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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



keep within bounds, vast tracts of the finest 

 land in the world, it seemed to me, might be 

 brought under cultivation. It makes one 

 sad to look over the great barren wastes. 

 Very often the river divides so as to leave 

 islands of large extent in the middle of its 

 bed. It made me think of the great Yellow 

 River in China, that has, by depositing its 

 sediment, and washing one way and then 

 the other, made such havoc with human life. 

 It seems to me one of the greatest things 

 that the world needs at this present time is 

 engineers who are capable of managing our 

 great rivers. I am sure the money could be 

 easily brought forward if we had men with 

 brains, to expend it in the right way. 



I am now nearing home, after almost six 

 weeks' absence. Again and again have 1 

 dreamed of being back with the loved ones. 

 Once, especially, the rejoicings of the whole 

 family, little and big, were so like a reality 

 that I felt troubled, and assured them there 

 was some mistake. 



" What mistake, and how?" asked my 

 wife. 



• Why, 1 am sure this is a dream, for I 

 have not finished my visit. I am still in 

 California. 1 ' 



At this there was a shout of merriment 

 from all. As it closed she replied : 



" But, who is dreaming, my dear husband 

 — you or ourselves?" 



" Why, I think it must be yon, for I know 

 I am in California." 



Then they all laughed louder and harder. 



"We, then, are only 'phantoms of the 

 night,' are we, while you are all right? Look 

 here, sir!" and in a saucy way she came 

 close up to me. " Am I ' thin air? 1 Am I not 

 a tlesh-and-blood reality ? " 



Of course, I put my arms about her while 

 I replied : 



" Yes, you are, and always have been a 

 blessed 'reality ' to me ;" and then while the 

 children applauded, evidently considering it 

 a line tableau, commenced one of nature's 

 " dissolving views." My home began to 

 grow dim, and fade away ; and faster than 

 railroad cars— yes, faster than even the 

 lightning can travel— I was borne over des- 

 ert and mountain, setting thousands of 

 miles at naught, until I rested again in my 

 bed in that cozy room on the mountain-side. 

 But, hold on ! One part of that Medina 

 home did not dissolve, for I hear the chil- 

 dren's merriment even now. 



I raised myself a little in bed. By the 

 dim light of the moon I recognized my sur- 

 roundings, and remembered going to bed 

 the night before— yes, and even got a 

 glimpse of the little Bible that I was read- 

 ing in the last thing before I went to bed, 

 as it lay there on the pretty little stand ; 

 and vividly the text, "But whosoever shall 

 drink of the water that I shall give him 

 shall never thirst,*' came back to my mind. 

 I am here in California, just as I declared I 

 was ; but what in the world can it mean — 

 this sound of merriment and laughter that 

 greets my ears even now — yes, merriment 

 because I so stoutly insisted that I was in 

 California and not at home? Have the real 

 and the unreal become so mixed up that I 

 can not tell positively whether I am asleep 



or awake, or has that old fancy that has 

 haunted me in my dreams from childhood, 

 of setting time and space at naught, come 

 true? After I had rubbed my eyes a little 

 more, and after I had listened a little more 

 intently to the sounds of the voices, I dis- 

 covered that it was not Ernest and Maud 

 and Connie and Caddie and Iluber, after all. 

 It was the children I had talked with the 

 night before, in this mountain home. As 

 the good mamma of the household w r as 

 obliged to get up before daylight, they, 

 childrenlike. wanted to get up too, and had 

 been having their fun while I was sound 

 asleep and dreaming of home. 



At the breakfast-table, as I related the 

 above, one of the friends remarked : 



"Well, you came out ahead. You, after 

 all, an in California." And I hereby give 

 my wife, and all the rest of them, notice, 

 that I was right and they were all wrong. 



Dec. 19. — How good it seems to see fenced 

 rields again, and to see every one occupied 

 with something! Outside of Kansas City, 

 toward St. Louis, even the small towns 

 seem full of thrift and enterprise. The tall 

 chimneys are sending out clouds of smoke, 

 and little engines, scattered in the suburbs 

 of the towns, commence early in the morning 

 to send out puffs of steam. This is what I 

 longed to see in many of the California 

 towns. The houses along all through Mis- 

 souri are well built, substantial, and pleas- 

 ing in appearance, and this is true of coun- 

 try as well as town. 



Dear readers of Gleanings, my long trip 

 is ended. Those six weeks, even though 

 away from home and friends, were s'x of 

 the "happiest weeks I ever spent in my lite. 

 One thing that specially contributed to 

 make them happy, was that it was my priv- 

 ilege to have you enjoy them w r ith me. I 

 know you have done so, because of the 

 great numbers of kind letters that have 

 come from you in regard to those travels. I 

 prayed as I started out, that God might 

 help me to make the trip profitable for " Our 

 Homes" and " Our Neighbors," and I feel 

 like thanking you, for it was through your 

 kind support that I have been enabled to 

 make such a trip. Several months before 1 

 started, I felt that God was calling me to 

 that kind of work. I told my wife I knew r I 

 should enjoy it, for it was, in one sense, a 

 duty. Do you ask, why not go again, and 

 inform my readers in regard to other coun- 

 tries and other localities? Providence per- 

 mitting, I expect to go again after a while ; 

 but just now I am needed here. Yes, at 

 this season of the year there ought to be 

 two or three A. I. Roots instead of only one. 

 In another part of this number I have been 

 trying to tell you why I am needed at home 

 just now. Many kind words are written to 

 me, to which I can not reply ; yes, and quite 

 a few complaints that my" old friends have 

 not had exactly the kind of treatment they 

 have a right to expect from me are unan- 

 swered. Others who are taking my place 

 have answered them as best they could; 

 and yet I know very well, that, at least for 

 some time to come, no one can understand 

 these friends I have known and loved for 

 years, as I understand the?n myself. But 



