The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-01-16

the dinner ready. So, when dinner
time drew near he put the quern on the
kitchen table and said:
Grind behring's and broth, and grind
them good and fast
So the quern began to grind behring's
and broth; first of all, all the dishes full,
then all the tubs full, and so on till the
kitchen floor was quite covered. Then
the man twisted and twirled at the
quern to get it to stop, but for all his
twisting and lingering the quern went
on grinding, and in little while the
broth rose so high that the man was like
to drown. So ne threw open the kitch-
en- door and ran into the parlor; but it
wasn't long before the quern had
ground the parlor full, too, and it was
only at the risk of his life that the man
could get hold of the latch of the house
door through the stream of broth.
When he 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 old 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 we'll go; maybe he
find sit hard work to boil the broth and
will be glad of my help"
The men were willing enough, so they
sauntered homeward but just as they
had got little way up the hill what
should they meet but herrings, and
broth, and bread, all running, and dash
ing, and splashing together in 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 Threats; 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:
eff it grinds only one hour more the
whole parish will be swallowed up by
behring's and broth"
But his brother wouldn't hear of tax
ing it back till the other paid him down
$500 more
So the poor brother got both the money
and the quern, and it wasn't long before
he set UP d 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 skipper who
wanted to see the quern, and the first
thing he asked was if it could grind
salt
"Grind salt?" said the owner; ct
should just think it could. It can grind
anything" ..
When the skipper heard that, he said
ne must have the quern, cost what it
would; for if he only had it he thought
he should be. rid of his long voyages
across stormy seas for lading of salt.
Well, at first the man wouldn't hear of
parting with the quern, but the skipper
begged and prayed so hard that at last
he let him have it, but he had to pay
many, many thousand dollars for it.
Now, when the skipper had got the
quern on his back he soon made off with
it, for he was afraid lest the man should
change his mind; so he had no time to
ask how to handle the quern, but got
on board his shipa fast as he could and
set sail. When he had sailed a good
way off he brought the quern on deck
and said
" Grind salt, and grind both good and
fast"
Well, the quern began to grind salt so
that it poured out like water; and when
the skipper had got the ship full he
wished to stop the quern, but which
ever way he turned it, and however
much he tried, it was no good, the quern
kept grinding on, and the heap Of salt
grew higher and higher, and at last
down sunk the ship. ...
There lies the quern at the bottom of
the sea and grinds away at this very
day, and that is the reason why the sea
is SALT