Chapter I: Front Matter

Our Little Swedish Cousin

The Little Cousin Series

Each volume illustrated with six or more full-page plates
in tint. Cloth, 12mo, with decorative cover,
per volume, 60 cents.

LIST OF TITLES

BY MARY HAZELTON WADE (unless otherwise indicated)

=Our Little African Cousin=

=Our Little Armenian Cousin=

=Our Little Brown Cousin=

=Our Little Canadian Cousin=
By Elizabeth R. Macdonald

=Our Little Chinese Cousin=
By Isaac Taylor Headland

=Our Little Cuban Cousin=

=Our Little Dutch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus

=Our Little English Cousin=
By Blanche McManus

=Our Little Eskimo Cousin=

=Our Little French Cousin=
By Blanche McManus

=Our Little German Cousin=

=Our Little Hawaiian Cousin=

=Our Little Indian Cousin=

=Our Little Irish Cousin=

=Our Little Italian Cousin=

=Our Little Japanese Cousin=

=Our Little Jewish Cousin=

=Our Little Korean Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike

=Our Little Mexican Cousin=
By Edward C. Butler

=Our Little Norwegian Cousin=

=Our Little Panama Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike

=Our Little Philippine Cousin=

=Our Little Porto Rican Cousin=

=Our Little Russian Cousin=

=Our Little Scotch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus

=Our Little Siamese Cousin=

=Our Little Spanish Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

=Our Little Swedish Cousin=
By Claire M. Coburn

=Our Little Swiss Cousin=

=Our Little Turkish Cousin=

L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
New England Building, Boston, Mass.

Our Little Swedish
Cousin

By
Claire M. Coburn

_Illustrated by_
L. J. Bridgman and R. C. Woodberry

Boston
L. C. Page & Company
_MDCCCCVI_

_Copyright, 1906_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)

_All rights reserved_

First Impression, July, 1906

_COLONIAL PRESS
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, U. S. A._

Preface

FOR more than five thousand years, the ancestors of our little Swedish cousin have dwelt in the Scandinavian peninsula. No wonder she loves the stories of the Vikings, the old legends, customs, and fête-days. They are her priceless heritage from the days of long ago.

The snow and glaciers on the extreme north cut off this long tongue of land, so that it is as separate from the rest of Europe as an island. In the olden days, almost every Swede tilled the soil and lived remote from his neighbour. Villages were few, so that each family created its own little world of work and pleasure. Even the children must be very industrious and ingenious to help supply the needs of the family. Whether she lives in the city or the country, every little Swedish girl to-day is taught this same thrift and industry.

Because the winter months, when the sun shows his face but a few hours each day, are long and dreary, our northern relatives fairly revel in their short summers. The whole nation lives out-of-doors and rejoices in the merry sunshine. All day excursions, picnics, and water trips are crowded into the brief season.

The peasant still owns his little red cottage and the well-to-do farmer and the nobleman live in their old homesteads. The cities continue to be small in number and in size, but slowly, slowly, the great throbbing life of the outside world is creeping in to steal away much of the picturesqueness of this old nation.

You will be surprised to learn in how many ways the life of our little Swedish cousin is similar to that of American children. But she is such a very hospitable and polite little maid, I am sure she will give you a hearty welcome if you visit her and see her for yourself at work and at play.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE SKATING CARNIVAL 1
II. THE KNITTING LESSON 14
III. YULE-TIDE 29
IV. AT GRANDMOTHER'S 45
V. MIDSUMMER'S EVE 57
VI. A VISIT TO SKANSEN 68
VII. THROUGH THE GÖTA CANAL 80
VIII. THE NAME-DAY 93

List of Illustrations

PAGE
SIGRID _Frontispiece_
BRITA AND HER FOOT-PUSHER 6
"A SHEAF OF GRAIN IS FASTENED UP IN THE YARD
OF EVERY COUNTRY HOME" 38
BAKING RYE BREAD AT GRANDMOTHER'S 52
"IN A TWINKLING, THE CHILDREN . . . WERE DANCING
AROUND THE POLE" 62
THE GÖTA CANAL 86

Our Little Swedish Cousin