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

the dinner ready. So, when dinner
time drew near he put the quern on til
kitchen table and said:
Grind herrings and broth, and grim
them good and fast
SO the quern began to grind herring
and broth; first of all, all the dishes full
then all the tubs full, and 80 on till tn
kitchen floor was quite covered. TheI
the man twisted and twirled at tn
quern to get it to stop, but for all hi
twisting and lingering the quern wen
on grinding, and in little while tn,
broth rose so high that the man was lik,
to drown. So ne threw. open the kitch
en- door and ran into the parlor; but i
wasn't long before the quern hat
ground the parlor full, too, and it Wa.
only at the risk of his life that the mar
could get hold of the latch of the house
door through the stream of broth
When ne got the door open he ran out
and set off down the road, with the
stream of herrings and broth at his
heels, roaring like waterfall over the
whole farm.
Now, his odd dame, who was in the
field tossing hay, thought it long time
to dinner, and at last she said:
Well, though the master doesn't call
us home, we may as well go; maybe he
find sit hard work to boil the broth and
will be glad of my help"
The men were willing enough. SO thew
sauntered homeward; but just as they
had got a little way up the hill what
should they meet but herrings, and
broth, and bread, all running, and dash
ing, and splashing together in a stream.
and the master himself running before
them for his life, and as he passed them
he bawled out, "Would to Heaven each
OF you had 100 throats; but take care
you're not drowned in the broth"
Away he went, as though the evil one
were at his heels, to his brothers house.
and begged him for Gods sake to take
back the quern that instant; for, said
he:
IF it grinds only one hour more the
whole parish will be swallowed up by
herrings and BROTH"
But his brother wouldn't hear of tax
ing it back till the other paid him down
$500 more.
Sothe poor brother got both the money
and the quern, and it wasn't long before
he set up farmhouse far finer than
the one in which his brother lived, and
with the quern he ground so much gold
that he covered it with plates of gold:
and, as the farm lay by the seaside, the
golden house cleaned and glistened far
away over the sea. All who sailed by
put ashore to see the rich man in the
golden house, and to see the wonderful
quern, the fame of which spread far and
wide till there was nobody who hadn't
heard tell of it,
SO one day there came a skipper who
wanted to see the quern, and the first
thing he asked was if it could grind
salt.
Grind salt?" said the owner: az
should Just think it could. 1t can grind
When the skipper heard that he said
he must have the guern, cost what it
would; for if he only had it he thought
he should be rid of his long voyages
across stormy seas for a lading of salt.
Well, at first the man wouldn't hear of J
parting with the quern, but the skipper
begged and prayed so hard that at last
he let him have it, but he had to paw
many, many thousand dollars for it.
Now, when the skipper had got the
Iuern on his back he soon made off with
t, for he was afraid lest the man should
'hange his mind; so he had no time to |
isk how to handle the quern, but got
III board his shipas fast as he could and
yet sail. When he had sailed good |
way off he brought the quern on deck
md said
Grind salt, and grind both good and
asst"
Well, the quern began to grind salt so
hat it poured out like water: and when
he skipper had got the ship full he
Wished to stop the quern, but which
Yer way he turned it, and however
much he tried, it was no good, the quern
'ept grinding on, and the heap of salt
rev higher and higher, and at last
Town sunk the ship.
There lies the quern at the bottom of
he sea and grinds away at this very
lay, and that is the reason why the sea
s salt.