Chapter I
Once upon a time there was a poor couple who had so many children there
wasn't enough food to feed them all, nor enough beds for them all to
sleep, nor enough clothes to cover them.
The older children had often heard their parents worrying far into the
night about where they would find food so that the little ones wouldn't go
hungry.
Their poor father would moan and groan and their poor mother would weep
and wail, but always there were too many children and too little food.
Finally the night came when the three oldest sisters could bear their
parent's sorrow no longer. By the light of the full moon, they set out to
seek their fortunes in the wide world. 
Now the youngest of the three sisters was named Molly Wuppie and though
she was the youngest, she was the cleverest of the three and they named
her the leader.
The sisters travelled through a night and a day. They came to a
deep,dark forest and had to continue on through the ever-denser trees
until they could not tell whether the sun or the moon shown overhead.
When they finally came to a clearing in the forest, it was the morning
of the second day. In the clearing they saw a strangely built house. It
looked like a cottage, but was as large as a mountain.
The girls approached the front door with trepidation, for they had
never seen a house so large. Finally Molly stepped forward and lifted the
knocker.
The knocker fell with a sound like thunder. The great door slowly swung
open and a rosey faced woman looked out. "What do you want?" she asked,
not unkindly. 
"Please, Ma'm, could we come inside and have a bite to eat and a bit of
a rest?" asked Molly politely.
The woman looked around nervously and whispered behind her hand, "You'd
best be on your way. My husband is a giant and has a fondness for pies
made of sweet young girls like you."
"Please, Ma'm, We've travelled two nights and two days without a
mouthful of food or a wink of sleep," answered Molly Wuppie. "If you could
just give us a bite of bread and let us rest for a bit, we'd be on our way
before your husband comes home."
"Alright," said the woman, who had a kind heart and three little
daughters of her own. "You can come in, but it's on your own head if my
husband catches you."
The three sisters entered the house and looked around in amazement. The
woman was the size of their own dear mother, but the table was as tall as
their house and the fireplace was the size of a mountain cave. The cup on
the table was as big as a wellhouse and the plate was the size of their
table at home.
The woman showed them to a small table in the corner near the
fireplace. She sawed off a slice of bread from a loaf as big as a barn and
cut it in pieces small enough for the girls to hold. She gave them cups of
milk from a pitcher that could have flooded a river.
The girls ate the bread and drank the milk gratefully and were
preparing to leave when the earth began to shake and the front door flew
open.
In burst the giant. "Fee, fie, foe, fum, I smell the blood of a mortal
one. Wife, who is here?" growled the giant with a voice like thunder.
The giant's wife hustled around wringing her hands in distress. "Oh,
dear Husband," she said. "It's only some poor little girls who were lost
in the forest. They were just about to leave. They would hardly make a
mouthful for you. Wouldn't you like some nice ox stew?" She shooed the
girls toward the door as though they were brainless chickens. But before
they could escape, the giant slammed the door shut.
"Nonsense, Wife," said the giant. "They are our guests. They can spend
the night sleeping with our own dear daughters. They look half-starved.
Give them some of your ox stew to fill them up. Girls need more than bread
and milk."
The giant's wife looked confused, but showed the girls back to the
table where they were joined by the giant's three daughters.
The giant's daughters were only a little larger than the three sisters.
One would hardly think that their father was a giant except for the squint
in their eyes and the tilt of their ears. They were friendly, but not
terribly bright. They seemed not at all surprised that the father had
offered the strangers the comfort of their bed.
When it was time to go to bed, the giant kissed his daughters and hung
a golden chain around the neck of each girl. He also kissed Molly and here
sisters, but around their necks he placed straw garlands.
The giant's daughters and the two older sisters fell asleep as soon as
their heads touched the pillow, but Molly Wuppie stayed awake. She quickly
exchanged the straw garlands on her own neck and the necks of her sisters
for the golden chains the giant's daughters wore. Then she lay down and
pretended to sleep.
As soon as the moon rose over the hill the giant came sneaking into the
bedroom. He felt in the bed for the golden chains and the straw garlands
around the girls' necks. He picked up the girls wearing the garlands and
quietly put them in a large sack. Then he carried them out of the room,
forgetting to shut the door behind him.
Molly Wuppie quickly awakened her sisters and told them they must find
a way out of the giant's house. They sneaked down the steps as quiet as
quiet and soon found a mousehole the size of a doorway leading from the
pantry to the outside.
The girls ran as fast as they could through the forest until they came
to a wide chasm. The only way across was the Bridge-of- One-Hair which
spanned the chasm from one side to the other. The older sisters were
afraid to go across the bridge, but Molly Wuppie was so little and so
light that she danced across without a care. When they saw Molly on the
opposite side, the two older girls slowly and carefully walked across.
The girls soon reached the far side of the forest. They came to the
gates of a great castle. The inhabitants of the castle were amazed to see
them emerge from the forest, for though many people entered the forest, no
one had come from it since the giant had come to live there.
Chapter II
The king of the castle called the girls to his throne room and ordered
them to recount their adventures. The king was pleased to hear how Molly
Wuppie had outsmarted the giant. "Molly Wuppie,"said the king, "You are
clever girl. You have done well, but you can do better yet. The giant
stole my sword and keeps it hung above his bed. If you return my sword to
me, I will marry your oldest sister to my oldest son. Then she will be a
princess and will never be hungry again."
Molly Wuppie quickly agreed to do the king's bidding. She returned to
the road through the forest and crossed the Bridge-of-One-Hair and soon
came to the giant's house.
Molly sneaked in though the mousehole and hid behind a spider's web in
a dark corner of the giant's bedroom .
Molly had just hidden herself when the giant came home. "Fee, fie, foe
fum, I smell the blood of a mortal one," said the giant gruffly, "Wife,
who is here?"
The giant's wife was confused. "Why, no one is here husband. You must
be smelling the girls who were here yesterday."
The giant looked all around the house and inside the coal scuttle. He
could find no one and finally settled down to supper and then to bed.
As soon as the giant started to snore, Molly sneaked out of the corner.
She had to climb up on the giant's bed to reach the sword, which looked no
bigger than a pen knife next to the giant.
Molly carefully lifted the sword from the nail that held it. The sword
rattled ever so softly as she touched it and the giant woke up! With a
growl, he chased after Molly Wuppie, but she was so little and so quick
that he couldn't catch her. He ran outside after her, but by the time the
giant had taken a dozen steps Molly had crossed the Bridge-of-One-Hair.
The giant, of course, could not cross the bridge and stood shaking his
fist and yelling, "Molly Wuppie, if ever you come back again I will grind
your bones to flour and eat you for my supper."
Molly Wuppie stood on the far side of the chasm with the sword in her
arms. "Twice more I will visit you, old giant and you will rue the day you
threatened Molly Wuppie," she called.
When Molly arrived back at the king's castle, he was delighted to have
his sword back from the giant. Molly's oldest sister was wedded to the
king's son that very afternoon.
Chapter III
The king called Molly Wuppie to him the next day, "Molly, you are a
clever girl. You have done well," said the king,"but you can do better
yet. I want you to return to the giant's house and bring back the bag of
coins that he keeps hidden under his pillow. He stole it from my treasury
and it has caused hardship for my people. If you can bring back the coins,
I will marry your second sister to my second son and she will be a
princess and have fine clothes to wear."
Molly Wuppie quickly agreed to do the king's bidding. She returned to
the road through the forest and crossed the Bridge-of-One-Hair and soon
came to the giant's house. 
Molly sneaked in though the mousehole and hid behind the broom in a
dark corner of the giant's bedroom.
Molly had just hidden herself when the giant came home. "Fee, fie, foe
fum, I smell the blood of a mortal one," said the giant gruffly, "Wife,
who is here?"
The giant's wife was confused. "Why, no one is here husband. You must
be smelling the girl who stole your pen-knife yesterday."
The giant looked all around the house and inside the coal scuttle. He
even looked under the bed and behind the stove, but he could find no one
and finally settled down to supper and then to bed.
As soon as the giant started to snore, Molly sneaked out of the corner.
She climbed up on the giant's bed and felt under the pillow. Her hand
touched a bag of coins as big as her head.
Molly Wuppie carefully pulled the bag of coins from under the giant's
pillow. She freed the bag without disturbing the giant, but it was so
heavy she decided she would have to carry it on her shoulder. As she
lifted the bag to her shoulder, the coins in the bag let out a loud
clank and the giant awoke with a start!
With a growl, the giant chased after Molly Wuppie, but she was so
little and so quick that he couldn't catch her. He ran outside after her,
but by the time the giant had taken a dozen steps, Molly had crossed the
Bridge-of-One-Hair. The giant, of course, could not cross the bridge and
stood shaking his fist and yelling "Molly Wuppie, if ever you come back
again I will grind your bones to flour and drink your blood for wine."
Molly Wuppie stood on the far side of the chasm with the gold in her
arms. "Once more I will visit you, old giant, and you will rue the day you
threatened Molly Wuppie," she called.
When Molly arrived back at the king's castle, he was delighted to have
his gold back from the giant. Molly's second sister was wedded to the
king's son that very afternoon.
Chapter IV
The king called Molly Wuppie to him the next day, "Molly,You are a
clever girl. You have done well," said the king,"but you can do better
yet. I have one more task for you. The giant wears a ring on his little
finger. It is my true crown and without it I do not feel like a true king.
If you can steal my crown back from the giant I will marry you to my
youngest son."
Molly Wuppie did not have to think twice before agreeing to do the
king's bidding. She returned to the road through the forest and crossed
the Bridge-of-One-Hair and soon came to the giant's house.
Molly sneaked in though the mousehole and hid behind the spider's web
in the dark corner of the giant's bedroom.
Molly had just hidden herself when the giant came home. "Fee, fie, foe
fum, I smell the blood of a mortal one," said the giant gruffly, "Wife,
who is here?"
The giant's wife was confused. "Why, no one is here husband. You must
be smelling the girl who stole your change purse yesterday."
The giant looked all around the house and inside the coal scuttle. He
looked under the bed and behind the stove and even tipped up every one of
his wife's teacups and looked inside them, but he could find no one.
Finally he settled down to supper and then to bed.
As soon as the giant started to snore, Molly sneaked out of the corner.
She climbed up on the giant's bed and looked at his little finger. There,
looking like a finger-ring, was the king's true crown.
Molly Wuppie pulled at the crown but it would not budge. She tugged and
struggled and yanked, but the crown remained firmly on the giant's finger.
The giant continued to snore, only flicking his hand at her as though she
were a fly pestering him in his sleep.
Molly began to weep in frustration. Where her tears fell on the giant's
finger, she could feel the crown beginning to loosen. Molly thought all
the sad thoughts she could think. She thought about her parents and her
brothers and sisters who were always hungry. She thought about their small
dark house and how there were never enough clothes or enough beds for
everyone. She thought about how much she missed them all and her tears
began to flow like a river. As the tears fell on the giant's finger the
crown slipped from his finger as smooth as smooth.
As soon as the crown left his finger, the giant awoke with a start!
With a growl of triumph the giant caught Molly by the ankle. He held her
upside down and shook her.
"Now I have you!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Molly Wuppie, you are a
clever girl, but not clever enough to escape me forever. What would you do
to someone who had been as mean to you as you have been to me?"
Molly thought for a minute before she answered, "If someone had been as
mean to me as I have been to you, I would punish them severely. I would
put them in a sack with a needle and thread and scissors and a cat and a
dog. I would hang them on the wall and then I would go into the forest and
find a big stick to beat them with."
"You have just pronounced your own fate." the giant announced. He got a
great sack and put Molly Wuppie inside. Then he put in a needle and thread
and a pair of scissors. Finally, he put in a dog and a cat. He tied the
sack closed and hung it on the wall while he went into the forest to look
for a stick.
As soon as the giant was gone Molly Wuppie began to say loudly, "Oh, if
you could see what I see! If you could see what I see!" over and over
again.
The giant's wife heard Molly and became curious. "What do you see
Molly?" she asked.
Molly didn't answer her, but just kept repeating, "If you could see
what I see!"
Finally, the giant's wife could stand it no longer. "Let me see,
Molly," she said.
"We shall have to trade places," said Molly. She took the scissors and
cut a small hole in the sack. She climbed out of the sack and helped the
giant's wife climb in, then she quickly sewed the hole shut.
"Molly, I can't see anything," called the giant's wife."Let me out!"
Molly quickly hid herself behind the spider's web in the dark corner of
the bedroom. She had just hidden herself when the giant returned carrying
a great stick in his hand. The giant began to beat the sack with the
stick. His wife tried to call to him, but the dog and the cat made such a
racket that he couldn't hear her. He continued to beat the sack as Molly
Wuppie softly tiptoed toward the door.
Just as Molly reached the door, the giant saw her, but she was so
little and so quick that he couldn't catch her. He ran outside after her,
but by the time the giant had taken a dozen steps, Molly had crossed the
Bridge-of-One-Hair. The giant, of course, could not cross the bridge and
stood shaking his fist and yelling "Molly Wuppie, if ever you come back
again I will grind your bones to flour and eat you for my supper. I won't
give you another chance to escape."
Molly Wuppie stood on the far side of the chasm with the crown in her
arms. "I will visit you no more, old giant," she called,"And you will rue
the day you threatened Molly Wuppie. You have beaten your wife and
destroyed her children. She will no longer countenence your evil. She will
want vengence upon you!"
Molly carried the crown back to the king and watched with shining eyes
as he triumphantly placed it upon his head.
 Molly married the
king's youngest son that very afternoon. The king sent for her parents and
brothers and sisters and brought them to live in the castle, where they
always had plenty to eat and plenty to wear and where each of her brothers
and sisters had a bed to themselves.
Molly Wuppie loved the king's son sincerely and lived happily ever
after.
As for the giant; he was never seen again.
The End
|