426 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1. 



grabbed hold of the rusted tubing and laid it 

 safely on the bank. We were all right. But 

 the rock was now found to be 60 feet deep in- 

 stead of 40, as I had estimated it. No record 

 had been kepi of our former drilling; therefore 

 we were at a standstill until some more eight- 

 inch casing could be ordered The men were 

 on hand, the machinery in position, and every 

 thing ready to go on. We telegraphed for tub- 

 ing, but it did not come, and could not be found. 

 The owner of the machinery consented to wait 

 a reasonable lime at his own expense; but when 

 day after day passed, and no trace, even when 

 we wired tracers again and again for it, I pre- 

 sume he too began to tire of wailing. 



Dear friends, on some accounts I dislike to 

 tell in public print how I have worked and 

 prayed in building up our present business. I 

 do not feel backward about telling my wife or 

 my good old mother about these answers to 

 prayer; but I have often thought I ought to be 

 very careful about telling these things in such 

 a public place as a printed journal like this. 

 I would say to you, however, that this little 

 incident about drilling this well is no new ex- 

 perience of mine. For nearly twenty years 

 past, or ever since my conversion, it has been 

 my daily custom to breathe that little prayer, 

 " Lord, help!" whenever I get into any sort of 

 trouble. Of course, I keep in mind that God 

 can not consistently answer my prayer unless 

 my undertaking is a praiseworthy one. If I 

 were going to build a finer house than my 

 neighbor's, or if I wanted a gold watch and 

 massive gold chain to make people stare, I 

 should not think of asking God to help me in 

 getting either one. No doubt many of my 

 desires are selfish ones, for I am human, and 

 sometimes I am led to feel thati am exceedingly 

 human. We are told in God's holy word, "If I 

 regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 

 hear me." Therefore he who expects the Lord 

 to hear and answer his prayer must be very 

 careful that no iniquity or selfishness is at the 

 bottom of his undertakings. 



The pipe did not come. My friend over at 

 the depot, the agent, said there was no possible 

 way for the tubing to get here before the next 

 afternoon; and theowner of the well-machinery 

 did not want to wait much if any longer, unless 

 I paid him for his time. Besides, I felt impa- 

 tient at the delay, and was exceedingly anxious 

 to have the work go on. I was up quite early 

 next morning. The weather was just beautiful 

 for this outdoor work, and we had been having 

 previously some very bad weather. I was up 

 in that particular room in the office where I 

 often pray over my plans, and I was wondering 

 if tliat tubing could not come in some unexpect- 

 ed way so we could have it right off that morn- 

 ing, notwithstanding what the agent said. I 

 remembered that passage in Scripture which 

 says, "The Lord's hand is not shortened,"* 

 and the other one that speaks about even the 

 winds and the waves obeying him. 1 prayed 

 that, if it were consistent with God's will, he 

 might, in some way beyond my comprehension, 

 bring about the missing pipe, even before the 

 afternoon train. I went downstairs with a 

 lighter heart. Just then one of the men who 

 had come early to commence his day's work 

 said to me with a smile, " Mr. Root, that iron 

 pipe you wanted so badly lies out there on the 

 end of the sidewalk." 



You may be sure I was somewhat startled. 

 Yes, I have been startled in this way many 

 times before. The explanation of it was quite 



* Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it 

 can not save: neither his ear heavy, that it can not 

 hear.— ISA. .59:1. 



a simple matter after all. The railroad com- 

 pany, by some blunder, had carried the pipe 

 past its destination. They brought it back and 

 unloaded it some time in the night. The fore- 

 man of the lumber-yard, knowing how badly I 

 wanted it, had pulled it up on his horse-car and 

 placed it where I might have almost stumbled 

 over it. In fact, it was lying right there in 

 plain sight at the very time I was praying alDout 

 it. Some of you may suggest that it was no 

 answer to prayer at all, because the prayer had 

 nothing to do with it. It was already there. 

 In reply, let me refer you to a passage in Isaiah, 

 65th chapter, which says, " Before they call I 

 will answer; and while they are yet speaking, 

 I will hear." 



Please be patient with me once more, dear 

 reader. The large eight-inch well-casing I had 

 purchased was second-hand. I chose this kind 

 because it was a good deal cheaper; and as it 

 was to be pulled out afterward it would likely 

 answer every purpose. When it was nearly 

 down to the rock (in order to cut off the hard 

 surface water) the well-man stopped and listen- 

 ed. Water was pouring down in the well. In 

 fact, there was a little waterfall. I laughed, 

 but he looked sober. Said he: 



"There is a break in that casing. I was 

 afraid of it, as it was so old and thin.'- 



They put on the tongs in order to see if it 

 could be screwed up; but he soon announced 

 that the thread was spoiled away down in the 

 well, and then he looked more troubled still. 

 Said I: 



" Mr. H., can't we pull it up and fix it ?" 



" We can pull up the top part of it, but there 

 is no way in the world to pull up the lower 

 part, that I know of." 



All at once I thought of my answers to prayer 

 in pulling out the old tubing, and in having 

 this very same u"w casing delivered that morn- 

 ing right at my feet when I so little expected it. 

 To my poor human vision it did not seem prob- 

 able that God would hear me in that way if it 

 were to result in hopeless disaster like the one 

 right before us. I said again, mentally, " Lord, 

 help!" Let me explain that I was at the time 

 worried with other cares down at the factory, 

 besides this well business, and I could ill spare 

 the time to look into the matter and direct 

 what was to be done next, in order that the 

 expensive men and machinery might not stand 

 still waiting for direction. 



"Mr. H., I can hardly believe the pipe has 

 pulled in two. Put on your tools and see if it is 

 not possible to screw it up so it will hold at 

 least long enough to draw it out." 



" I will do just as you say, but I am sure it is 

 not a bit of use. We have turned it and turned 

 it; and from its actions I am satisfied it just 

 slips a thread every time we go around. The 

 top will lift right off. but the bottom is gone.'" 



I was thinking of the duties and responsibil- 

 ities that called me to other places, but waited 

 until they began turning the great pipe to see 

 if it might not catch on again. Pretty soon the 

 face of the manager began to soften into a 

 smile.oP''inallv he said: ^ !___ 



" Well, I declare! I believe that has caught 

 and screwed down solid; but I never before, in 

 all my experience, saw any thing get into shape 

 away down in the ground like that." 



They tapped it gently with the big pile-driver 

 hammer, and it seemed to go down all right. 

 Another piece was screwed on, and before night 

 it was firm and solid in the great bed-rock, and 

 we were ready to go on with our drilling. Mrs. 

 Root and some others asked how we could be 

 sure of getting soft water away up there on the 

 hill. I replied that there was hardly a question 

 about it, for we had got soft water in so many 



