Speaker 1: Lazy Jack written by Flora Annie Steele. Once upon a
Speaker 1: time there was a boy named Jack. He lived with
Speaker 1: his mother on an open land. They were very poor,
Speaker 1: and the old woman got her living by spinning. But
Speaker 1: Jack was so lazy that he would do nothing but
Speaker 1: enjoy the warmth of sun in the hot weather and
Speaker 1: sit by the corner of the hearth in the winter time.
Speaker 1: So they called him lazy Jack. His mother could not
Speaker 1: get him to do anything for her, and at last
Speaker 1: told him one Monday that if he did not begin
Speaker 1: to work for his food, she would turn him out
Speaker 1: to get his living as he could. This roused Jack,
Speaker 1: and he went out and hired himself for the next
Speaker 1: day to a neighboring farmer for a penny. But as
Speaker 1: he was coming home, he lost the penny in passing
Speaker 1: over a brook. Stupid, said his mother, you should have
Speaker 1: put it in your pocket. I will do so another time,
Speaker 1: replied Jack. Well, the next day, Jack went out again
Speaker 1: and hired himself to a cowkeeper, who gave him a
Speaker 1: jar of milk for his day's work. Jack took the
Speaker 1: jar and put it into the large pocket off his jacket,
Speaker 1: spilling it all long before he got home. You stupid,
Speaker 1: said his mother. You should have carried it on your head.
Speaker 1: I'll do so another time, said Jack. So. The following day,
Speaker 1: Jack hired himself again to a farmer who agreed to
Speaker 1: give him a cream cheese for his services. In the evening,
Speaker 1: Jack took the cheese and went home with it on
Speaker 1: his head. By the time he got home, the cheese
Speaker 1: was all spoiled, part of being lost, and part matted
Speaker 1: with his hair. You stupid, said his mother. You should
Speaker 1: have carried it very carefully in your hands. I'll do
Speaker 1: so another time, replied Jack. Now. The next day, lazy
Speaker 1: Jack again went out and hired himself to a baker
Speaker 1: who would give him nothing for his work but a
Speaker 1: large tom cat. Jack took the cat and began carrying
Speaker 1: it very carefully in his hands, but in a short
Speaker 1: time pussy scratched him so much that he was compelled
Speaker 1: to let it go. When he got home, his mother
Speaker 1: said to him, you silly fellow, you should have tied
Speaker 1: it with a string and dragged it along after you.
Speaker 1: I will do so another time, said Jack. So. On
Speaker 1: the following day, Jack hired himself to a butcher, who
Speaker 1: rewarded him by the handsome present of a shoulder of
Speaker 1: a mutton. Jack took the mutton, tied it with a string,
Speaker 1: and trailed it along after him in the dirt, so
Speaker 1: that by the time he had got home the meat
Speaker 1: was completely spoiled. His mother was this time quite out
Speaker 1: of patience with him, for the next day was Sunday,
Speaker 1: and she was obliged to do with cabbage for her dinner.
Speaker 1: You stupid, said she to her son. You should have
Speaker 1: carried it on your shoulder. I'll do so another time,
Speaker 1: replied Jack. The next day, Lizzy Jack again went out
Speaker 1: and hired himself to a goose herd, who would give
Speaker 1: him nothing for his work but two large goose eggs.
Speaker 1: Jack took the eggs and began carrying it very carefully
Speaker 1: in his hands, But on the way to home he
Speaker 1: stumbled over the stone and got the eggs broken. You stupid,
Speaker 1: said his mother. You should have carried the eggs in
Speaker 1: an egg tray. I'll do so another time, replied Jack. Well,
Speaker 1: on the Monday, lazy Jack went once more and hired
Speaker 1: himself to a cattle keeper, who gave him a donkey
Speaker 1: for his trouble. Now, though Jack was strong, he found
Speaker 1: it hard to hoist the donkey on his shoulders. But
Speaker 1: at last he did it and began walking home slowly
Speaker 1: with his prize. Now, it so happened that in the
Speaker 1: course of his journey he passed a house where a
Speaker 1: rich man lived with his only daughter, a beautiful girl
Speaker 1: who was deaf and dumb, and she had never laughed
Speaker 1: in her life, and the doctors said she would never
Speaker 1: speak till somebody made her laugh. So the father had
Speaker 1: given out that any man who made her love would
Speaker 1: receive her hand in marriage. Now, this young lady happened
Speaker 1: to be looking out of the window when Jack was
Speaker 1: passing by with the donkey on his shoulders, and the
Speaker 1: poor beast, with its legs ticking up in the air,
Speaker 1: was kicking violently, and he hawing with all its might. Well,
Speaker 1: the sight was so comical that she burst out into
Speaker 1: a great fit of laughter, and immediately recovered her speech
Speaker 1: and hearing her father was overjoyed and fulfilled his promise
Speaker 1: by marrying her to lazy Jack, who was thus made
Speaker 1: a rid gentleman. They lived in a large house, and
Speaker 1: Jack's mother lived with them in great happiness.