1880 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



497 



here to get water, because it is a little less 

 trouble than to get it at home." 



I secretly rejoiced to hear him say this, for 

 I hoped such would be the case, and that 

 the poor horses that looked so weary and 

 dusty drawing their heavy loads from the 

 depot, might get a good many drinks of wa- 

 ter which they would not get at all, if the wa- 

 tering trough were not there. I wanted to 

 see the nice new pump worn out, and I 

 wanted to see a mud hole started near the 

 trough, for I had made up my mind I should 

 then have the fun of collecting all the stones 

 from the road side to lill it up. I cannot tell 

 exactly the conversation, but, if I recollect 

 aright, he said that the well would be drawn 

 dry. I felt sure it wouldn't, for when the 

 well was being dug, I had prayed for plenty 

 of nice water for tired and thirsty men and 

 animals as they passed along that road. God 

 told me to have that well dug, and he would 

 certainly help me to make it a "good invest- 

 ment.' 1 I will tell you how he told me. One 

 day I was in the depot. Some great, stout 

 men employed on the train, came into the 

 room, and said to the agent, — 



"Mr. W., have you got any good water 

 here V" 



" There is some water behind the door, 

 but I do not know how good it ?s." 



While one took a huge draught, the other 

 asked him if it was good. 



" Well, yes, 1 ' said he ; " at least it ought to 

 be good, for I should think, by the taste, it 

 had been standing here since about last Sat- 

 urday.' ' 



These boys were in the habit of swearing, 

 for I had heard them while unloading freight 

 at different times. They were intemperate, 

 sometimes, I felt pretty sure also. I knew 

 by experience, that one of the readiest ways 

 of reaching them would be by furnishing 

 them with plenty of nice water. To be sure 

 it would pay, and the well was soon dug, 

 right where they could see it with its nice 

 new pump, as the train passed. It was not 

 many days before I heard, from my window, 

 one of them say, — 



" Go right over there with your jug. Bill ; 

 there is a splendid well of water; I have 

 been there a good many times.'' 



May the kind Father above bless and watch 

 over them. Little did they know, poor fel- 

 lows, that the well was made almost on pur- 

 pose for them. Lid it not pay V Why, I have 

 felt happier over that investment, I do verily 

 believe, than over any one I ever made be- 

 fore in my life. Mr. ( J ray made a trough of 

 pine planks. The grain runs up and down 

 in the ends, so that the bottom and ends will 

 shrink and swell in such a way as to leave 

 no cracks. After the trough was securely 

 nailed, some strips of galvanized iron were 

 nailed around the ends, so as to hoop it as it 

 were, and some more strips were put along 

 the upper edges of the sides, to prevent 

 horses from biting the trough in pieces. 

 The trough was filled up level full with 

 bright, sparkling water, and I kept looking 

 out to see who would be our tirst customers. 

 A man came along, and looked inquiringly 

 toward it. and reined his horse toward the 

 trough. The horse pricked up its ears, snif- 



fed at the new wood work, and then at the 

 water, and finally plunged his nose into its 

 sparkling depth, and (piaffed a draught that 

 lowered the water some inches. Next came 

 a large dog along the dusty road, looking as 

 if the duties of this life were rather dull and 

 monotonous, on just this dry, dusty day. 

 Suddenly, he raised his head, and I imag- 

 ined him saying to himself, " Why, is that 

 water, up there in that box? I wonder if 

 anybody will scold, if I just taste it. My ! 

 but isn't that deliciously cool?'' And he 

 looked around, seemingly to see if any one 

 were going to scold him. Poor fellow ! as 

 he trudged away, I wondered if he had not 

 changed his mind, and concluded this world 

 is rather a pleasant place to live in, after all. 

 Pretty soon a man and his wife came along. 

 They' had just got off from the cars, and 

 were tired and dusty. They had nearly 

 passed by, when he turned his head, said 

 something, and walked back toward the 

 pump. It is true, he allowed his wife to 

 turn the pump while he held the cup, and he 

 took the iirst drink too, but I presume they 

 had been married a great many years, and 

 he had got used to being waited on, and be- 

 ing served first (like a man that lives down 

 at our house), and, besides, the poor fellow 

 had the headache ; for while she was pump- 

 ing some more for herself, he took off his 

 hat and bathed his head in the cool, clear 

 water in the trough. I mentally vowed that 

 the trough should be washed out often, and 

 kept clean, but I really fear that it needs 

 washing out just now. 



My friends, that well and pump and trough 

 cost just about *6U.OO, nearly the same as 

 the gross of levels. The latter, when they 

 are all sold, will bring me about S72.00. The 

 well and pump will be a bill of expense as 

 long as I live, it may be, and I shall never 

 get one solitary cent for serving the public, 

 yet which pays best? One investment brings 

 money; the other, God's blessing, as prom- 

 ised in our text at the head of the chapter. 



A few days after, a family connected with 

 our most popular saloon came past, and, 

 while their horse was drinking, I passed wa- 

 ter to them all, and with pleasant words 

 strengthened a friendship that has existed 

 for years between myself and that family. 

 I have often thought that Christ's words 

 about a cup of cold water could not come 

 very far amiss if taken literally. 



A few weeks ago, I was over in the adjoin- 

 ing county of Summit. When we got near 

 Akron, we found, at intervals, watering 

 tanks right in the middle of the road. ( Un- 

 horse was so unused to such proceedings, 

 that he had a mind to be frightened at them. 

 AVhen coming home the day was very warm, 

 and Ernest remarked that, as Jack was 

 sweating unusually for him, we would have 

 to drive slower. But we were in a hurry, 

 and it required the whip to urge him on, and 

 he began to sweat more. Bight here came 

 one of the tanks. The water was taken 

 from a spring, and ran into the tank contin- 

 uously. He approached, and after seeing 

 what it was, plunged his nose into the spring 

 water almost up to his eyes, and took a most 

 unusual drink, although he had been wa- 

 tered but a verv little time before. After 



