562 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



got up into the worst part of the slop-hole. 

 John suggested using the old boots for a 

 covering, to get them out of sight, as well as 

 the broken crockery and tinware ; but friend 

 Merrybanks, who was a much - interested 

 spectator, said there was a better place for 

 old boots, shoes, bones, feathers, etc., and 

 all kinds of animal matter, and so they were 

 carried to the manure or compost heap, near 

 the stable. The surface of the rock here 

 was more uneven, and finally, all at once the 

 water spouted right out of one side of this 

 ditch. It poured out into the stone channel, 

 and made a gurgling merry brook as it went 

 down under the bridge. John's father dug 

 out a little where the water seemed to come 

 from, and found a basin of white clear sand, 

 after the mud had washed away, and through 

 this sand the water bubbled and boiled, as if 

 it were water boiling in a kettle. 



" A spring ! a spring ! " came from all 

 hands, and every one had to rush up, in 

 spite of the mud and stench from the place, 

 to see this wonderful spring. Friend M. 

 spoke,— 



" Look here, neighbor ! I have got an oil- 

 barrel, with both heads out, that 1 think we 

 can fix right over this." 



" But it will taste of the oil," said .John. 



'' No, for we will burn the inside with sha- 

 vings until it is chaiTed. This will take off 

 the taste and smell, and also prevent it from 

 rotting." 



The barrel was fixed, and, after charring, 

 the hoops were driven tight, and nailed. 

 After setting it over the spring, some tough 

 clay was found and spread around the inside, 

 and the same kind of clay tamped solid 

 around the outside. While doing this, a 

 small passage was left for the water into the 

 stone drain. Before stopping this and mak- 

 ing the barrel fill with water, some provision 

 was to be made for the overflow. Friend M. 

 said he had a tin eave-spout that he thought 

 would just about reach down to the road 

 by the bridge. While John is despatched to 

 bring it, I shall have to explain that he had, 

 some time before this, built a sort of play- 

 house for Mary, in the corner of the lot, near 

 the bridge. The roof was simply some 

 boards laid over, and the angle in the fence 

 formed two sides. Well, the tin pipe, when 

 put in place, came out just in front of this 

 playhouse. It chanced to be of just about 

 the size needed to drive into the bunghole 

 of the barrel, and this brought it under- 

 ground enough to be out of the way for 

 plowing. After all was fixed, and the'pipe 

 covered up, a ball of stiff clay was forced 

 into the channel where the water ran into 

 the drain, and all watched breathlessly to 

 see if the clay was impervious enough to 

 confine the water. The water did not quite 

 stop in the drain, it is true; but this indi- 

 cated that the water was coming out of the 

 wet, springy ground, for the barrel was 

 slowly filling up. Very soon it was up to 

 the tin pipe, and as the tin was nicely turned 

 over and tacked to the inside of the barrel, 

 the spring was soon all flowing out through 

 the pipe, and pouring in a little waterfall 

 among the gravelly pebbles down by the 

 bridge, right in front of the playhouse. 

 John, in anticipation of the moment it would 



come, had one of his old water-wheels, sup- 

 ported on a couple of forked sticks, and in 

 no time the wheel was spinning like a thing 

 of life, and spattering the cool spring water 

 in a most refreshing way on that hot sum- 

 mer afternoon. At this point, Uncle Billy 

 drove along. 



"Why, neighbor Jones, have you really 

 found such a nice spring in that wet, nasty 

 place?" 



" 80 it would seem," said John's father, 

 pleasantly, although he remembered vividly 

 about the cow and the lioney. 



"• Well, now, we have just been talking of 

 a trough down in the woods, that would fit 

 this place exactly ; and if you wish to allow 

 this water to be used as a public watering- 

 place, the trough is at your service, and my 

 men will bring it over this afternoon." 



Mr. Jones was suri^rised. In fact, all were 

 a little surprised. Frerldie ventured, — 



" Why, are you going to fix it so everybody 

 can just drive right up here and let their 

 horses get a drink whenever they want itV " 



"That is the idea exactly, my man," said 

 Uncle Billy. Thus encouraged, Mary looked 

 up into the rich fai'mer's face, and ventured, — 



" Hadn't you ought to bring a little trough, 

 so the dogs can drink tooV" Her father 

 chided her gently for her presumption, but 

 she had read Uncle Billy better than he, for 

 the reply came, — 



" Yes, my girl, we will bring a little trough 

 for the dogs to drink out of, so they won't 

 go mad in a dry time, and you are to take 

 care of it, and keep it nice and clean." 



The trough came, with a little one at- 

 tached to one end. A h jle was bored in the 

 end of the large trough, with a lioUow plug 

 in it, and through this hollow plug the water 

 fell into the little trough below. That the 

 trough might not get pushed about and in- 

 jured, the men brought a couple of solid 

 posts, and before they went away the whole 

 was most thoroughlystayedw^ith spikes, and 

 additionally braced to the posts of the fence. 

 It did not take John very long to fix the wa- 

 ter-wheel right over the dogs' trough ; and, 

 almost before they knew it, half of the little 

 village had gathered about Mr. Jones's new 

 spring. By some unknown means the min- 

 ister came too ; and, after shaking Uncle 

 Billy cordially by the hand, and thanking 

 him for his assistance in the matter, he 

 found a clean white shingle, which he tacked 

 to the fence, and with a piece of coal wrote 

 on it as follows : — 



Ho! every one that thirgtcth. 

 Come ye to the waters, and drink. 



Of course, everybody had to look down in 

 that black barrel, and see the white sand 

 bubbling and boiling in the clear spring w^a- 

 ter ; but through it all, ]\Ir. Jones was still 

 busily at work. The drai:^ in the rock, with 

 the flat stones laid over it, and the cut-up 

 tinware laid nicely over them, was not yet 

 filled up. He was just now cutting down 

 the tall rank weeds, and staminng them in 

 the drain, before throwing on the dirt. Even 

 late as it was in the season, he had a plan of 

 raising a crop there before winter, and he 

 was in haste to get the ground dry and 

 ready to plow. I think I shall have to give 

 you a picture of— 



