It is true he had on a clean white coat, so smooth and shining that it
looked as if it had been newly starched and ironed, and inside of this,
he hugged two stout packages.
The coat had only one fastening; but that fastening extended down the
back, and was a curious thing to see.
It looked just as if the coat had been cut with a knife, and had
afterward grown together again. It was like a scar on your hand; and a
scar it is called.
"Yes, I ought to be growing," said the little voice, "for I am a bean,
and in the spring a bean ought to grow."
Now you know how the coat came by its scar, for the scar was the spot
which showed where the bean had been broken from the pod.
"What do you mean by growing?" said the other voice, which came from a
large red stone.
"Why," said the bean, "don't you know what growing means? I thought
every thing knew how to grow. You see, when I grow, my root goes down
into the soil to get moisture, and my stem goes up into the light to
find heat. Heat and moisture are my food and drink.
"By and by, I shall be a full-grown plant, and that is wonderful! In the
ground, my roots will travel far and wide.
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