November, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



687 



on a wheel, much less furnish* strength to 

 l)ropel it." 



But he finally induced me to get on the 

 wheel and tried to start me off. Of course 

 I fell over hecause I had no faith in him 

 nor in the wheel, and I might also say I 

 had little in the great loving Father. Yes, 

 I had prayed over the matter of my health, 

 but, I fear, as so often happens, without 

 very much faith. At Ernest's urgent so- 

 licitation I tried the wheel again — maybe 

 several times. Finally one morning he urg- 

 ed me to tiy it " just once more." I object- 

 ed, but he was importunate. Of course 

 Mrs. Root and the children sided in with 

 Ernest. Finally I said something like this : 



'' Just to keep peace in the family I will 

 try the thing once more; and after that 

 I never want to hear it mentioned again." 



Now what do you suppose happened? 

 I did not manage to get off right where I 

 had planned, and finall}^ put a little force 

 on the pedals at a place where the road 

 was downward. It finally got to going so 

 fast (downhill) I could not well get off, 

 and, as I did not know how to stop, I con- 

 cluded that my best way to dismount was 

 to go to th6 top of the next hill ; but about 

 that time my faith and courage began to 

 arise. I went down that hill and up an- 

 other, and went on till I was pretty well 

 out of sight. Wlien I was rested a little, 

 instead of going back home I decided to 

 play a little trick on the good wife and 

 children, and go ahead. I knew of a beau- 

 tiful soft-water spring at a place called 

 Spruce Run. I managed to get over to 

 that spring, and had a most delicious drink 

 of that beautiful cold soft water. It re- 

 vived my spirits and kindled my enthusi- 

 asm to such an extent that I went on to 

 Sharon Center, eight miles from home. 

 There I had such a dinner as I had not 

 enjoyed before for months. Then I took 

 a nap to rest up well, and got back rejoic- 

 ing in the prospect of " a new life." In 

 fact, I recalled somewhere in the Bible 

 where there is a promise to God's loved 

 ones something like this : "They shall run 

 and not be wearv; thev shall walk and not 

 faint." 



I found the family much worried for 

 fear I had fallen off by the wayside and 

 perhaps could not get home. Next morn- 

 ing I was off for another ride, and it was 

 more rides every day and new life. Some 

 time after this I met our old family physi- 

 cian on the street. Said I : 



" Doctor, j'ou may remember you said 

 I would never be a well man again." 



With a smile on his face he nodded. Tlien 

 I went on : 



" Well, doctor, you physicians make mis- 



takes, do you not? I rode half way across 

 the State of Ohio yesterday." 



He replied : 



" Yes, Mr. Root, it is true. Doctors are 

 human like other people; but had you told 

 us, when we pronounced our verdict, tluit 

 you were going to quit business and " play 

 boy " again by riding a wheel as you have 

 been doing, we might have changed our de- 

 cision. From past experience we judged 

 you (like others) would soon get back into 

 the harness again, and that would finish 

 you up. Keep on riding your wheel. But 

 remember, this thing is hanging over you, 

 and probably will be to the end of your 

 life." 



Perhaps I may tell you that I soon rode 

 pretty much all over Ohio. Then I had 

 quite a trip over the Ozark Mountains by 

 wheel (visiting beekeepers) down in Mis- 

 souri and later over Yellowstone Park, 

 Colorado. When winter came on I rode 

 pretty well over Florida, then I went to 

 Cuba. I visited beekeepers on their beau- 

 tiful smooth highways by means of that 

 same wheel. Another winter I rode over 

 the wonderful English highways in the 

 Bermuda Islands and studied potato cul- 

 ture there. You will find all about it in our 

 potato book. 



Now, there is a great moral in this little 

 story I have just, been telling as a kind of 

 side issue to this Home paper.* Tavo 

 things gave me back a new lease of life — 

 first, being constantly out in the open air; 

 second, developing eveiy muscle in my 

 body by wholesome exercise outdoors. Per- 

 haps I should add a third — having " a hob- 

 by to ride," as well as a wheel. Now, it is 

 not necessary that you good people who are 

 suffering from poor health should all ride a 

 wheel in order to become interested in some 

 line of developing and bringing out the 

 possibilities of God's gifts. Down in Flor- 

 ida, in California, and all over the world, 

 there are people who have " run away from 

 their own funerals " by getting interested 

 in some outdoor occupation. Sometimes 

 it is chickens, or bees, or any similar line 

 of work. You will find healthy long-lived 

 people all over Florida who have got back 

 to health, after being given up by their 

 doctors, by becoming enthusiastic in grow- 

 ing some particular thing in winter — some- 

 thing that no one else has done before ; get- 

 ting new potatoes when there is not a new 

 potato in market (as I did) in Florida dur- 



*The good wife got me thru the siege in Cali- 

 fornia, and later on the boy Ernest came in when 

 the doctors failed. And I said every younc: man 

 should havei a wife when he is old enough. I want 

 to add also, some boys and girls, providence per- 

 mitting. 



