ea, before he determined to set the mill to
work. "Now, mill, grind salt," said he; "grind salt with all your
might!--salt, salt, and nothing but salt!" The mill began to grind and the
sailors to fill the sacks; but these were soon full, and in spite of all
that could be done, it began to fill the ship.

9. The dishonest merchant was now very much frightened. What was to be
done? The mill would not stop grinding; and at last the ship was
overloaded, and down it went, making a great whirlpool where it sank. The
ship soon went to pieces; but the mill stands on the bottom of the sea,
and keeps grinding out "salt, salt, nothing but salt!" That is the
reason, say the peasants of Denmark and Norway, why the sea is salt.

DEFINITIONS.--l. De-vout'ly, in a reverent manner. 5. Re--flect'ing,
throwing back light, heat, etc., as a mirror. Land'-mark, an object on
land serving as a guide to seamen. Ex-traor'--di-na-ry, wonderful. 9.
Whirl'-pool, a gulf in which the water moves round in a circle. Peas'ents,
those belonging to the lowest class of tillers of the soil in Europe.

EXERCISES.--What is a "fairy tale"? What fairy people are told about in
this story? How did the poor man find the way to the land of the dwarfs?
Do you think the old man would have told him if the poor man had not been
so polite? How did the poor man treat his rich brother in return for his
unkindness? How was the greed of the dishonest merchant punished? What is
meant by "strangers from foreign parts"? Where are Denmark and Norway?

V. POPPING CORN. (34)

1. One autumn night, when the wind was high,
And the rain fell in heavy plashes,
A little boy sat by the kitchen fire,
A-popping corn in the ashes;
And his sister, a curly-haired child of three,
Sat looking on, just close to his knee.

2. Pop! pop! and the kernels, one by one,
Came out of the embers flying;
The boy held a long pine stick in his hand,
And kept it busily plying;
He stirred the corn and it snapped the more,
And faster jumped to the clean-swept floor.

3. Part of the kernels flew one way,
And a part hopped out the other;
Some flew plump into the sister's lap,
Some under the stool of the brother;
The little girl gathered them into a heap,
And called them a flock of milk-white sheep.

VI. SMILES. (35)

1. Poor lame Jennie sat at her window, looking out upon the dismal, narrow
street, with a look of pain and weari