irl many beautiful, beautiful things"

_TO MY LITTLE FRIEND_

EDITH EVANS

_AND ALL AMERICAN CHILDREN_

[Illustration: _The Tsarevna Frog_]

THE TSAREVNA FROG

[Illustration] In an old, old Russian tsarstvo, I do not know when,
there lived a sovereign prince with the princess his wife. They had
three sons, all of them young, and such brave fellows that no pen
could describe them. The youngest had the name of Ivan Tsarevitch. One
day their father said to his sons:

"My dear boys, take each of you an arrow, draw your strong bow and let
your arrow fly; in whatever court it falls, in that court there will
be a wife for you."

The arrow of the oldest Tsarevitch fell on a boyar-house just in front
of the terem where women live; the arrow of the second Tsarevitch flew
to the red porch of a rich merchant, and on the porch there stood
a sweet girl, the merchant's daughter. The youngest, the brave
Tsarevitch Ivan, had the ill luck to send his arrow into the midst of
a swamp, where it was caught by a croaking frog.

Ivan Tsarevitch came to his father: "How can I marry the frog?"
complained the son. "Is she my equal? Certainly she is not."

"Never mind," replied his father, "you have to marry the frog, for
such is evidently your destiny."

Thus the brothers were married: the oldest to a young boyarishnia, a
nobleman's child; the second to the merchant's beautiful daughter, and
the youngest, Tsarevitch Ivan, to a croaking frog.

After a while the sovereign prince called his three sons and said to
them:

"Have each of your wives bake a loaf of bread by to-morrow morning."

Ivan returned home. There was no smile on his face, and his brow was
clouded.

"C-R-O-A-K! C-R-O-A-K! Dear husband of mine, Tsarevitch Ivan, why so
sad?" gently asked the frog. "Was there anything disagreeable in the
palace?"

"Disagreeable indeed," answered Ivan Tsarevitch; "the Tsar, my father,
wants you to bake a loaf of white bread by to-morrow."

"Do not worry, Tsarevitch. Go to bed; the morning hour is a better
adviser than the dark evening."

The Tsarevitch, taking his wife's advice, went to sleep. Then the
frog threw off her frogskin and turned into a beautiful, sweet girl,
Vassilissa by name. She now stepped out on the porch and called aloud:

"Nurses and waitresses, come to me at once and prepare a loaf of white
bread for to-morrow morning, a loaf exactly like those I used to eat
in my royal father's palace."

In