What Jack Horner Did

Summary

Little Jack Horner sat in a corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum

And said, "What a good boy am I!"

LITTLE JACK HORNER lived in an old, tumble-down house at the edge of a big wood; and there many generations of Horners had lived before him, and had earned their living by chopping wood. Jack's father and mother were both dead, and he lived with his grandfather and grandmother, who took great pains to teach him all that a boy should know.

They lived very comfortably and happily together until one day a great tree fell upon Grandpa Horner and crushed his legs; and from that time on he could not work at all, but had to be nursed and tended very carefully.

This calamity was a great affliction to the Horners. Grandma Horner had a little money saved up in an old broken teapot that she kept in the cupboard, but that would not last them a great time, and when it was gone they would have nothing with which to buy food. But little Jack was a brave and hard working little lad who tried as best he could to help his grandparents earn a few pennies for food. Then, he rescued a stranger in a bog and their fortunes took a turn for the better. But you had best listen to the whole story to see why Jack had such a plum pie to eat that Christmas day!