The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-02-17
WONDERFUL QUERN
HOW THE NORWEGlANS EXPLAIN
WHY THE SEA IS SAL.
Magic Mill That Ground Out Riches
For the Poor Brother While Ii
Frightened the Rich One-The Sail
or Who Made 1t Grind Salt.

For the Poor Brother while 1t
Frightened the Rich One-The Sail
or Who Made 1t Grind Salt.
There is an old fashioned Norwegian
folk talk that accounts in a very curious
way for the salt in the sea. According
to the story. the waters of the ocean
We're nog always salt. But long ago
there We're two brothers living away
up in the n%orthland. One was very
rich. and the other was very poor. One
brother had herds of cattle and fiocks
of fat mountain sheep. while the poor
n had just about nothing at all eX-
cept a wife and ever so many children.
One Christmas eve there was nothing
in the house for them to eat, and the
poor mans wife said to her husband:
IF | had a rich brother. as you have,
1 would go and ask him for something
for these poor children to eat. Tomor-
row will be Christmas day, and there
is not d crust of bread in the house."
So he went to his brother and told
him how much they needed his help.
The rich man gave him a nice fitch of
bacon and told him to go to an old ma
gician who lived somewhere in the
mountains. l do not know why he SEM
the poor man to the magician, for the
latter did not bear a very good name
in the neighborhood. However, when
he came to the magician's stronghold
everybody about the place wanted to
buy his fitch of bacon. He could not
understand why it was, but he thought
if there was so much demand for the
I,4n 10 ,r,,,II - Ia,.t ,,I 10 a., l.,@
bargain he could for it.
We'll" he said. Il ought by rights to
take this bacon home to my good dame
for our dinner tomorrow. but since you
all seem to have set your hearts on it |
suppose you must have it. If | sell it,
however, want a good price for it."
They offered him Il good round sum-.
but that would not do.
Il will let you have it." he said. IF
o will give me that quern yonder be-
hind the door"
a quern is one of the things that it
would be very hard to find nowadays.
because they have zone out of fashion.
A quern is a mill for grinding corn by
hand. and it consists of two large
stones. an upper and a lower one. the
upper one having q handle by which it
may be turned around on the lower
stone, grinding the corn or grain be
tween them.
The old magician at first laughed out
right at the idea of any n thinking
that he would part with his quern. but
the owner of the bacon insisted that he
would be satisfied with nothing less
than thot co hp finally o0t If
When he reached his own door the
clock was striking II and his wife was
waiting for him. ready to scOld him for
staying so long.
What in the world kept you so
long?" she asked. And what are we
going to do with that old quern when
we have no corn to grind?'
Then he told her of his trading the
bacon for the quern. She was dread
fully put out about it and especially at
the loss of the bacon.
Just wait a minute" said her hus-
band, before you begin to complain.
and see if | did not do right this. time"
And, putting the quern on the table.
he told it to grind enough good things
to make a first rate dinner for twelve
IuL5ly loulIiS. LIS II 1Oulu LlIuIt !
believe her eyes as she stood there and
watched the quern grinding out dain-
ties enough to last a week.
The rich brother CHANGED to hear how
well his poor brothers family was liv-
ing, and when he came and saw what
an elegant table they kept he was en-
vious and wanted to know where they
got the money to buy the things. For
a long time they kept the secret of the
old quern. but somehow it got out at
last. They We're so proud of it that
they could not help telling all about it.
and the rich brother insisted on buy
ing the quern. Finally they let him
have it for $500.
1t kept on grinding for its new own
err, but he was afraid of it. never feel
ing sure of what it would do next. so
he made his brother take it pack at
the same price. The poor man was
glad to get it back again, and it ground
out untold riches for himself and his
family. They had everything they de
sired. among other things a golden
house to live in. and the people came
from every land to see the magnifi-
cence of the family that owned the
wonderful quern.
One day a stranger, an old seaman
who had been all around the then
known world. came to see the quern
and wanted it to grind salt.
1t is supposed that the owner of the
quern was rich enough by this time. for
he let it go for a moderate sum. and.
fearing that he might repent of having
sold it. the old sailor put to sea at once
with his prize. anxious to know how it
would work. When he had sailed so
far out that no one could reach him. he
said to the 0uern:
Grind salt and grind both fast and
good"
No oo,nnr bnl bn iro tho nrdor