THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN.
I.
Preparation.
The story of a straw, a coal, and a bean. How they met, how they started on a journey, and what happened to them.
Children imagine how they could meet.
Narration.
THE MEETING.
In a little house in a village there once lived an old woman. One day this old woman went to her garden and picked some beans for her dinner. She had a fire on the hearth, but to make it burn brighter she threw on a handful of straw.
One of the straws slipped out of her fingers and lay on the floor. As she threw the beans into the pot to boil, a bean fell on the floor and lay quite near the straw. Suddenly a red-hot coal bounced out of the fire and fell close to the straw and the bean.
They both started away, calling out, “Friend, do not come near us until you are cooler. What brings you out here?” “Oh!” said the coal, “the heat made me so strong that I was able to bounce from the fire. And a lucky thing it was for me, too, for if I had stayed there I would surely have been burned to ashes.”
Then the bean said, “I also had a narrow escape. If the old woman had put me into the pot with the others, I would certainly have been boiled to death.” “It was a good thing for me,” said the straw, “that I slipped through the old woman’s fingers, or I would have been burned with the others.” And so the three talked as they lay on the hearthstone together.
Suggestions.
Recall fireplace in other stories. Fire.
Talk of straw, its uses, how obtained, etc.
II.
Preparation.
The straw, the coal and the bean plan to go on a journey. Their troubles. Children give reasons for going. Imagine what their troubles may be.
Explain tailor.
Narration.
THE JOURNEY.
After the straw, the coal and the bean had talked together awhile, the coal said, “Well, what shall we do now?” “I think,” said the bean, “that we had better leave this place as quickly as possible. If the old woman sees us she will put me into the pot.” “Yes,” said the straw, “that is a good idea. Let us go quickly and travel to some more friendly country.” So the three set off together.
By and by they came to a little stream over which there was no bridge. They were puzzled to know how to get across. Finally the straw said, “I will place myself across the stream and you can walk over me as if I were a bridge.” So the straw laid himself from one bank to the other and the coal started to trip gaily across. But when he reached the middle he heard the waters rushing under him. He became frightened and stood still. It was a great pity that he did this, for, as he was quite hot, the straw became scorched. It broke in two, fell into the water, and floated away. The coal fell in also and, with a hiss, sank to the bottom of the stream.
The bean, who had remained upon the bank, saw all that had happened to her two friends. It seemed so funny to her that she laughed and laughed until she burst her skin. She was now as badly off as the others, and felt very sad indeed.
Just then a tailor came along. He also was traveling and, being tired, sat down on the bank to rest. He saw what trouble the poor bean was in. Being a kind-hearted man, he took a needle and thread out of his pocket and sewed up the bean’s torn skin. And from that day to this every bean has a scar on its back, showing where the kind-hearted tailor sewed its ancestor’s torn skin.
Suggestions.
Bean; uses; how prepared for food; appearance; where obtained. Recall similar incident in “Death of the Cock.”
Kindness and unkindness of friends or companions as shown in this story. Recall instances of the same traits in other stories. (“The Death of the Cock”; “Birdie and Lena”).
Kindness and unkindness as shown to strangers in this story. Recall examples in “The Cock and the Hen,” “The Death of the Cock,” “The Street Musicians.”