Queen Juno was the wife of Jupiter, the great king. She lived with her
husband in one of the cloud palaces of the sky, lighted by the moon and
stars at night and the sun by day.

Juno had many followers who were ready to do her bidding, but she loved
best of all her beautiful maid of honor, the princess Iris. No one dared
to use the rainbow but Iris, to whom it had been given by Jupiter.
Whenever Iris was in haste to obey Queen Juno's orders, down from the
palace she would sail in a chariot drawn by two peacocks, and if she
wished she might ride all the way over the rainbow.

[Illustration: IRIS. From an ancient fresco.]

Think of the beautiful Iris, wrapped in a fleecy cloud, gliding over
this wonderful path in the heavens! Wouldn't it have been a lovely
sight to see?

Once Juno sent her all the way to Dreamland to bring to Halcyone,
the daughter of Aeolus, a dream of her husband, who was far away on
the ocean.

Iris loved to help poor mortals, and tears filled her eyes when she
heard how this lonely woman longed to see the one she loved so well.

The clouds caught the tears from the eyes of Iris, and quickly made
ready for her the glorious rainbow bridge, reaching from Dreamland to
the wonderful Garden of the Gods.