The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-01-17

@.N'-N SO eO@4NASo w hCCD
with, in Gods name. IT was not tn
first time his brother had been force
, to help him, and you may fancy h
wasn't very glad to see his face. but h
J, said:
A If you will do what l ask YOU to dc
$ I'll give you whole fitch of bacon"
So the poor brother said he would d.
anything, and was full of thanks.
Well, here is the fitch" said tn
rich brother, and now go straight t,
, hell"
, What L have given nv word to do
must stick to- said the other; so h,
took the fitch and set off. He Wake,
the whole day and at dusk he came To
place where he saw a very bright light
Maybe this is the place." said tn.
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 fol
the Christmas fire
Good even" said the man with tn,
fitch.
The same TO you; whittier are yo,
going so late?" said the man.
oh! I'm going to hell, if / only
knew the right way" answered the pool
man.
We'll, you're not far wrong. for this
Is hell, said the old man; when you
get inside they will be all for buyinp
your fitch. for meat is scarce in hell,
but mind you don't 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 lust
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.
j." Well said the man. "by rights nv
old dame and l ought to have this fitch
for our Christmas dinner; but, since you
have all set your hearts on it, 1 suppose
L must give 1T up to you; but if / sell it
mt all, I'll have for it that quern behind
the door yondel.'
At first the devil wouldn't hear of
such bargain, and chartered and hag-
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 1T, 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
L sat, hour after hour, waiting and
watching, without so much as two sticks
to lay together under the Christmas
brose."
"Oh!" said the man. Il could not
get back before, for l 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
babe 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 be had got this
wonderful quern, but he wouldn't tell
her.
It's all one where l got it from; Won
see the quern is "A 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
a 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
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 I
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
drop too much, he could keep his secret !
no longer, and brought out the quern
aad said:
There, you see what has gotten me 1
all this wealth." and so he made the /
quern grind all kinds of things. When
his brother saw it he set his heart on hav-
ing the quern, and after deal of coax
ing he got it; but he had to pay $500
for it, and his brother bargained TO keep
it till hay harvest, for be thought, if I
keep it till then / can make 1t grind
meat and drink that will last for years.
So you may fancy the quern didn't grow
rusty for want of work, and when hay
harvest came the rich brother got it. but
the other took care not to teach him
how to handle it.
1t was evening when the rich brother
got the quern home, and next morning
be told his wife to go out into the hay
field and toss while the mowers cut the
grass and he would stay at home and get