The Donkey, the Table, and the Club
Life was hard for poor Jack. Even his own father mistreated him. So, Jack decided to run away from home and seek his fortune in the wide world.He ran and ran until he was completely exhausted, when suddenly he stumbled upon a little old woman gathering firewood. Jack was so out of breath that he didn’t even apologize to the old woman. But she was kind. She said that Jack seemed like a fine lad, and if he would work for her, she would pay him well. Jack agreed because he was quite hungry by then.
The old woman took Jack to her little house, which stood in the woods, and Jack served her for twelve months and one day. When the year was up, the old woman called Jack to her and said she had prepared a fine reward for him. Then she led a donkey out of the stable and told Jack to pull its ears. The donkey brayed, “Hee-haw!” and suddenly silver sixpences, half-crowns, and even golden guineas began pouring out of its mouth!
Jack was delighted with such payment. He mounted the donkey and rode off. He reached an inn and ordered the finest food. But the innkeeper demanded payment upfront—otherwise, he wouldn’t serve him. So, Jack went to the stable, pulled the donkey’s ears, and filled his pockets with money. Unfortunately, there was a crack in the stable door, and the innkeeper saw everything. When night fell, he swapped Jack’s precious donkey for his own ordinary one. Jack didn’t notice and rode home the next morning.
Now, you should know that Jack’s neighbor was a poor widow with only one daughter. The girl was friends with Jack, and eventually, they fell in love. Jack asked his father for permission to marry her, but his father replied:
“I won’t allow it until you have enough money to support a wife!”
“I have money, Father!” said Jack. He went to the donkey and started pulling its long ears. He pulled and pulled, nearly tearing its ears off, but not a single guinea or even a half-crown came out. The donkey just brayed, “Hee-haw!” but no money appeared.
“What kind of joke is this?” his father snapped.
“Don’t be angry, Father,” Jack replied. “This isn’t the same donkey. Yesterday I had a different one, I swear!”
“I don’t know about yesterday’s donkey, but I see you’re still the same fool!”
With that, his father grabbed a wooden pitchfork and chased Jack out of the house. Jack ran as fast as he could and kept running until he stumbled into a house. It turned out to be a carpenter’s workshop.
“You seem like a fine lad!” the carpenter said to Jack. “Work for me for twelve months and one day, and I’ll pay you well.”
Jack agreed and worked for the carpenter for a year and a day.
“Here’s your payment,” the carpenter said, handing Jack a table. “Say, ‘Table, set yourself!’ and it will immediately provide any food or drink you desire.”
Jack slung the table over his shoulder and set off. He walked and walked until he reached the same inn where he had stayed before.
“Hey, innkeeper!” he shouted. “Bring me dinner! Make it quick and tasty!”
“I’m terribly sorry, but all we have is ham and eggs!”
“Ham and eggs for me?!” Jack exclaimed. “If that’s the case, I’ll manage without you. Table, set yourself!”
And in an instant, the table was covered with sausages, turkey, roast lamb, potatoes, and greens. The innkeeper’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, but he didn’t say a word. When night fell, he sneaked in and replaced Jack’s magical table with his own ordinary one. The tables looked almost identical, and in the morning, Jack didn’t notice the switch. He slung the useless table over his shoulder and carried it home.
“Well, Father, can I marry my sweetheart now?” he asked.
“Not unless you can provide for her!” his father replied.
“Listen, Father!” Jack exclaimed. “I have a magical table. I just say, ‘Table, set yourself!’ and it will instantly provide anything I want.”
“Then show me!” the old man said.
Jack set the table in the middle of the room and commanded it to set itself, but nothing happened. His father got angry, grabbed a poker from the shelf, and struck Jack so hard on the back that he howled in pain and ran out of the house.
Poor Jack ran as fast as he could until he reached a river and fell into the water. But a man pulled him out and asked for help building a bridge across the river. And how do you think he built the bridge? Simply by felling a tree and laying it across the river.
Jack climbed to the top of the tree and hung his full weight on it. When the man dug out the roots, Jack and the tree fell onto the opposite bank.
“Thank you!” the man said. “Now I’ll pay you for your help.”
He broke off a branch from the tree and whittled it with his knife.
“Here, take this club!” he said. “Just say, ‘Beat him, club!’ and it will knock down anyone who troubles you.”
Jack was thrilled with the club and went straight to the inn. As soon as the innkeeper appeared, Jack shouted:
“Beat him, club!”
No sooner had he spoken than the club flew out of his hands and began thrashing the innkeeper on the back, head, arms, and sides until he collapsed with a groan. The club didn’t stop until Jack called it off, and the innkeeper returned the donkey and the table.
So, Jack rode home on the donkey, with the table on his back and the club in his hand. When he arrived, he found that his father had died.
Jack led the donkey to the stable and pulled its ears until the trough was filled with money.
Soon, word spread through the town that Jack had returned home and was rolling in money. All the local girls began chasing after him.
“Here’s the deal,” Jack announced. “I’ll marry the richest girl in the area. Come to my house tomorrow and bring your money in your aprons.”
The next morning, the street was packed with girls, each struggling to hold up her apron filled with gold and silver coins. Jack’s former sweetheart also came, but she had no gold or silver—only two copper pennies, her entire wealth.
“Step aside, my dear!” Jack said sternly. “You have no gold or silver, so you don’t belong here.”
The girl stepped aside. Tears streamed from her eyes, fell into her apron, and suddenly turned into diamonds.
“Well,” Jack said, “it seems you’re the richest after all, so I’ll marry you!”
The other girls had to leave empty-handed.
But as Jack later admitted, he would have married his sweetheart even if she hadn’t had a single penny.
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