At once the gods set to work, and the walls of a mighty city began to rise. With great joy and a mighty will Odin and Thor and Balder and all their brethren worked. Early and late they toiled, exerting their great strength and magic powers to the utmost. For weeks and months and years the work went forward.

Even the goddesses became so interested that they shared in the labor. Frigga herself, the queen, brought stones in a marble wheelbarrow. The other goddesses brought water in golden buckets, and mixed the mortar with silver plates. So the walls of the great city were built with labor and great joy. Inside marble hall after marble hall arose, tower after tower, and palace after palace, until in the end all was finished.

A great happiness took possession of all the gods as they stood and looked at their work. In the center was the seat of Odin, which they called Air Throne. On one side of this was the palace of Frigga, and on the other Gladsheim, in which was a great hall called Valhalla. This hall was decorated with spears and shields and coats of mail. It had five hundred and forty entrance gates, through each of which eight hundred men could ride abreast. This was the hall of heroes; here Odin received all brave men after death, and here they continued their heroic lives.

That night all the gods feasted in Valhalla, and rejoiced together over the success of their great labors. Their new home they named Asgard, which means the abode of the gods.

C. M. S.

THE COST OF WISDOM

THE morning after Asgard had been finished, Odin seated himself upon Air Throne and looked out over the whole earth.

"It is very beautiful," he said, "but there is much to be done. Men are so thoughtless and simple; besides, there are the giants and the dwarfs that ever work mischief and evil. I behold now a man sowing seeds in the field, and behind him is a wicked dwarf changing the seeds into stones. Many a cruel deed those dwarfs have done, but there must be an end to this."

The Allfather called his messenger Hermod and sent him to summon the dwarfs and light elves to the palace of Gladsheim. The elves began to tremble when they heard the command, but they knew it would be better for them to obey. Accordingly they obeyed at once; and, when they arrived, they found Odin and the other gods in the judgment hall of the palace. Whispering and cringing they came into the presence of Allfather. They feared punishment for their wickedness.

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Why," said Odin to the black elves, "do you work evil to man? I behold you attempting to slay

Krasir."

Even now,

"Nay, nay, Allfather," cried the dwarfs, "you are mistaken. It was only a joke we were about to play on noble Krasir."

"For your evil doing and your falsehood," cried Odin,

"I banish you workers of sin to the inmost center of the earth. There you shall feed forever the great fires that warm the world."

"But, Allfather," cried some of the dwarfs, "many of us have never delighted in evil; we have only done mischief now and then."

"Such," said Odin, "are to work in the mines, making for man's use metals and precious stones."

All the dwarfs scampered away, anxious to escape the presence of the angry Allfather, but the light elves.

"And what," went on Odin, " shall I say to you; you have neither done good nor evil? You must learn something good to do at once, else your idle heads and idle hands will turn toward mischief."

"But, Father Odin," some one to teach us. do?"

cried the light elves, "we need Wilt thou not show us what to

"Alas," said the Allfather, "I cannot be your teacher. I know not what to teach you. Oh, for wisdom to teach aright all those who need the light!

He turned to the other gods, but none would undertake to teach the light elves what they should do. At last Odin turned to Niord, and asked if he could not find teachers for the light elves. left the palace.

The wind god nodded and

Niord went out and sat upon a tall mountain peak. Then he made a low penetrating whistle that gradually died down into a soft strain of music. This he continued

for a long time, and then two beautiful creatures, Frey and Freya, came to him from the south.

Niord led his son and daughter to Gladsheim, and presented them to Father Odin.

"My lord and brother," he said, "I offer you my son Frey to act as teacher of the light elves. He is god of summer, the spirit of the clouds and sunshine."

"Welcome to our hall, noble Frey," cried Odin; "and what wilt thou teach these little elves?"

"If they will serve me faithfully," answered Frey, "I will teach them how to open the buds, how to put honey into the blossoms, how to ripen the fruit, and turn the growing grain to gold, to hatch the mother bird's eggs and show the little ones how to fly and sing.'

"It is well," cried Odin, but his heart was heavy, for he realized now that wisdom was necessary to the Allfather. Wisdom he must have, and he set out at once in search of it.

He inquired of every one he met, where it was to be found. No one knew, but Odin never faltered in his search, but pressed on, bestowing gifts upon men, wherever he met them, teaching them to do such things as he had time.

He made them arms and armor at the village smithy, forged implements for use in the fields, and so did many useful things for man.

When he was gone the people returned to their fields and performed their daily labors. But they stopped ever

to speak of the wonderful man who had passed that way. In the meantime Odin pressed on, until he penetrated far into the region of mist, where mortals would have been unable to find their way.

He came at last to the region where earth and sky meet, and there he beheld a figure brooding over a well that gushed up out of the depths like a gray mist.

"Ah, truly," said Odin, "thou art he of whom I once heard ages ago. Thou art Mimir, and this is the well of wisdom over which thou keepest eternal vigil. Behold, I have come for a draught from thy well." "Truly, Odin, I know thee," said Mi