y
wanted a caterpillar she would have thought that one of the fat brown
ones that she could find anywhere around the school would have been
nicer, and yet Agnes seemed to admire it so much she really felt as if
she ought to say something.

"Well," she said at last, as she found that Agnes was waiting for her,
"I think it is certainly one of the biggest caterpillars I ever saw.
What are you going to do with it? I don't see what you like
caterpillars for."

"Oh, it is n't for myself," Agnes answered. "It is for Miss Ketchum.
She is very fond of studying about bugs and caterpillars and everything
of that kind, and nothing makes her quite as happy as to have a nice
new caterpillar to watch."

"What does she do with them?" asked Ruby.

"She puts them in little boxes with thin muslin over the top, or
mosquito netting, so that she can look through and watch them, and she
feeds them every day with leaves or something else that they like, and
then after a while they spin themselves all up into cocoons, and go to
sleep, and then by and by a beautiful butterfly comes out. Oh, Miss
Ketchum just loves caterpillars."

"I wish I had a caterpillar for her," said Ruby. "Well, I will get one
for her the very next time I see one, as long as she likes them so
much. I never heard of any one liking caterpillars before, though, did
you?"

"No, I don't know as I did," said Agnes. "But I think I shall like
them very much too before long, for I like to watch the butterflies
come out, and I like to keep looking out for new caterpillars. I don't
think I would like to bother taking care of them as Miss Ketchum does,
but perhaps I won't mind that after a while. She has such a nice book
about them."

Miss Ketchum was very much pleased with the new specimen when Agnes
gave it to her, after the girls got home from their walk, and Ruby
looked with great interest at the little boxes in which captive
caterpillars were walking about, apparently feeling at home and very
happy as they nibbled at their nice fresh leaves, or sunned themselves
upon the netting.

"Isn't Miss Ketchum nice?" said Agnes, as the girls went up to their
own rooms. "Some of the girls don't like her as well as they do the
other teachers, but I do. She is always so kind about helping one with
lessons, and she never gets cross unless she has one of her bad
headaches, and then I should think she would be cross, for the girls
tease her. She was so kind to me when I fi