Ardath and Arthur were both asleep when their father and mother prepared to leave Beverly Farm the next morning, before daylight. Ardath awakened when her mother kissed her and held her close for a moment. "I know you are going to have a lot of fun here with Grandfather," Mother comforted, because a few tears had slipped from under Ardath's eyelids and she couldn't stop them. Mother felt like crying, too, but instead, she smiled, then went over to Arthur's bed and kissed him He did not awaken. Father stroked the forehead of each child and looked affectionately at them. Arthur grunted and turned, but he did not awaken.

Ardath remembered to wish her parent, "a safe trip," then added, "Come back soon." Father picked up the luggage and they both turned to wave, smilingly as they went out the bedroom door. Father said, "Peace be with you and all will be well". Father always said that, when he thought one was unhappy.

Downstairs, Grandfather said a hearty, "Good morning". Ardath heard him say, "Go with God". Then the front door closed and an automobile motor started. The little girl shed a few more tears and tried to go back to sleep. It is natural to cry sometimes, but one should not cry very much. Ardath could not go back to sleep because a jolly sun was peeping over the hill, She watched it from her window. At first it was like a half circle and made her think of a smiling eye. It helped her forget her father and mother would not be at Beverly Farm for the next week.

It seemed like no time at all until Grandfather came to the door of the bedroom. "Good morning early bird," he said to Ardath. "I'm glad to see you are awake to greet the sun. It is the best possible time of the day to be up and about living activities.

"Good morning, Grandfather. May I get up, now?" Ardath was eager to start her first day on the farm.

"May I get up, too," Arthur had awakened suddenly and sat up in bed. He looked at the big empty bed and asked, "Did Father and mother get up and go away when it was still dark?"

Grandfather answered the last question, first. "Yes, the left before daylight. They are on their way to Philadelphia on the train by this time." Then he asked the question, "do you want to get up, new?"

Both children knew Grandfather really wanted them to get up, so they bounced out of bed. Grandfather stayed to talk with Arthur while Ardath went to the bathroom. When she came back, he told them that they need no wear shoes and socks. "I'll meet you outside the front door when you are dressed," Grandfather said as he went downstairs.

Ardath dressed while Arthur went to the bathroom. Then she helped him pull his shirt over his head. He put on his shorts without any help from Ardath. Both children stared down the stairs, but Arthur stopped after three steps and looked at the banister. He thought of sliding down it, but considered that Grandfather may not want him to do it, so he hurried after Ardath.

They could see Grandfather outside the screened door taking deep breaths of cool morning air. "Come on out and greet the sun," he invited as he held the door open.

It was great fun stepping onto the cool, wet grass without shoes and socks, but Arthur said he did not know how to say "Good morning" to the sun.

"Then we will learn right, now," Grandfather took a deep breath. "Repeat after me - ‘Welcome, Thou king of day, thou giver of life and light'." The children did just as Grandfather did. They took deep breaths of fresh morning air and welcomed the sun, as Grandfather taught them to do, three times.

Not expecting them to answer, Grandfather said, "It was a dark, cold world before the sun shone."

Neither of the children had thought about the time when there had not been a sun.

"Do you remember when there was no sun?" Ardath asked Grandfather. That was an unexpected question and Grandfather laughed heartily. It made Ardath think maybe she should not have asked the question, "My Mother said you are ‘very, very wise', she quoted. You are old, too, aren't you, Grandfather?" she asked then added, "But you don't look old. Why don't you look old, Grandfather.

"All right", Grandfather laughed again. "Now which question do you want answered first?"

Ardath decided it did not matter so much whether Grandfather remembered when there was no sun, as why he did not look old. "Why don't you look old like other people we know?" she asked, directly.

Grandfather said, "If I don't look old, it must because I try each day to obey the laws of life. For an example, a little while ago, we took deep breaths of fresh air and welcomed the sun. The was obeying two laws. One was by the deep breathing and taking what we need for health out of the air. The other was in thankfulness to God for warming us with the sun and giving us green growing things to eat and radiate beauty, like vegetables and flowers."

Grandfather did not have his shoes nor socks on either. "Come along", he called, as he started across the lawn. "Now we are going to obey another law of life.

The wet grass sparkled like diamonds in the early morning sunlight. Ardath asked if it had rained in the night because the grass was so wet.

"The wet on the grass is called ‘dew'," Grandfather explained. "It comes from water in the air, in small drops, like rain drops, but smaller. This water in the air comes down at night very gently. You cannot hear it like you hear the patter of rain. Where you live in Arizona, on the edge of the desert, there is no dew in the morning because the air is dry."

Grandfather knew it was warm in the morning in Arizona and that the children were unaccustomed to the dew, so he said, "This morning we will take only a short run in the dewy grass. We will call this your first ‘dew bath'."

"Why is it obeying a law of life to run in the dew", Ardath wanted to know.

"I'll tell you what we'll do", Grandfather promised. "We will talk about our dew bath tonight when you come to my Study. Will that be all right with you?"

Both children said it would be all right.

"We better get our run in the dew or the next thing you know we will be hearing that breakfast bell." Grandfather took the children by the hand because he thought they may not keep running if he didn't guide them and they probably would have gone right back in the house if he hadn't been holding the hand of each.

Ardath squealed because the dew was so cold on her feet and legs. Arthur said he didn't think the dew was cold, but he drew in his breath in big gulps and lifted his legs high.

"I'm hungry", Arthur announced. "Are we soon going to have breakfast?"

"Right away, boy", Grandfather said as they turned and ran toward the house. "Stop in the kitchen and Miss Mary will give you towels to dry your feet. Rub them real hard, then go upstairs and put on your shoes and socks. After that wash your hands and come down to breakfast".

The children were eager for breakfast. If children go to bed when the sun goes down and get up when the sun rises that are always ready for a good breakfast after morning breathing exercises and a run on the dewy lawn. So, in no time at all, Ardath and Arthur were back in the dining room and having a good breakfast of whole wheat muffins and milk.
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