the donkey went Hee—aw! Hee—aw! Hee—aw! Hee—aw! and out rolled silver and gold coins from his mouth. Jack immediately gave the desired amount to debt collectors and sent them off saying "off with you people, never come back to this house again". Seeing this, the Widow was in much pleased and agreed to marry her daughter with Jack.
Knowing that the old Widow would die anytime, Jack quickly got the table and said "be covered" and soon the table was covered with food fit to be for kings. He said to the old dying Widow, "Thank you for giving me your daughter in marriage, I shall, always keep her happy," "will to be kind enough to bless us and join us in our wedding dinner." The Widow was very happy, she enjoyed the dinner, and then died peacefully in a few days.
Slowly Jack was rolling in wealth, and soon he had nearly bought the whole town he lived in with his wife and Stepmother who was very sorry the way she had treated Jack earlier.
