During the reign of Tsar Nicholas I in the mid-19th century, there lived a farm laborer with three sons, the story goes. The youngest, Ivan, was foolish and lazy. When it was time to mow, he dropped his scythe and slept in the hay. When it was time to fish, he paddled around the lake and did not cast his net even once. One cold, dark spring night, Ivan was returning home from a nearby village, his boots thick with mud. He walked through the fields until he heard the…
