1881 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUUE. 



615 



It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good. 

 —I. Samuel 3:18. 



MEADER, have \ on a father living V I 

 ,, had when I wrote you hist.ancl in fact 

 — ^ I have always liad" a father from the 

 first moments of niy recollection until np to 

 within three days past. I have tried to 

 tench Yon here to learn to think it is God"s 

 hand tlirough all the events of life, and es- 

 pecially through the tn/ing events. I am be- 

 ginning to see his hand "through this great 

 sorrow; and although it may seem strange 

 to some, I am beginning to' find a new and 

 strange happiness right in the midst of this 

 trial. We are a family of nine — father 

 and mother, and seven children, and no 

 death had ever entered this family circle un- 

 til father was called, on the .5th of this No- 

 vember, as I have inst told yon. He wlio 

 came into Medina County more than 50 years 

 ago, and chopped down the trees to bnild 

 the log house for us all, has been called 

 away first. He died but a few yards from 

 that very same old log house,' the one in 

 which I was born, and I thank God that I 

 was permitted to be with him in his last mo- 

 ments, and to minister to his comfort as he 

 drew his last breath. He had been on his 

 bed of sickness about five weeks. Tn that 

 time I have learned some lessons. If I am 

 right, God has. during that time, given me 

 some messages that he wishes me to carry to 

 you. That is why I asked, in the outset of 

 this talk to-day. if you had a father living. 



His sick bed has taught me how much my 

 father cared for me and loved me. It has 

 also taught me how much I loved him, al- 

 though I did not until now know it. We 

 are not all alike, and we are far from being 

 alike in our ways of demonstrating our love 

 or our sorrow. I was surprised to find, when 

 my father was sick, that he especially leaned 

 on me and looked up to me : I was the only 

 one of his boys near him. The two others 

 are far away in the West. 



When I first undertook the task of caring 

 for him through the lonely night. I felt so 

 utterly helpless and incompetent for the 

 post, that it seemed as though some one else 

 would do far better than I ; but soon came 

 the thought, that right where I wa'', was 

 where God wanted me, and I I'neic that he 

 would be with and guide me. if I put my 

 trust in him, and went cheerfully to work. 

 It was toward midnight, and I shook off tlie 

 drowsiness that began stealing over me. and 

 knelt in silent prayer near the bedside of 

 my feverish patient. 'J'he doctor had en- 

 joined upon me as little talking as possible, 

 and therefore my work was to be a silent 

 work. I had noticed that father seemed to 

 be much fatigued when he rose up in bed to 

 take his medicines, and I therefore set about 

 trying to make this task as brief and easy as 

 possible. A chair was silently placed at the 

 right spot, and on it was a cup of fresh 

 water, his quinine, milk punch, etc. "When 

 I was satisfied that I had every thing right 

 at my hand that I might need', I seated my- 

 self quietly on the bed, and told him it was 



time for medicine again. Instead of letting 

 him get up, I raised him gently ; and while 

 he leaned on me, supported him with my left 

 hand, while I quickly gave him, with my 

 right, all he was to take, and he was back on 

 his pillow again with much less fatigue than 

 where he was obliged to wait for delays. 

 After that. I watched him in his sleeji until 

 I discovered in what position or positions he 

 rested most easily. "When he seemed rest- 

 less in one position. I found I could get him 

 to change, almost without waking him. Not 

 only was fresh water from the pnmp kept in 

 readiness for the time when he might ask. in 

 his feeble voice, for it, but I managed the 

 temperature of the room so that several 

 windows could be opened a little without the 

 room being too cold, until I had ventilated 

 out almost every trace of the smell that is so 

 apt to accompany fevers of that type. I 

 found, by making a study of it all, that I 

 kept away drowsiness, so far that the night 

 passed rather pleasantly than otherwise. 

 My reward came in the "morning, when he 

 toid mother (of course, he clung to mother 

 as his best and safest friend on earth) that 

 Amos had taken " such excellent care "' of 

 him during the night. 



A few nights later, when my watch was 

 off, Mrs. Gray and myself rose at o o'clock 

 on a frosty morning, and rode down to the 

 old farm to see how he was getting along. I 

 told him wliat time it was, and he in his 

 feeble voice spoke of the trouble it made us 

 to get up in the night and come so far. 



'• Father, do you remember, aAvay back 

 years ago, when" ?/rt!? used to get up in the 

 night in the old log house, to care for usf'' 



'• I remember well when mother used to get 

 up and carry j/ou about." I had been very 

 sicklv when quite young. 



'• Well, father, we are glad of the oppor- 

 tunity of showing that we remember the 

 loving care vou both gave us in our helpless 

 childhood. 'Did jou regard it as a hardship 

 then V" 



'' No.-' I remember now the pleasant and 

 reassured look that came into his face as he 

 answered me. 



In spite of our care he grew weaker ; and 

 although he became very tired of the medi- 

 cine ordered by the dector, to be taken 

 through the weary hours of botli day and 

 night, betook it all patiently. In his younger 

 days he had been much suliject to a sort of 

 quinsy in his throat, and he had often ex- 

 pressed a fear ^ mother he might die of 

 strangulation. He did not fear deatli, and 

 they both talked it over as familiarly, al- 

 most, as of the visit he took to his old Con- 

 necticut home, but little more tlian a year 

 ago. Well, it was toward his last that I was 

 watching with liim one night. At midnight 

 he should have taken his medicine ; but he 

 was sleeping so quietly I let him lie a half- 

 hour longer. 



"Father! it is time for medicine again." 



"Yes." 



" Will you not get up and take it now?" 



" Yes, when T get rested a little.."' It oc- 

 curred to me then that he was failing. 



" Will you not rise up and take it now?" 



Father', in his life, was always very 

 prompt ; and even in his sickness, seeming 



