uched the green of the leaves into
gold, and insects flitted to and fro, and birds swooped gaily
from tree to tree. Nearby, the jasmine sent its perfume into the
air--the jasmine she had wanted to reach. Now all was over.

A small bluish butterfly, with brown dots gleaming like copper
on its wings, came flying very close.

"Oh, you poor soul," it cried, hearing Maya's screams and seeing
her desperate plight. "May your death be an easy one, lovely
child. I cannot help you. Some day, perhaps this very night,
I shall meet with the same fate. But meanwhile life is still
lovely for me. Good-by. Don't forget the sunshine in the deep
sleep of death."

And the blue butterfly rocked away, drugged by the sunshine and
the flowers and its own joy of living.

The tears streamed from Maya's eyes; she lost her last shred of
self-control. She tossed her captive body to and fro, and buzzed
as loud as she could, and screamed for help--from whom she did
not know. But the more she tossed the tighter she enmeshed
herself in the web. Now, in her great agony, Cassandra's
warnings went through her mind:

"Beware of the spider and its web. If we bees fall into the
spider's power we suffer the most gruesome death. The spider is
heartless and tricky, and once it has a person in its toils, it
never lets him go."

In a great flare of mortal terror Maya made one huge desperate
effort. Somewhere one of the long, heavier suspension threads
snapped. Maya felt it break, yet at the same time she sensed the
awful doom of the cobweb. This was, that the more one struggled
in it, the more effectively and dangerously it worked. She gave
up, in complete exhaustion.

At that moment she saw the spider herself--very near, under a
blackberry leaf. At sight of the great monster, silent and
serious, crouching there as if ready to pounce, Maya's horror
was indescribable. The wicked shining eyes were fastened on the
little bee in sinister, cold-blooded patience.

Maya gave one loud shriek. This was the worst agony of all.
Death itself could look no worse than that grey, hairy monster
with her mean fangs and the raised legs supporting her fat body
like a scaffolding. She would come rushing upon her, and then
all would be over.

Now a dreadful fury of anger came upon Maya, such as she had
never felt before. Forgetting her great agony, intent only upon
one thing--selling her life as dearly as possible--she uttered
her clear, alarming battle-cry, which all