Her father has sworn that he will give her hand in marriage to anyone who can make the girl laugh. On the last day, Jack is struggling home with a donkey over his shoulder when he passes the home of a princess, or at least a rich girl, who never laughs. Each day, he does with his new item what he should have done the day before. The next day he is paid in butter or cheese,which he puts on his head. When the next day he is paid in milk, he puts it in his pocket, and his mother tells him he should have carried it on his head.
When he is paid in money, he loses it, and his mother tells him he should have put it in his pocket. The basic story is of Jack, a foolish and lazy fellow who goes out to find work. “ Lazy Jack,” or “Foolish Jack,” is a “noodlehead tale” found in many different countries.
