Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/105

Rh And poor Prince Akem, after a great deal of storming, married the ugly green frog.

Some time after these grand events, the king said to his sons,—

"Tell your wives to bake me, by to-morrow morning, some very, very soft white bread; but, mind you, it must be so wonderfully white and light and soft that the like was never seen, nor ever likely to be seen again."

Away went the princes. Egor and Vania were happy and cheerful, for they thought their wives could do everything, which, of course, was the proper way of thinking! But Prince Akem left his father's palace in rather a different frame of mind, and small blame to him, poor fellow! When he got to the hole where the frog lived he was very sad and miserable, and rather enraged as well.

"Why are you so sorrowful, my prince?" asked the frog.

"How can I possibly be otherwise?" returned Akem, somewhat impatiently. "The king, my father, has ordered me to tell you to bake him some very white bread by to-morrow morning. It must not be like the ordinary bread, but quite different from anything that has ever been seen. It must be white and light and soft, and goodness only knows what else."

"Is that all?" said the frog. "Well, then, go to sleep, and to-morrow morning you will find all that the king, your father, requires. For the present good-night, and don't worry yourself."

She waited (or, we should say, the frog waited) until the prince was sound asleep, then running,