One day he remarked to her that her heart seemed to be warm and earnest toward her God. This gave her the opportunity to tell him her experience, what the Lord had done for her and why her heart was "warm toward God." Only a few days after, she wrote about this teacher: "Yesterday our hearts were made glad by one of our teachers beginning to pray in the morning meeting."

During the latter part of the year 1897, Miss Leffingwell does not seem to have written as much as before. This may be accounted for in either of two ways, possibly a combination of these. She had now been in China long enough to get something of the language, and as she did so, she cer tainly would make use of it in visiting, and talking about her wonderful Jesus; and then, the newness and strangeness of the situation would somewhat wear away as she became familiar with her surroundings.

She says in one of her letters: "We get so accustomed to things in China that the longer we re main the less we have to write about. We sometimes say that if a man travels in China six months he can write a book about it, but if he labors here sixteen years, he has not enough to say to interest an evening gathering."

It was with great gladness and joy that she reached a place in her knowledge of the language where she was able to begin visiting the people to tell them the simple story of the gospel. She says: "I am just beginning in a small way to go from house to house to plead with souls to accept Jesus, and let Him save them." She tells of one particular

house at which she called, when she told at some length her own experience in the home land; how Jesus found her, saved her soul, healed her body and gave her a love for others who were unsaved; that when she heard about the people in China praying to idols that could neither hear nor help them, she felt such a love for them and a longing desire to go and tell them about Jesus, that she left her country, her home and her friends to come to them, and to tell them about this wonderful salvation.

Then she says of the woman who was listening to her: "She had built a little fire on the earthen floor, and I was sitting by a tiny table (for they actually had two chairs in this house; more often they have none), and the woman stood leaning her elbows on the table and resting her face in her hands, all the while looking at me as kindly and lovingly as I could have looked at her. Thank God! There is a language of the soul that is not hampered by dialects, but is universally understood. If one loves the Chinese, some of them will understand it and love back, and I know I love them very much.

"As I pass out onto the street, the children follow me and call out: 'Evangelist Li! (pronounced Lee), while a few use a more honorable word in addressing me, something like: 'Princess Li.' I always smile and speak to them, especially to the little ones who lispingly try to imitate the older ones in calling my name."

The Chinese annual feast for the dead is always impressive and full of interest to a foreigner,

At

its commencement, the souls of the departed are

invited to come home; and then at the close of the ceremony after a suitable time, they are requested to depart-surely a very convenient method of ridding themselves of guests who might remain too long. It is also their custom at this feast to supply the dead with money, food and clothing by burning paper imitations of these articles. Miss Leffingwell thus describes her first view of this ceremony:

"About sunset, as we were passing down a quiet lane just outside the city, two men and a boy met us, who were crying out as they walked along, repeating over and over: 'Come home and don clothes and eat rice. Come home and don clothes and eat rice. It is getting late. Come back quickly.' As we passed by, large bags of paper clothing were being burned. The garments are less than a foot in length (Chinese economy), and were very gaily decorated; the whole of the outfit, sandals, gown and head gear, being cut in one piece, and with no back to the gown.

"In nearly all the houses we found a bunch of sprouted rice about four inches high and as large as a man's hand, held out upon a tray. Into this, the spirits were invited to come and get cool, as if their friends would appreciate a cool place. Upon being questioned about this, one woman, apparently of more than ordinary intelligence, said: "We never think of heaven as our future home. Hell is our home after death.' While this is going on they are continually talking to the spirits of their departed relatives, as if they were actually present, and one would say: 'Oh, if you had only stayed with us, how different my life would have been.' At one place

where they were burning paper garments, they were repeating, 'Grandmother, this is for you, take it and leave no evil influence behind.' This was also done for the other members of their ancestral family, after which the different ones are politely requested to depart, and this is usually accompanied with loud weeping.

"Do they ever ask the souls of children to return? I asked in one place. No, child little, devil great,' was the reply, meaning that if a child dies young, it is a proof that he must have been an awful sinner in a previous state of existence.

"Perhaps you ask, 'Do they practice this ceremony out of love for their ancestors?' One who listens to them is soon convinced that it is done largely, if not altogether, from motives of fear to propitiate the souls of their departed ones in order to avert any trouble or misfortune that otherwise they might send upon their descendants."

CHAPTER XIII.

SECOND YEAR IN YUN-NAN.

The best will is our Father's will;

And we may rest there calm and still;

Oh, make it hour by hour thy own,

And wish for naught but that alone
Which pleases God.

-Gerhardt.

The year 1898 passed away very pleasantly and quietly at Yun-nan Fu, and Miss Leffingwell was so completely occupied with her labors, especially her house to house visiting among the women and children, that she had but little time for corresponds ence. As an illustration of this fact, let us quote from a letter: "Wednesday is our mid-week Sabbath. We meet at one of the missionaries' homes, and some one who has been appointed (by turn) gives a Bible reading, a sermon or an address; and we usually remain for tea. Saturday afternoon there is a prayer-meeting at the Yesu-t'ang, or the 'Jesus Hall,' as it is called. Sunday our time is all taken up in various Chinese meetings at the hall, so there are only four afternoons in which I may go out among the women." The mornings, of course, were fully occupied with study, devotions and domestic duties.

In March of this year, she passed the second