8. THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN. 



upon a time, there was an old woman 

 who lived in a village. One day she went into 

 her garden to gather some beans for her dinner. 



She had a good fire, but to make it burn more 

 quickly, she threw on a handful of straw. 



As she threw the beans into the pot to boil, one 

 of them fell on the floor not far from a wisp of 

 straw which was lying near. 



Suddenly a glowing coal bounded out of the fire 

 and fell close to them. They both started away, 

 and exclaimed, " Dear friend, don't come near me 

 till you are cooler. What brings you out here ? " 



" Oh," replied the coal, " the heat made me so 

 strong that I was able to bound from the fire. Had 

 I not done so, my death would have been certain, 

 and I should have been burned to ashes by this 

 time." 



"Then," said the bean, "I have also escaped being 

 scalded to death, for had the old woman put me in 

 the pot with my comrades, I should have been 

 boiled to broth." 



