1334 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



back to the cabin in twenty minutes; but I 

 hurried so that I was sweating profusely. 

 On the back track I had to face a strong 

 northwest wind from off Lake Michigan. I 

 was pretty sure I should catch cold, and 

 would have given a dollar for my overcoat 

 that was over there in my suit-case. I still 

 thought I might catch the train, and may be 

 I could prevent catching cold by walk ig 

 fast. It did not work. I did take cold, and 

 it lasted me more or less for two weeks. I 

 suppose friend Terry would say that, if I had 

 been sticking to the uncooked food, even 

 such an exposure would not have harmed 

 me. I hope he is right, but I do not feel sure. 

 When I heard the train whistle when I was 

 yet a long distance away I gave up and took 

 things easy. I said once more, "Lord, help 

 me to learn the lesson," etc. I was tired 

 enough, and ready to pay somebody well to 

 give me a ride. A man came down along 

 the hill behind me. His wagon was loaded 

 with fruit. A basket full of plums was on 

 the seat beside him. I told him I would pay 

 him well if he could make arrangements to 

 take me to Traverse City. Although it made 

 him some trouble he set the plums on top of 

 his load and gave me a seat. 1 was tempted 

 again, as I often am, to keep still once in my 

 life and not talk. But I could not help ad- 

 miring his beautiful fruit and asking some 

 questions. He said he had never practiced 

 spraying at all. His remedy was to pick up 

 every apple, peach, or plum as soon as it 

 dropped, and feed it to the pigs or destroy 

 it so no insect would hatch out He said he 

 thought it was almost as good as spraying, 

 and for him it was less trouble; and his 

 beautiful fruit was in evidence as to the wis- 

 dom of his plan. He asked me if I was buy- 

 ing fruit, etc. I finally told him who I was. 

 His face brightened up immediately. He 

 said he heard me talk two or three years 

 ago at a Sunday-school convention. My sub- 

 ject was " Path-making." He said he would 

 always remember it. 



Said I, "My good friend, do you go to 

 Sunday-school as well as to Sunday-school 

 conventions?" 



He said he did, regularly. 



"And you go to church also, and I presume 

 you are a member of that church in that 

 beautiful Keswick meeting-house." (Kes- 

 wick is four miles north of Bingham, and the 

 same minister preaches in both places. ) I 

 shall long remember the way his face lighted 

 up as he replied. He really seemed glad to 

 find somebody who was interested in the 

 wdjare of his soul as well as in the success 

 of his plan of growing fruit. He said that, 

 while he was not a member of the Keswick 

 church, there was no reason that he knew of 

 why he should not be. 



Now, dear friends, do you not see how God 

 was leading me by disappointment and per- 

 plexities, if I would but put my whole trust 

 in him and stand before him a ready pupil? 

 I could not help thinking of Philip and the 

 man riding in a chariot. See latter part of 

 8th chapter of Acts. 



When 1 knelt with my wife I asked God to 



show us the lesson he was striving to teach 

 us, the answer seemed to come at once that I 

 was to go alone. Mrs. Root was greatly need- 

 ed to look after Blue Eyes, first and second 

 edition. But she was not particularly needed 

 in Michigan, for the peaches that were ripen- 

 ing were not good. When I asked again for 

 guidance the answer came promptly that 

 God needed me elsewhere. When I stupidly 

 lost my ticket, and was vexed by my blun- 

 der, he wanted me to ride with this young 

 friend with his load of fruit, and give him 

 counsel and encouragement (that, may be, 

 the pastor of that church or the deacons had 

 failed to give), I was cross about it. When 

 that particular pastor sees this journal it 

 may remind him. 



Well, that is not all. I laid my plans that 

 morning so as not to return to Traverse City 

 before going to Manistee. As it was, I got 

 into Traverse City unexpectedly. When I 

 came to the ticket-office the agent recognized 

 me and said, "Oh! I have investigated in re- 

 gard to getting off at Baldwin Junction and 

 going over to Manistee. While your ticket 

 demands that you take the first train from 

 any junction without any stop-over, you can, 

 while you are at the junction, choose your 

 route home. If you decide you want to go 

 back by way of Saginaw to Toledo you will 

 have to wait for the evening train, and this 

 will give you time to go over to Manistee 

 and stay from noon till night and still catch 

 the Saginaw train. This is what our agent 

 in Toledo had in mind; but he was in error 

 in telling you that you could stop over one 

 day, and in not explaining to you exactly 

 how you could comply with all the condi- 

 tions of the ticket and yet make a visit of 

 five or six hours at Manistee." 



Now, this information was, under the cir- 

 cumstances, worth a good deal to me. I had 

 been cherishing an unkind and unchristian 

 spirit toward I'ailway companies, and espe- 

 cially toward that ticket agent at Toledo. 1 

 had been taught a valuable lesson in the 

 way of charity, even for great railroad com- 



ranies, and I got a further valuable lesson, 

 replied to this Traverse City ticket agent, 

 and he certainly is a very tine and gentle- 

 manly fellow, even if I did think on my first 

 trip that he was needlessly severe. I said, 

 "My good friend, your people ought to 

 know me. I have traveled over your road 

 for many years, and you ought to know that 

 I do not want any crookedness in the way of 

 giving me any favors. I do not ask for any 

 privileges that are not granted to everybody 

 else who travels, even though I have done 

 your road favors in times past, and you have 

 kindly accommodated me in many ways. I 

 am very glad to know that the agent at To- 

 ledo was right, or partly so." 



Then he replied: 



" Mr. Root, we are so hedged in by the in- 

 terstate-commerce laws that most people 

 can not understand why we can not deviate 

 just a little to accommodate. The fact is, 

 we may get ourselves into serious trouble by 

 deviating in even the smallest degree. I am 

 glad you understand it and appreciate it." 



