d the old woman was waiting
for him.

"I know, my Prince, you have succeeded for the monster has disappeared."

"Yes, granny, you are right: I have succeeded. I found the dragon in the
lake, and the boar in the dragon, and the rabbit in the boar, and the
pigeon in the rabbit, and the sparrow in the pigeon. I took the sparrow
and killed it. So you are free now, granny, to return to your home. And
soon all those other poor captives will be free."

He went behind the mill and found the three willow saplings. He cut them
off and struck the old root. Sure enough a heavy iron door opened. This
led down into a deep dungeon which was crowded with unfortunate
prisoners. The Prince led them all out and sent them their various ways.
He found his own two brothers among them and led them home to his
father.

There was great rejoicing in the King's house, and in the King's heart,
too, for he had given up hope of ever seeing any of his sons again.

The King was so charmed with the Princess that he said it was a pity
that she couldn't marry his oldest son so that she might one day be
Queen.

"The Youngest Prince is a capable young man," the King said, "and
there's no denying that he managed this business of killing the dragon
very neatly. But he is after all only the Youngest Prince with very
little hope of succeeding to the kingdom. If you hadn't married him in
such haste one of his older brothers might easily have fallen in love
with you."

"I don't regret my haste," the Princess said. "Besides he is now my
father's heir. But that doesn't matter for I should be happy with the
Youngest Prince if he were only a shepherd."

THE LITTLE SINGING FROG

[Illustration]

_The Story of a Girl Whose Parents Were Ashamed of Her_

THE LITTLE SINGING FROG

There was once a poor laborer and his wife who had no children. Every
day the woman would sigh and say:

"If only we had a child!"

Then the man would sigh, too, and say:

"It would be pleasant to have a little daughter, wouldn't it?"

At last they went on a pilgrimage to a holy shrine and there they prayed
God to give them a child.

"Any kind of a child!" the woman prayed. "I'd be thankful for a child of
our own even if it were a frog!"

God heard their prayer and sent them a little daughter--not a little
girl daughter, however, but a little frog daughter. They loved their
little frog child dearly and played with her and laughed and clapped
their hands as t