Fack and the Beanstalk.

ITY a poor old gipsy,
And be a generous lad!’
The youth bestowed his bread and
beer;
She smiled—'twas all he had.

‘My dear, P’ll make your fortune—
Attend to what I say ;

This bean plant in your garden,
And watch it day by day.’

With this the old dame vanished,
And left his food and beer.

Young Reynard he was puzzled :
Says he, ‘It’s precious queer !’

He found wrapp’d in the paper
A bean of giant size—

For planting full directions,
Which add to his surprise.

‘Sow it on Friday evening,
A little after dark,

Amongst the new potatoes,
The side against the park.

From ditch take a dead black cat,
Which shall enrich the root,

And ere you are much older
Come out and gather fruit.’

Young Reynard found the black cat,
Young Reynard dug the hole,
And Friday after sunset
Out from the cottage stole.

 

The bean, in length three inches,
With phosphorescence bright,
Shines like a monstrous glowworm,

With sparks of fitful light.

The cat he first deposits,
Then sprinkles o’er with mould ;
Her mouth somehow lies open,
And in the large bean rolled.

The lad is rather frightened,

But draws the loose soil round,
Stamps on the top to level,

Then darts home with a bound.

That night he lay a-dreaming
Of all that him befell ;

No one had seen his actions,
And none he means to tell.

But in the morn his mother
Cried, ‘Jack, look! here’s a sight !
A large and wondrous bean-stalk
Has sprung up in the night!’

Its stem, about a yard thick,
Was hollow from the root ;

Above, amidst rich foliage,
Were many luscious fruit.

Plums of the size of pumpkins
Had fallen to the ground,

O’erbalanced by their ripeness,
And strewed the garden round.