Excerpt: ...to himself, "Heaven help me, for she'll be a pretty dear price to pay for a farm!" The frog led him to a deep valley at one side of which rose a high rocky cliff that was honey-combed Pg 117 with caverns. The frog hopped into one of these and called out: "Kachenka, my child, where are you? Here is Kubik come to woo you and to beg a betrothal gift. Bring out your little box of rings." Instantly a second frog appeared dragging a heavy jewel casket. Kachenka, alas, was a hundred times uglier than her mother. Her legs were crooked, her face was all covered with spots, and when she spoke her voice was hoarse and croaking. For a moment Kubik shivered and turned away in disgust, but only for a moment until he remembered that it wasn't Kachenka's fault that she was a frog. The two frogs put the casket before him and opened it and Kubik saw that it was filled with a collection of the rarest and most beautiful rings in the world. "Make your own choice, Kubik," the old frog said. Kubik selected as plain a ring as there was, for he was ashamed to take one of the handsomest. "Not that one!" the old frog said, "unless you want your brothers to laugh at you." Thereupon she herself picked out the ring that had the biggest diamond of them all, wrapped it up carefully in paper, and handed it to Kubik. "Now hurry home," she said, "for your brothers Pg 118 are already there and your father is waiting for you." As soon as Kubik reached home the farmer called his three sons together and demanded to be shown their betrothal gifts. All the eldest son had was a common brass ring. "Um," the farmer said, shaking his head. "Well, put it away for a keepsake." The second son showed a silver ring that was worth a few cents more. "A little better," the old man mumbled, "but not good enough for a farmer. Put it away for a keepsake. And...
