The Necessity of Salt Once upon a t

The Necessity of Salt
Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters. Because they were good
and beautiful he loved them all sincerely. He did not know which one he should appoint as
queen.
As his birthday approached he summoned his daughters and said to them, "My dear
children, I love all three of you sincerely, and for a long time have not known which one of
you I should name to be the heir to my throne. But I have now decided that the one of you
shall become queen who brings to me a birthday present that is most necessary in human
life. Go and make your plans accordingly and with utmost diligence."
The old king's birthday arrived, and the two oldest daughters brought him presents
that were very necessary, but at the same time extremely expensive. However, the youngest daughter brought him nothing more than a little pile of salt in a decorated container. When the king saw her present, he became very angry, and he drove his daughter out of the castle, forbidding her ever again to let herself be seen by him.
With deep sorrow the rejected daughter went out into the unknown world, comforted
only by her faith in her own good sense. After walking a good while she came to an inn.
There she found a female innkeeper who thoroughly understood cooking. She entered an
apprenticeship with her and soon exceeded even the innkeeper in the art of cooking.
News spread far and wide of the excellent cook in this inn, and everyone who came
this way and who still had a few kreuzers left in his pocket stopped to be served a roast or
something even more elegant.
The king heard of the cook's reputation, and he hired her as court cook. Now it came
to pass that the oldest princess was getting married, and the famous cook was assigned the
preparation of the wedding feast, with no expenses to be spared.
Thus on the wedding day one elegant dish after the other was served until the table
almost cracked. Everything was excellently prepared, and everyone praised the cook. Finally the king's favorite dish arrived. Quickly taking a spoon he tasted it. "This has not been salted!" he cried out angrily. "Have the cook brought before me!"
They quickly ran for the cook, who entered the hall undaunted.
"Why did you forget to salt my favorite dish, you careless girl?" snapped the king at her.
The cook answered, "You drove away your youngest daughter because she thought
that salt was so necessary. Perhaps you can now see that your child was not so wrong."
When the king heard these words he recognized his daughter, begged her for
forgiveness, asked her to be seated at his side, and accepted her once again as his dear
child. Then the wedding became doubly joyful.
The king lived happily with his children for many years thereafter.