frogs from near
and far had been invited. The old frog presented them all to Lidushka
and they made much ado over her, hopping about her and croaking out
noisy compliments.

Fish course after fish course was served--nothing but fish, prepared in
every possible manner: boiled and broiled and fried and pickled. And
there was every possible kind of fish: the finest carp and pike and
mullet and trout and whiting and perch and many more of which Lidushka
didn't even know the names.

When she had eaten all she could, Lidushka slipped away from the other
guests and wandered off alone through the house.

She opened by chance a door that led into a sort of pantry. It was lined
with long shelves and on the shelves were rows and rows of little
earthenware pots all turned upside down. It seemed strange to Lidushka
that they should all be upside down and she wondered why.

She lifted one pot up and under it she found a lovely white dove. The
dove, happy at being released, shook out its plumage, spread its wings,
and flew away.

Lidushka lifted a second pot and under it there was another lovely dove
which at once spread its fluttering wings and flew off as happy as its
fellow.

Lidushka lifted up a third pot and there was a third dove.

"There must be doves under all these pots!" she told herself. "What
cruel creature has imprisoned them, I wonder? As the dear God has given
man a soul to live forever, so He has given the birds wings to fly, and
He never intended them to be imprisoned under dark pots. Wait, dear
doves, and I'll set you all free!"

So Lidushka lifted pot after pot and from under every one of them an
imprisoned dove escaped and flew joyously away.

Just as she had lifted the last pot, the old frog came hopping in to her
in great excitement.

"Oh, my dear, my dear!" she croaked. "What have you done setting free
all those souls! Quick and get you a lump of dry earth or a piece of
toasted bread or my husband will catch you and take your soul! Here he
comes now!"

Lidushka looked up through the crystal walls of the house but could see
no one coming. Then in the distance she saw some beautiful bright red
streamers floating towards her on the top of the water. They came nearer
and nearer.

"Oh!" she thought to herself in sudden fright. "Those must be the red
streamers of a nickerman!"

Instantly she remembered the stories her grandmother used to tell her
when she was a child, how the wicked nickerman lured p