Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-03-04
A WONDERFUL QUERN
HOW THE NoRWEGlANS EXPLAIN
WHY THE SEA IS SALT.

FOR the POOr brother While 1T
Frightened the Rich One-The Sail
Or Who Made 1t Grind Salt.
Th~re is an old fashioned Norwegian
folk talk that accounts in very curious
way for the salt in the sea. According
to the story, the waters of the ocean
were not always salt. But long ago
there were two brothers living away
up in the northland. One was very
rich, and the other was very poor. One
brother had herds of cattle and focks
Of fat mountain sheep, while the poor
one had just about nothing at all ex-
cept 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 rich brother, as you have,
would 60 and ask him for something
for these poor children to eat. Tomor-
row will be Christmas day, and there
is not a 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 nice fitch of
bacon and told him to go to an old ma
gician who lived somewhere in the
mountains. do not know why he sent
the poor man to the magician, for the
latter did not bear 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
bacon he would at least make the best
bargain he could for it
"Well," he said, II 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 I
suppose you must have it. If sell it,
however, l want good price for it,
They offered him a good round sum.
but that would not do.
Il will let you have it." he said, IF
you 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 gone 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 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 one thinking
that he would part with his quern. but
the owner Of the bacon insisted that he
would be satisfied with nothing less
than that, SO he finally got it.
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 80
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
hungry mouths. His wife could hardly
believe her eyes as she stood there and
watched the quern grinding out dain-
ties enough to last 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
long time they kept the secret of the
old quern, but somehow it got out at
hast. They were SO proud Of it that
they could not help telling all about 1t,
and the rich brother insisted on buy
ing the quern. Finally they let him
have it for $500. -.
1t kept on grinding for it's new own
q, but he was afraid of it, never feel
ing sure of what it would do next, so
he made his brother take it back 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 golden
house to live in, and the people came
from every land to see the magnifi-
sence of the family that owned the
wonderful quern. -. ...:
One day stranger, an old seaman
who had been all around the then
known world, came to see. the quern
and wanted 1t to grind salt. z..5s
It 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
Dold it, the old sailor put to sea at once
| with his prize, anxious to know how II
would work. When he had sailed 90
far out that no one could reach him. he
said to the quern: HI s5%@ ~ ;@.s3 Il.
| "Grind salt and grind both fast and
good. . & m .:.. Z "a
4 No sooner had he given the order
MAN the quern began to grind heaps
and heaps Of salt all over the deck I'M
j III the ship was ready to sink to the
4 bottom Of the sea. Scared half to
Aoaff, fhs <sl6 aailnap hoD0o6 tho nslfsa.n