The tale of the infamous lazy jack opens with a little boy who lives with his mother. The boy in this story is called Jack. Both he and his mother lived in a cottage and they had next to nothing. The only means of livelihood for his mother was by spinning. However, this is only a few pennies.
While the mother was working hard for the both of them, the boy would lazy around. Jack wouldn’t do anything to help his mother instead he would spend his days doing nothing. All he could do was lay under the sun and sit near the fireplace during winter.
His mother tried all she could to get him to work, however he wouldn’t listen. The mother had to resort to threatening him. She warned him that if he didn’t go out to start making money, then she would kick him out of the house.
Luckily for her, the threat worked and so Jack went out to look for a job. He found a job at a farm. When he finished his work, the farmer would give him just one penny. However, Jack wasn’t used to holding money.
One day as he was returning home from work; he lost the penny in a stream. When his mother heard this, she referred to him as a “dumb boy.” The mother told him that he should have put the money in his pocket. The boy replied that next time, he would do just that.
The following day, Jack went in search of work and he found work with a cowkeeper. After completing his work, he was rewarded with a jar of milk. The boy took the milk and he put it in his pocket. Before Jack could reach home, the milk had spilled.
When he got home, his mother yelled at him that he ought to have put the milk on his head. The boy replied that next time he would do so. The farm owner promised the child cream cheese as payment once he finished his duties the next day on the farm where he worked.
After completing his work, the boy was paid with a cream cheese. The boy took the cream cheese and put it on his head when it was time to leave for home. When the boy reached home the cream cheese had gone sour.
Some of the cream cheese had also melted in his hair. The mother insulted him and called him a good-for-nothing boy. He should have carried it cautiously, she then told him. The boy replied that next time he would do so.
The next day arrived and Jack went in search of a job. This time, he found a job with a baker. After finishing his work, Jack and he would receive a tomcat as a reward.
Jack carefully carried the cat with his hands, however, the cat scratched his face and he had to let go of the cat. When he got home and told his mother, she was furious and she told him that he should have tied the cat and dragged it.
This cycle repeated itself and Jack found himself another job at the butcher who gave him a part of a lamb as a reward for his hard work. When it was time for the boy to go home with the meat, he tied it with a string. The boy listened to what his mother had told him and he dragged the meat with him.
By the time he reached home, the meat had spoiled. This made the mother so angry that she lost her patience because the following day was Sunday and she needed to prepare dinner. She then told her son that he ought to carry it on his shoulder.
The next day came and the boy went in search of a job. A cow keeper hired him this time. He would be given a donkey as a reward at the end of the day, according to their agreement. The boy had strength however his strength wasn’t enough to carry the donkey.
However, the boy managed to carry his prize home and he started to walk slowly with his prize. As he was walking home, he passed a wealthy man’s house. The man lived with his daughter who was pretty except that she was deaf and dumb.
The girl had never laughed her whole life and the doctor told her father that the only way she could recover was if somebody amused her. Several people have tried to make the girl laugh, however, they all failed at their attempts.
Because of this, her father said that he would marry her off to any man who made her laugh. Jack was carrying the donkey on his shoulder when he passed by, the girl couldn’t stop laughing because the sight was so hilarious.
This made the girl gain her hearing and speech. Her father was beyond happy and kept his promise. After that, Jack married the girl and became wealthy. They all lived together in a large house and they were happy.
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