an old unmoving

an old unmoving

threshing machine serves to hold

an empty bird nest

Twelve blind men are standing around a big contraption on the edge of a cornfield. Each one puts out his hands to identify the object. The first blind man says, "It's a bird's nest."

The second blind man says, "It's a metal pail with a lid."

The third blind man says, "It's a pair of spur gears."

The fourth blind man says, "It's a wooden latch on a wooden door."

The fifth blind man says, "It's a metal plaque with some letters and numbers, but not in Braille, so I can't read it."

The sixth blind man says, "It's a wheel with a handle sticking out from it."

The seventh blind man says, "It's a spool wrapped with thick cord wire."

The eighth blind man says, "It's a pair of wing nuts on a metal wall."

The ninth blind man says, "It's a wide wheel with four curved spokes on a metal chute."

The tenth blind man says, "It's a really old brake pad."

The eleventh blind man says, "It's a chain with rectangular links connecting two gears."

The twelfth man says, "It's a pitchfork."

A sighted person reads a plaque that says, "Nichols & Shepard Co. The Red River Special Line," looks at the nearby corn field and pronounces: "It's an old thresher."