1.If you were to go up in a balloon，and through some accident be swept across the North Sea to Sweden，you would soon perceive that you were in a very different land from your own.If you were to ask the first boy whom you met to tell you where you were，he would answer in a strange language；and if you gave him a penny to make him speak more plainly，he would take off his cap and shake hands with you.
2.Suppose，then，that he takes you to his home，and that you sit down to table with his father，mother，brothers，and sisters.A little，flaxen-haired girl，the youngest child of the household who can speak，stands at her father‘s side，and says a little verse in Swedish，while all bow their heads.I will translatesays.It is this，-“In Jesus’name，we sit at meat；May God now bless the food we eat！”
When the meal is finished，the same little one re-turns thanks in another verse to the Giver of all good things.Then every boy and girl shakes hands with mother and father，and says，“Thanks for the food.”
3.We will suppose that it is summer-time，and that the boys take you out to see their farm.The horses and colts come running to you，stretch their necks over the fence，and rub their noses on your shoulder；and the great oxen lying in the shade give you a friendly look out of their big brown eyes.Every animal is tame andgentle，for in Sweden the boys never throw stones at beasts or birds，and never frighten or torment them in any way.
4.After supper，the sun is still high in the heavens；and at nine o‘clock，when you go to bed，it is shining brightly as it swings lowalong the horizon.Ifyou wake up at midnight and go to the window，y o u b e h o l d t h e w h o l e n or t he r n sky g lo wi ng with red and yellow hues.
Whether it is sunset or sunrise it is hard to say，for the sky is full of light all through the short summer nights.Indeed，in the north of Sweden，for a whole month the sun never sets.
5.If you like winter，you will surely be pleased with Sweden.Here are cold，snow，and ice enough to satisfy anybody，and that for four or five months at least.Here you can enjoy all your own winter sports to perfection，and you may see others that are quite new to you.Yon can learn how to slip over the snow-clad hills andthrough the deep，dark northern forests on “skees，”asthey are called.
6.These skees，or snow-skates，are thin straps of wood from six to nine feet long，about four inches wide，and turned up at the front like the runners of a sledge.Your feet are bound to the middle of them in such a way that，while the toes and ball of the foot are fast，the heel is free to move up and down.With a staff in your hand to help you up the hills，and to aid you in steering down them，you may glide over the snow at the rate of six or eight miles an hour.
7.Then there is the “kicker.”I know you would like that.It is a very light kind of sledge.Two upright posts some three feet high rise from the frame-work，and behind these the runners extend backward five or six feet.You grasp the top of the posts，one with eachhand，stand with one foot on one of the r unners，while with your other foot you push your “kicker “and yourself over the half-trodden snow highways.
8.The push should be a long，strong，sweeping，and regular kick against the snow between the runners.When one leg is tired，you stand upon the other runner and kick with the other leg.You must have a steel plate strapped on to the ball of each foot，with three or four projecting spikes in it，to catch in the snow.
9.Another winter sport is sailing on skates.The Swedish sail is in form like the capital letter A with the top cut off.You place the cross-bar over your shoulder to windward，and with a good breeze glide away overthe ice at the rate of a mile in two minutes.You can not only sail before the wind，but you can glide to and froacross the lake with wind abeam，or tack to windwardas gallantly as the fleetest yacht .
