Further Tales of Sherpa Kitty
SHERPA KITTY AND THE FIVE MAGICAL BEANS
There was once upon a time a little kitten that lived near a frozen lake in a large valley nestled below the Himalayan Mountains named Sherpa Kitty who one day came upon a young boy named Jack, and a milky white yak named Milky-White. Jack told Sherpa Kitty that all he and his sickly mother had to live on was the milk the yak gave every morning, which he carried to the market in the village across the valley and sold. The trip took so long that by the time he came home, it was time to leave again. But this morning Milky-White gave no milk, and they didn't know what to do.
"What shall we do, what shall we do?" said Jack’s sickly mother, wringing her hands.
"Cheer up, mother, I'll go and get work somewhere," said Jack.
"We've tried that before, and nobody would take you," said Jack’s sickly mother. "We must sell Milky-White and with the money start a shop, or buy ice fishing gear and sell fish."
"All right, mother," said Jack. "I’ll be off to the village market today, and I'll soon sell Milky-White, and then we'll see what we can do."
So Jack took the yak’s halter in his hand, and off he started. He hadn't gone far when he met Sherpa Kitty, who said to him, "Good morning, Jack."
"Good morning to you," said Jack, and wondered how she knew his name. “How fare you this fine day?”
"Well, Jack, and where are you off to?" said Sherpa Kitty.
"I'm going to the village market to sell our milky white yak Milky-White there."
“But what of your sickly mother, Jack? Who is to care for her?”
“Well I am.” Said Jack defensively. “But I spend all my time traveling so I cannot care for my mother properly. I am so wrought with guilt.”
“I am Sherpa Kitty, Jack; may chance you have heard of me. I am here to help you.” Said Sherpa Kitty. “I will sell your cow for you.”
“Thank you Sherpa Kitty.” Said Jack, for well had he heard of Sherpa Kitty in his travels across the great valley beneath the Himalayan Mountains.
Jack handed Milky-White the Yak over to Sherpa Kitty and rushed off to tend to his sickly mother. Sherpa Kitty set off in the direction of the village market.
“Is that a yak at your back?” came an inquiring voice from high above. Sherpa Kitty looked up to see the smiling face of the great Yeti Yeshe looking down at her.
“This yak belongs to Jack and his sickly mother. Milky-White will bare no milk so I have offered to sell her at the village market.” Said Sherpa Kitty.
“I wonder if you are best suited for selling a yak Sherpa Kitty, the village is a long way off and you have never sold anything in your life. Perhaps I should buy her for a fair price and take Milky-White to my cavern by the frozen lake.” Suggested Yeshe.
“What do you offer, Yeti?” inquired Sherpa Kitty.
“Why a fine pole with strong line to catch fish with.” Said Yeshe. “I only found this today on the frozen lake bed when some strangers ran from me as I strolled by. I do not care for fish but I do fancy the company of your fine yak friend there. Perhaps with some care and comfort Milky-White might once again produce milk.”
After carefully considering Yeshe’s generous offer Sherpa Kitty addressed her long time friend.
“A fine offer my pal, but I suspect that more can be made from the village market than on the road bantering with an old friend, and if Milky-White were to be found unsociable company and finished with her yak milk yielding days, I would feel guilty and remorseful, so I think I will not sell you this yak Yeshe.”
“Have it your way Sherpa Kitty, but know my offer may not be available later.” And with that the great Yeti Yeshe turned and bound into the snow quickly fading from sight.
Sherpa Kitty pressed on, urging Milky-White along as she begrudgingly followed, thinking out loud that maybe Yeshe’s offer was a fair one after all.
“Oh, you do look the proper sort to sell a yak.” Came a voice from behind a flowery ginger bush, as Ounce poked his sinister snout out from its fragrant hiding place.
”What are you up to?” Asked Sherpa Kitty suspicious of the shady creature that greeted him.
“I am just an interested party, considering making an offer for that juicy, I mean healthy looking yak Sherpa Kitty.” Said the nefarious snow leopard Ounce.
“And just what do you have to offer for this fine creature?” asked Sherpa Kitty.
“I have a broken claw that is very sharp and strong. It could be used as a pick to gather gems from the mountains to make jewelry.” Said Ounce quietly. “I broke this claw as I scrambled out of the frozen lake some time back and I have kept it with me all this time. Perhaps a smart little kitty like you knows its value.”
A jewelry shop could be quite profitable for Jack, thought Sherpa Kitty. “That seems a proper offer from you Ounce, but I must confess I have no trust for you at all. I will not sell this fine Yak to you today.”
“Your loss.” Growled the snow leopard. “ I will not make such a generous offer again Sherpa Kitty, and it is a long march to the village market. Terrible things can happen.”
I shudder to think thought Sherpa Kitty as she and Milky-White made their way across the valley. Ounce is a powerful foe and I should not be on his bad side. Perhaps I should have taken his offer, considered Sherpa Kitty.
Just then a voice cried out “Beans for sale! Beans for sale! Buy your magical beans right here!”
“Excuse me sir,” said Sherpa Kitty to the tall gaunt fellow dressed in a shabby torn choba-robe. “Why are you selling beans by the side of the road?”
“I am a desperate man, in a desperate need.” Said the gaunt man. “My wife is sick and cannot feed our baby and I must sell our only treasure to buy milk for my child.”
“And how many beans do you have to sell?” Asked Sherpa Kitty.
"I wonder if you know how many beans make five." Said the man.
"One under each paw and one in my mouth," said Sherpa Kitty, as sharp as a needle.
"Right you are," replied the man, "that is how many I have and here they are, the very beans themselves," he went on, pulling out of his pocket a number of strange-looking beans. "As you are so sharp," says he, "I don't see any reason to haggle with you I will give you -- all these magical beans for your yak."
"And what of these magical beans," said Sherpa Kitty. "What will they do?"
"Ah! You don't know what these beans are," said the man. "If you plant them overnight, by morning they grow right up to the sky. Eberyone knows what magical beans do Sherpa Kitty!"
"Really?" said Sherpa Kitty. "You don't say."
"Yes, that is so. And if it doesn't turn out to be true you can have you’re your milky white yak back."
"All right, then." Said Sherpa Kitty, as she handed over Milky-White's halter and tucked the beans under her hoodie.
Back to Jack went Sherpa Kitty, and as she hadn't gone very far it wasn't dusk by the time she came to his door.
"Back already?” asked Jack, as his mother called out from her bedside.
“I am back already with a fair deal for you.” Said Sherpa Kitty. “I bring you five magical beans!”
“Beans?” asked Jack. “What will I do with only five beans?”
“It should be more, I agree,” said Sherpa Kitty, “but all I had was one yak.”
“Oh my goodness.” Said Jack as he walked back to his mother’s bedside.
“They are magical.” Called out Sherpa Kitty behind Jack’s back.
"I see you haven't got Milky-White, so you've sold her. How much did you get for her, then?" asked Jack’s sickly mother.
"You'll never guess, mother," said Jack.
"No, you don't say. Good boy! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? No, it can't be twenty." Guessed Jack’s mother.
“I told you, you couldn't guess. What do you say to these beans? They're magical and we have five of them. Plant them overnight and…”
“What!” exclaimed Jack's sickly mother. “Have you been such a fool, such a dolt, such an idiot, as to give away my Milky-White, the best milk yak in the valley, and prime meat to boot, for a set of paltry beans? Take that! Take that! Take that! And as for your precious beans here they go out of the window. Now off with you to bed with you, not a sup shall you sip, and not a bit shall you bite this very night."
So Jack went upstairs to his little room in the attic, and sad and sorry he was, to be sure, as much for his mother's sake as for the loss of his supper.
At last he dropped off to sleep.
Sherpa Kitty was upset as well for she knew that Jack’s sickly mother had not taken the good news so lightly in the throws of one of her sickly spells. Poor Jack went to bed hungry and Sherpa Kitty had to make things right. But for now, Sherpa Kitty chose to sleep on how to best deal with the problems at hand and curled up right on top of the tossed magical beans moments before falling into a deep sleep.
When Sherpa Kitty awoke, her head was in the clouds. As she looked around she was high above the mountain peaks around her, higher than she knew was possible. She rose and stretched on a thick green vine that was four times as wide as she and extended out as far as the eye could see.
After a good stretch and yawn, Sherpa Kitty walked along the length of the green branch that shot away from the main beanstalk. Sherpa Kitty walked for quite a while until she happened upon a big tall house. And In front of the house was a big tall woman.
"Good morning, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, quite polite-like. "Could you be so kind as to share some breakfast?" For she hadn't had anything to eat don’t you know, the night before, and was as hungry as a hunter.
"Its breakfast you want, is it?" spoke the great big tall woman. "It's breakfast you'll be if you don't move off from here. My man is an ogre and there's nothing he likes better than kittens broiled on toast. You'd better be moving on or he'll be coming, for you."
"Oh! Please madam, do give me something to eat. I've had nothing to eat since yesterday morning, really and truly, madam," said Sherpa Kitty. "I may as well be broiled as die of hunger."
Well, the ogre's wife was not half so bad after all. So she took Sherpa Kitty into the kitchen, and gave her a hunk of cheese and a bowl of milk. But Sherpa Kitty hadn't half finished these when thump! Thump! Thump! The whole house began to tremble with the noise of someone coming.
"Goodness gracious me! It's my old man," said the ogre's wife. "What on earth shall I do? Come along quick and jump in here." And she bundled Sherpa Kitty into the oven just as the ogre came in.
He was a big one, to be sure. At his belt he had three goats strung up by the heels, and he unhooked them and threw them down on the table and said, "Here, wife, broil me a couple of these for breakfast. Ah! What’s this I smell?”
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread."
"Nonsense, dear," said his wife. "You' re dreaming. Or perhaps you smell the scraps of that little kitty you liked so much for yesterday's dinner. Here, you go and have a wash and tidy up, and by the time you come back your breakfast'll be ready for you."
So off the ogre went, and Sherpa Kitty was just going to jump out of the oven and run away when the woman warned him no. "Wait till he's asleep," said she; "he always has a doze after breakfast."
Well, the ogre had his breakfast, and after that he went to a big chest and took out a couple of bags of gold, and down he sat and counted ‘till at last his head began to nod and he began to snore till the whole house shook again.
Then Sherpa Kitty crept out on cats feet from the great oven, and as she was passing the ogre, she took one of the bags of gold in her mouth, and off she scampered ‘till she came to the beanstalk, and then she threw down the bag of gold, which, of course, fell into Jack’s yard, and then Sherpa Kitty climbed down and climbed down till at last she got to Jack’s home and told her tale to Jack and his sickly mother and showed them the gold when Jack said, “Well, mother, wasn't I right about the beans? They are really magical, you see.”
So Jack and his sickly mother lived on the bag of gold for some time, but at last they came to the end of it, and Jack went to Sherpa Kitty for help asking that she to try her luck once more at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning Sherpa Kitty rose up early, and got onto the beanstalk, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed till at last she came out onto the branch again and over to the great tall house she had been to before. There, sure enough, was the great tall woman a-standing on the doorstep.
"Good morning, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, as bold as brass, "could you be so good as to give me something to eat?"
"Go away, little kitty," said the big tall woman, "or else my man will eat you up for breakfast. But aren't you Sherpa Kitty who came here once before? Do you know, that very day my man missed one of his bags of gold?”
"That is strange, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, “I dare say I could tell you something about that, but I'm so hungry I can't speak till I've had something to eat.”
Well, the big tall woman was so curious that she took her in and gave Sherpa Kitty something to eat. But she had scarcely begun munching it as slowly as she could when thump! Thump! They heard the giant's footstep, and his wife hid Sherpa Kitty away in the great oven once more.
All happened as it did before. In came the ogre as he did before, and said,
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread.”
And he sat down and had his breakfast of three broiled bullocks.
Then he said, “Wife, bring me the hen that lays the golden eggs.” So she brought it, and the ogre said, “Lay,” and it laid an egg all of gold pure through and through. And then the ogre began to nod his head, and to snore till the house shook.
So Sherpa Kitty crept out of the oven on cat paws and caught hold of the golden hen, and was off before you could say “Sherpa Kitty.” But this time the hen gave a cackle, which woke the ogre, and just as Sherpa Kitty got out of the house she heard him calling, "Wife, wife, what have you done with my golden hen?"
And the wife said, "Why, my dear?"
But that was all Sherpa Kitty heard, for she rushed off to the beanstalk and climbed down like a house on fire. And when she got all the way down to Jack’s home she showed Jack and his sickly mother the wonderful hen, and said “Lay” to it; and it laid a golden egg every time Sherpa Kitty said “Lay.”
Well, Jack and his sickly mother were not content, and it wasn't long before he begged Sherpa Kitty to have another try at her luck up there at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning Sherpa Kitty rose up early and got on to the beanstalk, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed and she climbed ‘till she got to the top.
But this time she knew better than to go straight to the ogre's house. And when she got near it, Sherpa Kitty waited behind a fragrant ginger bush till he saw the ogre's wife come out with a pail to get some water, and then she crept into the house and climbed into the copper. She hadn't been there long when Sherpa Kitty heard thump! Thump! Thump! As before, and in came the ogre and his wife.
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread.”
Cried out the ogre. “I smell her, wife, I smell her.”
“Do you, my dearie?” asked the ogre's wife. “Then, if it's that little Sherpa Kitty that stole your gold and the hen that laid the golden eggs she's sure to have got into the oven.” And they both rushed to the oven.
But Sherpa Kitty wasn't there, luckily, and the ogre' s wife said, “There you are again with your kitty ditty. Why, of course, it's the kitty you caught last night that I've just broiled for your breakfast. How forgetful I am, and how careless you are not to know the difference between live and dead after all these years.”
So the ogre sat down to the breakfast and ate every bit of it, but every now and then he would mutter, “Well, I could have sworn…” and he'd get up and search the larder and the cupboards and everything, only, luckily, he didn't think of the copper.
After breakfast was over, the ogre called out, "Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp."
So she brought it and put it on the table before him. Then he said, "Sing!" and the golden harp sang most beautifully. And it went on singing till the ogre fell asleep, and commenced to snore like thunder.
Then Sherpa Kitty lifted up the copper lid very quietly and crawled down like a cat stalking a mouse and crept and crouched till she came to the table; when up she crawled, caught hold of the golden harp and dashed with it towards the door.
But the harp called out quite loud, “Master! Master!” and the ogre woke up just in time to see Sherpa Kitty running off with his harp.
Sherpa Kitty ran as fast as she could, and the ogre came rushing after, and would soon have caught her, only Sherpa Kitty was fast as the wind and dodged the ogre a bit and knew where she was going. When she got to the beanstalk the ogre was no more than twenty yards away when suddenly he saw Sherpa Kitty disappear like, and when he came to the end of the road he saw Sherpa Kitty underneath climbing down for dear life. Well, the ogre didn't like trusting himself to such a ladder, and he stood and waited, so Sherpa Kitty got another fast start.
But just then the harp cried out, "Master! Master!" and the ogre swung himself down onto the beanstalk, which shook with his weight. Down climbed Sherpa Kitty, and after him climbed the ogre.
By this time Sherpa Kitty had climbed down and climbed down and climbed down till he was very nearly dizzy, but also nearing the bottom. So she called out, “Jack! Jack! bring forth an ax, bring forth an ax.” And Jack came rushing out with the ax in his hand, but when he came to the beanstalk he stood stock still with fright, for there he saw the ogre with his legs just through the clouds.
But Jack took a deep breath and got a good hold of the ax and gave a chop at the beanstalk, which cut it half in two. The ogre felt the beanstalk shake and quiver, so he stopped to see what was the matter. Then Jack gave another chop with the ax, and the beanstalk was cut in two and began to topple over. Then the ogre very suddenly fell down and broke his crown, and the beanstalk came toppling after.
Then Sherpa Kitty shared with Jack and his sickly mother the golden harp, and what with showing that and selling the golden eggs, Jack and his sickly mother became very rich, and Jack became known far and wide as Jack the Giant killer. Jack hired a physician to care for his sickly mother and married a great princess, and they all lived happily ever after.
“Is that what really happened?” asked Yeshe the wise Yeti.
“As real as I am ready to admit,” admitted Sherpa Kitty.
THE END
There was once upon a time a little kitten that lived near a frozen lake in a large valley nestled below the Himalayan Mountains named Sherpa Kitty who one day came upon a young boy named Jack, and a milky white yak named Milky-White. Jack told Sherpa Kitty that all he and his sickly mother had to live on was the milk the yak gave every morning, which he carried to the market in the village across the valley and sold. The trip took so long that by the time he came home, it was time to leave again. But this morning Milky-White gave no milk, and they didn't know what to do.
"What shall we do, what shall we do?" said Jack’s sickly mother, wringing her hands.
"Cheer up, mother, I'll go and get work somewhere," said Jack.
"We've tried that before, and nobody would take you," said Jack’s sickly mother. "We must sell Milky-White and with the money start a shop, or buy ice fishing gear and sell fish."
"All right, mother," said Jack. "I’ll be off to the village market today, and I'll soon sell Milky-White, and then we'll see what we can do."
So Jack took the yak’s halter in his hand, and off he started. He hadn't gone far when he met Sherpa Kitty, who said to him, "Good morning, Jack."
"Good morning to you," said Jack, and wondered how she knew his name. “How fare you this fine day?”
"Well, Jack, and where are you off to?" said Sherpa Kitty.
"I'm going to the village market to sell our milky white yak Milky-White there."
“But what of your sickly mother, Jack? Who is to care for her?”
“Well I am.” Said Jack defensively. “But I spend all my time traveling so I cannot care for my mother properly. I am so wrought with guilt.”
“I am Sherpa Kitty, Jack; may chance you have heard of me. I am here to help you.” Said Sherpa Kitty. “I will sell your cow for you.”
“Thank you Sherpa Kitty.” Said Jack, for well had he heard of Sherpa Kitty in his travels across the great valley beneath the Himalayan Mountains.
Jack handed Milky-White the Yak over to Sherpa Kitty and rushed off to tend to his sickly mother. Sherpa Kitty set off in the direction of the village market.
“Is that a yak at your back?” came an inquiring voice from high above. Sherpa Kitty looked up to see the smiling face of the great Yeti Yeshe looking down at her.
“This yak belongs to Jack and his sickly mother. Milky-White will bare no milk so I have offered to sell her at the village market.” Said Sherpa Kitty.
“I wonder if you are best suited for selling a yak Sherpa Kitty, the village is a long way off and you have never sold anything in your life. Perhaps I should buy her for a fair price and take Milky-White to my cavern by the frozen lake.” Suggested Yeshe.
“What do you offer, Yeti?” inquired Sherpa Kitty.
“Why a fine pole with strong line to catch fish with.” Said Yeshe. “I only found this today on the frozen lake bed when some strangers ran from me as I strolled by. I do not care for fish but I do fancy the company of your fine yak friend there. Perhaps with some care and comfort Milky-White might once again produce milk.”
After carefully considering Yeshe’s generous offer Sherpa Kitty addressed her long time friend.
“A fine offer my pal, but I suspect that more can be made from the village market than on the road bantering with an old friend, and if Milky-White were to be found unsociable company and finished with her yak milk yielding days, I would feel guilty and remorseful, so I think I will not sell you this yak Yeshe.”
“Have it your way Sherpa Kitty, but know my offer may not be available later.” And with that the great Yeti Yeshe turned and bound into the snow quickly fading from sight.
Sherpa Kitty pressed on, urging Milky-White along as she begrudgingly followed, thinking out loud that maybe Yeshe’s offer was a fair one after all.
“Oh, you do look the proper sort to sell a yak.” Came a voice from behind a flowery ginger bush, as Ounce poked his sinister snout out from its fragrant hiding place.
”What are you up to?” Asked Sherpa Kitty suspicious of the shady creature that greeted him.
“I am just an interested party, considering making an offer for that juicy, I mean healthy looking yak Sherpa Kitty.” Said the nefarious snow leopard Ounce.
“And just what do you have to offer for this fine creature?” asked Sherpa Kitty.
“I have a broken claw that is very sharp and strong. It could be used as a pick to gather gems from the mountains to make jewelry.” Said Ounce quietly. “I broke this claw as I scrambled out of the frozen lake some time back and I have kept it with me all this time. Perhaps a smart little kitty like you knows its value.”
A jewelry shop could be quite profitable for Jack, thought Sherpa Kitty. “That seems a proper offer from you Ounce, but I must confess I have no trust for you at all. I will not sell this fine Yak to you today.”
“Your loss.” Growled the snow leopard. “ I will not make such a generous offer again Sherpa Kitty, and it is a long march to the village market. Terrible things can happen.”
I shudder to think thought Sherpa Kitty as she and Milky-White made their way across the valley. Ounce is a powerful foe and I should not be on his bad side. Perhaps I should have taken his offer, considered Sherpa Kitty.
Just then a voice cried out “Beans for sale! Beans for sale! Buy your magical beans right here!”
“Excuse me sir,” said Sherpa Kitty to the tall gaunt fellow dressed in a shabby torn choba-robe. “Why are you selling beans by the side of the road?”
“I am a desperate man, in a desperate need.” Said the gaunt man. “My wife is sick and cannot feed our baby and I must sell our only treasure to buy milk for my child.”
“And how many beans do you have to sell?” Asked Sherpa Kitty.
"I wonder if you know how many beans make five." Said the man.
"One under each paw and one in my mouth," said Sherpa Kitty, as sharp as a needle.
"Right you are," replied the man, "that is how many I have and here they are, the very beans themselves," he went on, pulling out of his pocket a number of strange-looking beans. "As you are so sharp," says he, "I don't see any reason to haggle with you I will give you -- all these magical beans for your yak."
"And what of these magical beans," said Sherpa Kitty. "What will they do?"
"Ah! You don't know what these beans are," said the man. "If you plant them overnight, by morning they grow right up to the sky. Eberyone knows what magical beans do Sherpa Kitty!"
"Really?" said Sherpa Kitty. "You don't say."
"Yes, that is so. And if it doesn't turn out to be true you can have you’re your milky white yak back."
"All right, then." Said Sherpa Kitty, as she handed over Milky-White's halter and tucked the beans under her hoodie.
Back to Jack went Sherpa Kitty, and as she hadn't gone very far it wasn't dusk by the time she came to his door.
"Back already?” asked Jack, as his mother called out from her bedside.
“I am back already with a fair deal for you.” Said Sherpa Kitty. “I bring you five magical beans!”
“Beans?” asked Jack. “What will I do with only five beans?”
“It should be more, I agree,” said Sherpa Kitty, “but all I had was one yak.”
“Oh my goodness.” Said Jack as he walked back to his mother’s bedside.
“They are magical.” Called out Sherpa Kitty behind Jack’s back.
"I see you haven't got Milky-White, so you've sold her. How much did you get for her, then?" asked Jack’s sickly mother.
"You'll never guess, mother," said Jack.
"No, you don't say. Good boy! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? No, it can't be twenty." Guessed Jack’s mother.
“I told you, you couldn't guess. What do you say to these beans? They're magical and we have five of them. Plant them overnight and…”
“What!” exclaimed Jack's sickly mother. “Have you been such a fool, such a dolt, such an idiot, as to give away my Milky-White, the best milk yak in the valley, and prime meat to boot, for a set of paltry beans? Take that! Take that! Take that! And as for your precious beans here they go out of the window. Now off with you to bed with you, not a sup shall you sip, and not a bit shall you bite this very night."
So Jack went upstairs to his little room in the attic, and sad and sorry he was, to be sure, as much for his mother's sake as for the loss of his supper.
At last he dropped off to sleep.
Sherpa Kitty was upset as well for she knew that Jack’s sickly mother had not taken the good news so lightly in the throws of one of her sickly spells. Poor Jack went to bed hungry and Sherpa Kitty had to make things right. But for now, Sherpa Kitty chose to sleep on how to best deal with the problems at hand and curled up right on top of the tossed magical beans moments before falling into a deep sleep.
When Sherpa Kitty awoke, her head was in the clouds. As she looked around she was high above the mountain peaks around her, higher than she knew was possible. She rose and stretched on a thick green vine that was four times as wide as she and extended out as far as the eye could see.
After a good stretch and yawn, Sherpa Kitty walked along the length of the green branch that shot away from the main beanstalk. Sherpa Kitty walked for quite a while until she happened upon a big tall house. And In front of the house was a big tall woman.
"Good morning, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, quite polite-like. "Could you be so kind as to share some breakfast?" For she hadn't had anything to eat don’t you know, the night before, and was as hungry as a hunter.
"Its breakfast you want, is it?" spoke the great big tall woman. "It's breakfast you'll be if you don't move off from here. My man is an ogre and there's nothing he likes better than kittens broiled on toast. You'd better be moving on or he'll be coming, for you."
"Oh! Please madam, do give me something to eat. I've had nothing to eat since yesterday morning, really and truly, madam," said Sherpa Kitty. "I may as well be broiled as die of hunger."
Well, the ogre's wife was not half so bad after all. So she took Sherpa Kitty into the kitchen, and gave her a hunk of cheese and a bowl of milk. But Sherpa Kitty hadn't half finished these when thump! Thump! Thump! The whole house began to tremble with the noise of someone coming.
"Goodness gracious me! It's my old man," said the ogre's wife. "What on earth shall I do? Come along quick and jump in here." And she bundled Sherpa Kitty into the oven just as the ogre came in.
He was a big one, to be sure. At his belt he had three goats strung up by the heels, and he unhooked them and threw them down on the table and said, "Here, wife, broil me a couple of these for breakfast. Ah! What’s this I smell?”
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread."
"Nonsense, dear," said his wife. "You' re dreaming. Or perhaps you smell the scraps of that little kitty you liked so much for yesterday's dinner. Here, you go and have a wash and tidy up, and by the time you come back your breakfast'll be ready for you."
So off the ogre went, and Sherpa Kitty was just going to jump out of the oven and run away when the woman warned him no. "Wait till he's asleep," said she; "he always has a doze after breakfast."
Well, the ogre had his breakfast, and after that he went to a big chest and took out a couple of bags of gold, and down he sat and counted ‘till at last his head began to nod and he began to snore till the whole house shook again.
Then Sherpa Kitty crept out on cats feet from the great oven, and as she was passing the ogre, she took one of the bags of gold in her mouth, and off she scampered ‘till she came to the beanstalk, and then she threw down the bag of gold, which, of course, fell into Jack’s yard, and then Sherpa Kitty climbed down and climbed down till at last she got to Jack’s home and told her tale to Jack and his sickly mother and showed them the gold when Jack said, “Well, mother, wasn't I right about the beans? They are really magical, you see.”
So Jack and his sickly mother lived on the bag of gold for some time, but at last they came to the end of it, and Jack went to Sherpa Kitty for help asking that she to try her luck once more at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning Sherpa Kitty rose up early, and got onto the beanstalk, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed till at last she came out onto the branch again and over to the great tall house she had been to before. There, sure enough, was the great tall woman a-standing on the doorstep.
"Good morning, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, as bold as brass, "could you be so good as to give me something to eat?"
"Go away, little kitty," said the big tall woman, "or else my man will eat you up for breakfast. But aren't you Sherpa Kitty who came here once before? Do you know, that very day my man missed one of his bags of gold?”
"That is strange, madam," said Sherpa Kitty, “I dare say I could tell you something about that, but I'm so hungry I can't speak till I've had something to eat.”
Well, the big tall woman was so curious that she took her in and gave Sherpa Kitty something to eat. But she had scarcely begun munching it as slowly as she could when thump! Thump! They heard the giant's footstep, and his wife hid Sherpa Kitty away in the great oven once more.
All happened as it did before. In came the ogre as he did before, and said,
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread.”
And he sat down and had his breakfast of three broiled bullocks.
Then he said, “Wife, bring me the hen that lays the golden eggs.” So she brought it, and the ogre said, “Lay,” and it laid an egg all of gold pure through and through. And then the ogre began to nod his head, and to snore till the house shook.
So Sherpa Kitty crept out of the oven on cat paws and caught hold of the golden hen, and was off before you could say “Sherpa Kitty.” But this time the hen gave a cackle, which woke the ogre, and just as Sherpa Kitty got out of the house she heard him calling, "Wife, wife, what have you done with my golden hen?"
And the wife said, "Why, my dear?"
But that was all Sherpa Kitty heard, for she rushed off to the beanstalk and climbed down like a house on fire. And when she got all the way down to Jack’s home she showed Jack and his sickly mother the wonderful hen, and said “Lay” to it; and it laid a golden egg every time Sherpa Kitty said “Lay.”
Well, Jack and his sickly mother were not content, and it wasn't long before he begged Sherpa Kitty to have another try at her luck up there at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning Sherpa Kitty rose up early and got on to the beanstalk, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed, and she climbed and she climbed ‘till she got to the top.
But this time she knew better than to go straight to the ogre's house. And when she got near it, Sherpa Kitty waited behind a fragrant ginger bush till he saw the ogre's wife come out with a pail to get some water, and then she crept into the house and climbed into the copper. She hadn't been there long when Sherpa Kitty heard thump! Thump! Thump! As before, and in came the ogre and his wife.
“Listen to me little ditty, I smell the blood of a Sherpa Kitty,Be she alive, or be she dead, I'll have her bones to grind my bread.”
Cried out the ogre. “I smell her, wife, I smell her.”
“Do you, my dearie?” asked the ogre's wife. “Then, if it's that little Sherpa Kitty that stole your gold and the hen that laid the golden eggs she's sure to have got into the oven.” And they both rushed to the oven.
But Sherpa Kitty wasn't there, luckily, and the ogre' s wife said, “There you are again with your kitty ditty. Why, of course, it's the kitty you caught last night that I've just broiled for your breakfast. How forgetful I am, and how careless you are not to know the difference between live and dead after all these years.”
So the ogre sat down to the breakfast and ate every bit of it, but every now and then he would mutter, “Well, I could have sworn…” and he'd get up and search the larder and the cupboards and everything, only, luckily, he didn't think of the copper.
After breakfast was over, the ogre called out, "Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp."
So she brought it and put it on the table before him. Then he said, "Sing!" and the golden harp sang most beautifully. And it went on singing till the ogre fell asleep, and commenced to snore like thunder.
Then Sherpa Kitty lifted up the copper lid very quietly and crawled down like a cat stalking a mouse and crept and crouched till she came to the table; when up she crawled, caught hold of the golden harp and dashed with it towards the door.
But the harp called out quite loud, “Master! Master!” and the ogre woke up just in time to see Sherpa Kitty running off with his harp.
Sherpa Kitty ran as fast as she could, and the ogre came rushing after, and would soon have caught her, only Sherpa Kitty was fast as the wind and dodged the ogre a bit and knew where she was going. When she got to the beanstalk the ogre was no more than twenty yards away when suddenly he saw Sherpa Kitty disappear like, and when he came to the end of the road he saw Sherpa Kitty underneath climbing down for dear life. Well, the ogre didn't like trusting himself to such a ladder, and he stood and waited, so Sherpa Kitty got another fast start.
But just then the harp cried out, "Master! Master!" and the ogre swung himself down onto the beanstalk, which shook with his weight. Down climbed Sherpa Kitty, and after him climbed the ogre.
By this time Sherpa Kitty had climbed down and climbed down and climbed down till he was very nearly dizzy, but also nearing the bottom. So she called out, “Jack! Jack! bring forth an ax, bring forth an ax.” And Jack came rushing out with the ax in his hand, but when he came to the beanstalk he stood stock still with fright, for there he saw the ogre with his legs just through the clouds.
But Jack took a deep breath and got a good hold of the ax and gave a chop at the beanstalk, which cut it half in two. The ogre felt the beanstalk shake and quiver, so he stopped to see what was the matter. Then Jack gave another chop with the ax, and the beanstalk was cut in two and began to topple over. Then the ogre very suddenly fell down and broke his crown, and the beanstalk came toppling after.
Then Sherpa Kitty shared with Jack and his sickly mother the golden harp, and what with showing that and selling the golden eggs, Jack and his sickly mother became very rich, and Jack became known far and wide as Jack the Giant killer. Jack hired a physician to care for his sickly mother and married a great princess, and they all lived happily ever after.
“Is that what really happened?” asked Yeshe the wise Yeti.
“As real as I am ready to admit,” admitted Sherpa Kitty.
THE END
