kable in that there are both blondes and brunettes among its
ladies. The one shown in the drawing is a blonde. The brunettes are so
much darker as to be nearly black; and so different that at one time
everyone thought they were of a different kind altogether.

TALE 28

The Beautiful Poison Caterpillar

[Illustration: The Beautiful Poison Caterpillar (the moth is a little
over life size)]

The lovely Io Moth is one that you will see early, and never forget, for
it is common, and ranges over all the country from Canada to the Gulf.
When you see it, you will be inclined to spell its name Eye-oh--for it
has on each wing a splendid eye like that on a peacock's tail-feather,
while the rest of its dress is brown velvet and gold.

There is a strange chapter in the life of Io, which you should know
because it shows that Mother Carey never gives any wonderful gift to her
creatures without also giving with it some equal burden of sorrow.

This is how it all came about.

Long ago when the little ones of the Io Moth were small, they were, like
most caterpillars, very ugly little things. They felt very badly about
it, and so they set out one day for the great Home Place of Mother Carey
in the Whispering Grove of the Ages.

There they prayed, "Dear Mother Carey, we are not of an ugly race, why
should we be so ugly as caterpillars? Will you not make us beautiful,
for beauty is one of the best things of all?"

Mother Carey smiled and waved a finger toward a little Brownie, who came
with a tray on which were two cups; one full of bright sparkling pink
stuff, and the other with something that looked like dark green oil. But
the glasses were joined at the top, there was but one place to drink,
and that reached both.

Then Mother Carey said, "These are the goblets of life, one is balm and
will give you joy, the other is gall and will give you suffering. You
may drink little or much, but you must drink equally of both. Now what
would ye?"

The little ugly creatures whispered together, then one said: "Mother
Carey, if we drink, will it give us beauty?"

"Yes, my children, the red goblet of life will give you beauty, but with
it the other will give you grief."

They whispered together, then all the little crawlers went silently
forward, and each took a long drink of the double goblet.

Then they crawled away, and at once became the most beautiful of all
caterpillars, brilliant jewel-green with stripes of pink, velvet, and
g