Children's Stories That Never Grow Old: A Selection of the Best Children's Classics - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1908. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... jack and the beanstalk in A village, far away, there once lived a poor woman with her son Jack. While Jack at heart was a nice boy, he was heedless and naughty. One morning his mother said with tears in her eyes: "Jack, you are a very bad boy. You have brought us to ruin by your bad tricks. We have no money, and nothing is left but the old cow. We must now starve for want of food." This made Jack very sad, and started him to think how he could mend matters. At last he thought of the cow, and his mother agreeing, he started off to market to sell her. He had not driven the cow very far, when he met a butcher, who asked him how much he would take for her. "What will you give me?" said easytempered Jack. "You may have these beautiful colored beans for her," said the butcher. Jack thought the beans were very pretty, and said, "All right, the cow is yours." Jack hastened home with the beans to his mother. But when his mother saw what he had brought home in return for the cow, she kicked the old hat in which he held the beans, and away they rolled in all directions. In the morning Jack went out into the garden, and what was his surprise to see that some of the beans had taken root and that the stalk was so thick that it made a kind of ladder, which reached to the sky. He at once climbed up the beanstalk, and there at the top a strange country spread out before him. Jack was taken aback by all this, and sat down to think what best to do. He was very hungry and sad, for he knew his mother was hungry also, and it was all his fault, too. All at once, as he looked up, he saw a beautiful young woman standing near him. She had a small white wand in her hand, at the top of which was a tiny peacock, made of pure gold. "I am a fairy, and if you do as I tell you, I will help you,...