_A nonsense story for amusement showing the strange adventures of
three homely articles._
A dish of beans was cooking on the stove. The old woman had made a
fire and it was burning brightly, and the beans were getting hotter
and hotter. The pot was full to the top, and soon one bean jumped
out and fell on the floor near a straw. The fire crackled and
sputtered and a live coal popped out and fell down near the bean
and the straw.
“Where did you come from?” they asked the live coal.
“I came out of the fire,” said the coal; “if I had not popped out
just when I did I should have been burned to ashes by this time.”
“You see,” said the straw, “the old woman put a lot of us under
the fire, and the rest are gone by this time. I am glad I fell on
the floor. Come, let us travel in the world and see what we can
see.”
So the bean, the coal, and the straw started out into the world.
The straw was slender and could take long steps, but the coal and
the bean were short and were soon out of breath.
“Let us stop by this brook and rest awhile,” said the coal. “I am
really hotter than I should be--see how I am glowing!” They all
agreed and sat down by the brook for the coal to cool off a little.
They decided to cross the brook to see what was on the other side.
There was no bridge, and they could not find any log which they
could use. They thought for a long time. At last the bean said:
“I must be moving, for if I stay here much longer I shall sprout
and take root, and then I can never get away.” So the bean got up
and rolled over a few times just to harden its skin.
The coal was almost asleep, but the straw blew in its face which
started out a red color in its cheeks, so that it woke up at once.
Then the straw said:
“I will lay myself across the stream, and then you cross over me;
but be very careful.” So the straw made a bridge of itself across
the stream.
The coal started over, but being hot it was very much frightened
at the water and stopped in the middle of the straw. When the coal
stopped the straw began to burn and soon was half in two. Plump!
went the coal into the water and was drowned. The straw floated on
down the stream in two pieces.
The bean saw all this and laughed so that it split wide open. A
tailor came along and sewed the bean up with black thread. The bean
thanked the kind tailor for this; but to this very day all beans
have black seams down their backs.