The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-01-16
WHY the Sea Is Salt.

why the Sea Is Salt.
Once on time, but it was a long,
long time ago, there were two brothers,
one rich and one poor. Now, one Christ
mas eve the poor one hadn't so much as
crumb in the house, either of meat or
bread, so he went to his brother to ask
him for something to keep Christmas
with, in Gods name. IT was not the
first time his brother had been forced
to help him, and you may fancy he
wasn't very glad to see his face, but he
said:
If you will do what I ask you to do,
I'll give you whole fitch of bacon"
So the poor brother said he would do
anything, and was full of thanks.
Well, here is the FITCH" said the
rich brother, and now go straight to
hell"
What I have given my word to do
must stick to-" said the other; SO he
took the fitch and set off. He walked
the whole day and at dusk he came to a
place where he saw very bright light.
Maybe this is the place. said the
man to himself So he turned aside,
and the first thing he saw was an old,
old man, with long white beard, who
stood in an clubhouse hewing wood for
the Christmas fire.
"Good even," said the man with the
fitch.
"The same to you; whittier are you
going so late?" said the man.
ooh! I'm going to hell, if [ only
knew the right way" answered the poor
man.
well, you're not far wrong, for this
is hell" said the old man: "when you
get inside they will be all for buying
your fitch. for meat is scarce in hell |;
but mind you DOM sell it unless you
get the hand-quern that stands behind
the door for it. When you come out I'll
teach you how to handle the quern, for
it's good to grind almost anything"
So the man with the fitch thanked
the other for his good advice and gave
great knock at the devils door.
When he got in everything went just
as the old man had said. All the devils,
great and small, came swarming up to
him like ants round an ant-hill, and
each tried to outbid the other for the
fitch.
"Well !" said the man, "by rights my
old dame and | oughtto have this fitch
for our Christmas dinner; but, since you
have all set your hearts on it, I suppose
[ must give it up to you; but, if I sell it
at all, I'll have for it that quern behind
the door yonder."
At first the devil wouldn't hear of
such bargain, and chartered and bag
gled with the man; but he stuck to
what he said, and at last the devil had to
part with his quern. When the man
got out into the yard he asked the old
wood-cutter how he was to handle the
quern; and, after he had heard how to
use it, he thanked the old man and went
off home as fast as he could, but still
the clock had struck II on Christmas
eve before he had reached his own door.
Wherever in the world have you
been?" said his old dame; here have
I sat, hour after hour, waiting and
watching, without so much as two sticks
to lay together under the Christmas
brose."
Obi" said the man. Il could not
get back before, for I had to go long
way, first for one thing and then for an
other, but now you shall see what you
shall see."
So he put the quern on the table and
pade it first of all grind lights, then a
table-cloth, then meat, then ale, and so
on till they had got everything that was
nice for Christmas fare. He had only
to speak the word and the quern
ground out what he wanted The old
dame stood by blessing her stars and
kept on asking where he had got this
wonderful quern, but he wouldn't tell
her.
It's all one where I got it from; you
see the quern is good one, and
the mill-stream never freezes, that's
enough
So he ground meat and drink and
dainties enough to last till Twelfth day,
and on the third day he asked all his
friends and kin to his house and gave
great feast. Now, when his rich brother
saw all that was on the table and all
that was behind in the larder, he grew
quite spiteful and wild, for he couldn't
bear that his brother should have any
thing.
80 Twas only on Christmas eve," he
said to the rest, " he was in such straits
that he came and asked for morsel of
food in Gods name, and now he gives a
feast as if he were Count or King" and
he turned to his brother and said:
"But whence, in hell's name, have
you got all this wealth."
From behind the door," answered
the owner of the quern, for he didn't
care to let the cat out of the bag. But,
later in the evening, when he had got a
drop too much, he could keep his secret
no longer, and brought out the quern
and said:
There, you see what has gotten me
all this wealth. and so he made the
quern grind all kinds of things. When