1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



187 



two hours. Darkness came upon us, and I 

 could see no more. Shall I tell you how it 

 turned out? Well, I asked a young man if 

 he could direct me to a quiet temperance 

 hotel, where the charges were moderate. I 

 also made some inquiries about Pike's Peak; 

 for by the light of the stars I could see that 

 the town was surrounded by mountains, 

 except on one side, where the train ran in. 

 A hotel was pointed out to me, and my in- 

 formant also asked me if I could see the 

 snow-capped mountain just back of the 

 town. I told him I did. 



" Well," said he, " that mountain, with 

 its top covered with snow, is Pike's Peak." 



"What! that great hill up close to the 

 buildings yonderV" 



" Yes, sir. that great hill up close to the 

 buildings. But you may be surprised, how- 

 ever, to learn that it is not so very close, aft- 

 er all, for it is fully thirteen miles away." 



Could it be possible ? I gazed at the hills 

 so long, wondering how it was possible that 

 the mountain could be thirteen miles away, 

 when it seemed almost overhanging the 

 town, that I suppose I forgot which way he 

 pointed when he told me to go to the hotel 

 where I saw a light. Of course, I made a 

 blunder, and got the wrong place ; but, 

 dear friends, did it never occur to you that, 

 when one is seeking the guidance of his 

 heavenly Father, even his blunders seem to 

 be looked after ? The place where I did go 

 was a little hotel on the hillside, called 

 Mountain View. A tidy, trim little wom- 

 an, with a pleasant Scotch accent, informed 

 me that their rates were only $1.25 a day. 

 She told me, further, that there was a Con- 

 gregational church in the place, and that it 

 was close beside us ; yes, the pastor lived 

 near by too ; in fact, he was almost their 

 next-door neighbor. I told her that I had a 

 severe headache, and did not care for sup- 

 per, any more than a cup of tea and some 

 toast ; but she took so much pains to make 

 every thing pleasant, and to look after my 

 comforts and wants, that I had forgotten 

 my homesickness a good deal, even before I 

 went over to call on the pastor of the little 

 stone church. When I told them the cir- 

 cumstances, he and his good wife, and even 

 the children too, treated me with as much 

 consideration as if I were a member of 

 their family. I felt too tired, however, to 

 talk much. I told them I came principally 

 to get some lesson-helps, to prepare myself 

 for the Suuday-school on the morrow. The 

 pastor's wife then said she had been won- 

 dering how she should find somebody to 

 take her place as teacher of the Sabbath- 

 school on the following day, as she was pre- 

 vented from attending to it by other duties. 

 I promised her to take charge of the class 

 as well as I could, if I were not too hoarse 

 to speak. They then both advised that I 

 go back to the hotel and go to bed ; and the 

 good pastor added that, if I were not better 

 in the morning, they would make it their 

 business to take care of me until I was bet- 

 ter. As I lay down to rest, I really feared 

 that 1 was going to be sick ; but I felt hap- 

 py to think of the friendly hands I had fall- 

 en into. 



As the morning sun poured into my pret- 



ty little bedroom, my first thought was a 

 feeling of thankfulness that I felt so well. 

 Right in sight was that old white moun- 

 tain, Pike's Peak, of the night before. An 

 excellent breakfast soon made me feel quite 

 well. The three or four young men who 

 were boarders there not only enlightened 

 me in regard to Pike's Peak, but also 

 Grand Cavern on the mountain-side that, in 

 some respects, rivaled Mammoth Cave; 

 Rainbow Falls, the Cave of the Winds, the 

 wonderful effervescing springs, and last, 

 but not least, that strange product of na- 

 ture, the Garden of the Gods, as it is called. 

 One of them said that he was so busy dur- 

 ing the week, he had not had time to see 

 these celebrated places ; but he thought he 

 would go over during that bright sunshiny 

 day, and he indirectly intimated that he 

 would be glad to have me accompany him. 

 I told the boys that I was very much inter- 

 ested in these strange things, but I did not 

 believe in visiting such places very much 

 on Sunday, but that on Monday I should be 

 very glad of any instruction. As we went 

 back to the sitting-room, one of my new 

 friends asked me to look out of the window 

 at Pike's Peak. I did so. 



" Well, do you see the snow rolling in 

 great drifts over the peak, and whirling in 

 the wind ? " 



As soon as he mentioned it, I saw it dis- 

 tinctly, and uttered an exclamation of sur- 

 prise—especially so as, down in the valley 

 where we were, it was a comparatively 

 warm spring morning. He further inform- 

 ed me that snow is blowing and whirling 

 almost every day in the year away up on the 

 summit of Pike's Peak. 



While the boys went their several ways I 

 sat down in the little sitting-room to study, 

 and to prepare myself to teach my class. I 

 not only read all the lesson-helps, but I took 

 the Bible and read the whole history of 

 Samson, from beginning to end. When 

 the pretty little church built of mountain 

 granite was opened, I was one of the first to 

 enter. Did you ever know, dear reader, 

 that a peculiar blessing seems to rest on 

 those who gather first in God's holy house? 

 I confess now that it has not been my cus- 

 tom by any means to be among the first at 

 home,- but during my vacation of four oi 

 five weeks, I have, somehow or other, been 

 in a hurry to get to church or Sunday- 

 school. On this Sabbath morning I felt 

 particularly happy. Bright little faces soon 

 followed me, and gathered into the Sunday- 

 school. In Manitou they have Sunday- 

 school before preaching. Pretty soon a lit- 

 tle one, just about Huber's size, and remark- 

 ably like him, came up the aisle and made 

 straight for me, taking hold of my arm, as 

 if it always knew me. The act almost star- 

 tled me ; but it awoke in my heart a fervent 

 " God bless the child !" and while the super- 

 intendent was speaking as the school open- 

 ed, this same little one turned back to some 

 boys and communicated the astounding 

 piece of intelligence that she ( I found out 

 after that it was a little girl) had just had 

 her hair cut. This piece of information was 

 so extremely funny that she followed it up 

 by giggling out loud. The superintendent 



