The Rolling Plum is in the second grade reader the Open Road to Reading published by the New South Wales Department of Education in the 1950s and 60s.
On the topmost branch of a plum tree grew a fine red plum. From his perch he could see all the fruit trees in the orchard, and over their heads he could see Mr Brown's farmhouse.
"How I should like to go and see the world," he said. "It looks like a wonderful place."
"See the world, indeed," laughed the mother tree, "you'll be picked up and eaten one of these days and that's how YOU will see the world. I know, because I've seen it happen so many times."
The plum felt very sad, but he said to himself, "I won't be eaten! I'll go and see the world instead."
So, one day when old Mr Wind came rushing through the orchard, the plum at the top of the tree shook himself right off the branch, and down he fell on the soft grass beneath.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" cried all the plums. But the fallen plum only laughed.
"Don't you worry yourselves about me, I'm off to see the world. Ho! ho! ho! off I go!"
He came to the gate, and slipping underneath it, found himself on the dusty road.
The plum rolled merrily along, his beautiful coat getting grey with dust, but he didn't care about that.
"This is the great world," he said, "and what does a dusty coat matter when one is off to the see the world?"
Soon he came to a farm-house, and just as he passed the gate, a little kitten ran out. It saw the rolling plum and made a dash for it.
"Ho! ho! ho! off we go!" cried the plum as he went racing off with the kitten running behind him. But the kitten soon gave up the chase, for it saw a leaf to play with.
The the plum sang a song as it went rolling along,
"I'm a rolling plum, and you can't catch me, for I'm off to look at the world, you see."
After a while the plum met an old woman coming across the road.
"My, here's a fine plum," she said, "I've a good mind to take it home, wash it, and put it in a pie."
"Ho! ho! ho! off we go!" called the plum, as he twisted himself out of reach of her clutching fingers.
The old woman ran after him, and a merry race it was while it lasted, but she could not run far or fast, so she sat by the roadside to rest while the plum went on alone.
"I'm a rolling plum, and you can't catch me, for I'm off to look at the world, you see," sang he, as he rolled happily away.
Presently he saw a gate leading into a meadow. There were daisies growing in the grass.
"What a pretty place," thought the plum, "that's the way for me," and under the gate he went, and away over the cool green grass, which wiped all the dust from his coat and left him looking smarter than ever.
A party of boys and girls were having a picnic in the shade of the trees, which grew at the side of the field.
One of the children noticed the plum twirling by.
"What a lovely plum," she said, "I'll have it for tea."
After the plum she went as fast as her legs could carry her, and behind her ran all the others eager to join in the chase.
"Ho! ho! ho! off we go!" called the plum.
What a merry race it was to be sure! Here, there, and everywhere led the plum, and here, there and everywhere followed the children, but always the plum managed to keep just out of reach.
At last, tired and out of breath, they flung themselves down, laughing while the plum went on alone.
"I'm a rolling plum, and you can't catch me, for I'm off to look at the world, you see," he sang gaily, as he rolled far, far away from the picnic party.
After crossing the meadows he came at last to a brook.
A boy was sitting on the bank catching minnows in a net. His sharp eyes soon spied the plum.
"I'd like a fine juicy plum to eat," said he, but the plum only laughed.
"Ho! ho! ho! off we go!"
Then began the hardest race of all, for the boy ran his hardest with his net in his hand, and all the time the plum rolled faster and faster.
Many a time the net came down and almost caught him, but always he managed to twist himself aside.
Then the boy made one last dash. Down came the net.
"Hurrah," said the boy, "I've caught you at last, have I?"
But he hadn't. When he lifted the nest there was no plum to be seen. He hunted everywhere, but no fine, fat plum was to be found.
In the end, he went back to his fishing feeling very puzzled, and when the plum heard his footsteps growing faint in the distance, he sang his song joyfully,
"I'm a rolling plum, and you can't catch me, for I'm off to look at the world, you see," for the plum was there all the time. He had tumbled into a hole in the grass, and had been keeping very still and quiet.
"Ho! ho! ho! off we go," said he. "I may as well go on and see what I can of the world."
But he could not go. He twisted and turned, but he was stuck fast.
"Well, here I am, and here I must stay. I feel very tired after running all those races, so I'll have a little nap, and, perhaps, I can get out of this hole when I wake."
So he cuddled down and was soon fast asleep in the warm earth. His sleep was long and sound, for all through the winter he lay there, and did not even know when Jack Frost came.
One fine Spring morning he awoke.
"Now, I'll get out of this hole and go and see the world again," he said.
"Ho! ho! ho! off I go!"
So he stretched his head till he could peep out at the world, but he could not roll away, for while he slept he had grown some little white roots, which kept him fast in the ground. Higher and higher he lifted his head, till at last he could see across the field.
Each year since, he has grown taller until now is is a fine plum tree, and when people walk through the meadow, they often stop to admire him.
"I wonder how a plum tree came to grow in the middle of a field," they say.
But we know, don't we?
End of transcript.