His wife went into the treasure-room, and presently she came back with a little red hen in her apron. She set it on the table before the giant. The giant grinned till he showed all his teeth.
“My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay,” said the giant.
As soon as he said that the hen laid an egg all of pure gold.
“My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay!” said the giant. Then the little red hen laid another egg.
“My little red hen, my pretty red hen, lay,” said the giant. Then the hen laid a third egg.
“There!” said the giant, “that is enough for to-day. Now, wife, you can take her back to the treasure-room again.”
His wife took up the hen and carried her off to the treasure-room, but when she came back into the kitchen she forgot to shut the treasure-room door behind her.
Then the giant stretched his legs out in front of him and went to sleep and snored till the rafters shook.
His wife worked around in the kitchen, and after awhile, when she wasn’t looking, Jack crept out of the pot. He crept over to the door of the treasure-room and slipped through, and there was the little red hen sitting comfortably on a golden nest.
Jack caught her up under his arm and she never made a sound. Then he crept back through the kitchen and out through the door, and made off down the road, and the giant’s wife never saw him at all.