m 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Nov. 



dinner in the new lunch-room, all at once it 

 came over me what a pleasant thing it is to 

 have so many pleasant neighbors. vVe have 

 now a number of tables in our lunch-room, 

 and the boys and girls gather about these 

 tables in groups while they take their dinner. 

 They all seem to be pleasant and cheerful. 

 Our room is bright and new and clean. 

 While a part of them were seated at the 

 tables, some more of them were officiating 

 as waiters, and others still were in the kitch- 

 en preparing food. But it does not make 

 any difference where we are, or what we do. 

 We are all one family, and there is little if 

 any disposition to feel above our shop mates. 

 When I looked over them all, and noticed 

 the pleasant and kindly feelings that existed, 

 I could not help the thoughts that welled 

 up in my heart, of thanks to <TOd. The 

 rooms are warmed by steam, so it is pleasant 

 and comfortable inside, even if it is stormy 

 and unpleasant outside. Mr. Gray has 

 made the counter-store and lunch-room so 

 that they open into each other — at least, 

 there is only a broad archway that separates 

 them ; and while we were eating, we could 

 catch a view of the pleasant faces of those 

 in the counter-store. What added to the 

 cheerfulness, one of the girls had finished 

 her dinner before the rest, and was giving 

 us some music on a new musical instrument. 

 It is one that some kind friend sent us not 

 long ago, as a sample of the wonderful prog- 

 ress they are making in automatic music. 

 The instrument is called the "■ ariston," and 

 the melody that was being played just then 

 was " 2Vie Home Ooer There.'''' 



A few hours later, as I was going my 

 rounds at night, to see that the doors were 

 all locked and lamps put out, and the valves 

 to the steam-pipes turned properly, I passed 

 near one of the large radiators in the coun- 

 ter-store. It was after 9 o'clock, and the 

 great iron pipes were cold. I touched the 

 live-steam valve, as they call it, and thought 

 I would see how long it would take to warm 

 it up again, and I just gave the valve a turn. 

 In obedience to the simple act, a genial 

 warmth began almost instantly to diffuse it- 

 self from the mass of iron under my hand. 

 It seemed almost like magic, and then I re- 

 membered how these buildings had grown, 

 little by little, year after year, ever since the 

 time when I commenced praying for the boys 

 and girls of Medina, and it seemed as though 

 the answers to prayer had come strewn along 

 through these years, almost as plainly as the 

 heat came in answer to that simple act of 

 turning that little valve. 



It was dark, and I was alone; and so, 

 kneeling there I thanked God again for his 

 great mercies, and for the many pleasant 

 neighbors that gathered around my place of 

 work day by day. And yet, what have I 

 done to deserve it all? My path in life has 

 been but a series of stumbles and blunders, 

 as it were. I have not even been obedient ; 

 that is, I have not all the time been obedi- 

 ent, for by fits and starts come rebellious 

 feelings, even now when I have such great 

 cause to be humble, teachable, and thank- 

 ful. May God bless our neighbors! Ought 

 not this simple little prayer to be often on 

 our lips J* 



A LETTER FROm CALIFORNIA. 



CAMPING OUT FOR A HOLIDAY. 



fjlHE king of our apiary came in yesterday, and 

 the first tbing he said was, " What a business 

 of surprises bee-lieeping is!" As there was a 

 smile on his face, we concluded that there had been 

 a pleasant surprise, so we asked what caused him to 

 make that remark. He said, "You know when I 

 examined the bees two weeks Hgo, I had to feed a 

 few hives; now the strong hives have not less than 

 five or six pounds apiece in the upper boxes." "Kob- 

 bing," we remarked. " Not much," was the answer. 

 "The bees are working as lively as crickets, and 

 even the hungry svvarms are as busy and contented 

 as you please. I took out some frames, and there 

 was honey enough for a week at least." 



Well, he watched them to And where they got 

 their supplj', and found a few goldenrod blossoms, 

 but the bees were roaring on the white-oak leaves. 

 It was afternoon, so he did not see any honey-dew, 

 as it is seen only during the morning, especially 

 after a fog; but there the bees were, and that must 

 be the source of their supply, as nearly every thing 

 is as dry as chips. The honey is not very dark. 

 Now, in the year when so much honey-dew honey 

 was made, 1879, 1 think it was, they made it from 

 the leaves of the live-oak, and it was very dark, and 

 so strong we could not eat it till it had candied, and 

 that is about the only honey here that will candy. 



THE HOT SPRINGS. 



Now, Mr. Root, if you will let me, I will tell the 

 juveniles about a trip we took lately to the hot 

 springs at Las Cruces, which means " the crosses," 

 about two weeks ago. It was a treat to me, and a 

 description of the springs my be interesting to you. 

 As it is 35 miles from here, we had to get up early 

 and load up our wagon with bedding, tent, camp- 

 stools, provisions, and the babies, and then away 

 we went over hills and hollows, across a river and 

 creeks, and even a mountain, till we came to the 

 village. Then we inquired the way of a Spanish 

 lady, but she could not talk English, so she referred 

 us to a man who directed us on our way — cross a 

 creek three times, then turn to the left; so when we 

 got turned, we found ourselves going up and up till 

 we finally reached the springs. Such a pretty place! 

 a kind of half-circle surrounded by mountains, way 

 up to the sky, as our baby said. The camping place 

 was nearly level, and dotted with magnificent syca- 

 mores and live-oaks; and after we had pitched our 

 tent, fitted our beds, and made a camp-fire to get 

 supper by, we took a look at the springs, as there 

 are three springs in the circle, all three different, 

 and within 50 feet of each other. The largest is the 

 cold sulphur spring, then the hot sulphur spring. 

 It falls into a large pool, and is as hot as a person 

 cares to get into. Then the lowest spring, and the 

 smallest, is pure cold water, clear and sparkling. 

 Now, isn't that strange, and worth going to see, 

 even if you did not bathe? But, what fun we all 

 had, except the boys under eight years old. They 

 " howled " when they were put in. The little girls 

 of the same age ail thought it was too good to get 

 out of, and could be got out only by force; and then 

 at night, after the work was all done, we would sit 

 around the camp-fire and sing songs and hymns. We 

 had Chinese lanterns and lamps hung from the limbs 

 of the trees, and they and the cainp-flre, with the 

 people sitting around, made a pretty weird sight. 



Los Alamos, Cal., Oct. 1?, X883. Mrs. Himon, 



