The Straw, The Coal And The Bean

In a certaln village there dwelt a poor ohl woman wiio had gathered a disli of beans which she wished to cook. So she made a fire upon the hearth, and that it might biirn the (liiiekershe lighted it with a handful of straw. And, as she shook the beans up in the saueepan, one feil out unperceived and came down npon the ground, near a straw ; soon after a glowingcoal burst ont of the fire and feil just by these two. Tben the Straw began to say: "My dear friend, whence do you comei1" The Coal replied, "By good luck I have sprang out of the fire, and if I hadnot jumped away by f orce my death had been certain and 1 should have been reduced to ashes." The Bean continued, "I also have got away with a whole skin, but had the old woman put me in the pot with the others 1 should have been boiled to pienes, as mycomrades are." "Would a Letter f ate have fallen to my share?" said the Straw ; "for the o!d woman has suff ocated in fire and smoke all my brothers ; sixty has she put on at once and deprived of life; happily, T slipped between her fingers." "But what shall we do now V" asked the Coal. "Ithink, answered tlie J5ean, "since we have so luckily escaped death, we will join in partnership, and keep together like good eompanions; lest a new misfortune overtake us, let us wander forthanu travel uto a strange country." Thia proposition pleased the two others, and they set out on their travels. l'resently they caine to a little stream over which there was no bridge or path, and they did not know how they should get over. The Straw gave good adv ice and said, "I will lay myself across, so that you may cross over upon nie, as upon ;i bridge." So "- " ... ti-iii--1 ' "■■■ wi fl fi-Ani litlP bank to the otlier, and the C'oal, wincn was of a Berv nature, tripped lightly upon the newly built bridge. But when it came to the raiddle of it and heard the water running along beneath it was frightened and stood still, not daring to go further. The Straw, however, beginning to burn, broke in two and feil into the stream, and the Coal, slippingafter, hissed as it reached the water and gave up the ghost. The Beau, which had prudently remained upon the shore, was forced to laugh at this accident, and the joke being so good it laughed so immoderately that it buist itself. Now, they would all been done for alike, if a tailor, who was out on nis wanderings, had not just then, by great good luck, sat himself down near the stream. Ilaving a commiserating heart he took out needie and thread and sowed the Bean together. The Bean thanked him exceedingly; but, as the tailor used black thread, it has happened since that time that every Bean has a black seam. - N. Y. World.