and why haven't they dug our eyes out then?" The prejudices are very strong against us here."*

About this time some of her friends sent out to her for use in the mission work a big doll about which she writes as follows: "One of the Junior Missionary societies in America has sent me a big doll-too big to give away to one little girl. So I keep it in the school and the children hold it a little while as a reward of merit when they have learned their lessons well."

During the fore part of the year 1899, there were persistent rumors of a serious feeling of hatred towards all classes of foreigners; and there were also at certain places outbreaks, more or less violent, in which some people were killed and considerable property destroyed. Miss Leffingwell seems, in her letters to her friends, to have been reticent about speaking of this condition; but she is compelled to make some reference to the trouble because reports of these things, usually much exaggerated. were constantly being published in the newspapers of the United States.

She finally wrote to them as follows: "I sup pose the newspapers give you all the news from China, sent by cablegram. The Chinese around here are very much stirred up against the foreigners,

*The author, while traveling in the province of Honan, noticed many times as he was passing along the streets, that, when he would gaze intently at any small child, the mother or the elder brother or sister would immediately clap both hands over the child's eyes, entirely covering them up. It would seem from these cases that this idea prevails quite generally in China.

and they have just burned the French consulate at Meng-tse, and also the residence of an American official, Mr. Spinney. Two of the Chinese servants in the employ of the foreigners (as we call ourselves) were killed. Meng-tse is the nearest postoffice to us, in fact it is the only post-office in this immense province containing over twelve millions of people.

"Large placards are being posted in the city, and one has been put up near our Yesu-t'ang ('Jesus Hall'); which translated would read something as follows: "The foreigners came and have usurped authority in Burmah and have now taken Meng-tse and they also want the Southern land' (an expression used for the province of Yun-nan). Then the poster seems to change into an exhortation to us 'foreigners,' and we are told to quickly go home. "There are many brave men in this city and they are slow now, but in the eighth month the heads of the foreigners will be thrown into the street, and their homes burned.' The immediate cause of all this is that the French are attempting to construct a railroad from French Tonkin to this city. It would run over thousands of their graves, and the Chinese are much opposed to having the graves of their ancestors thus desecrated."

For some time previous, Miss Leffingwell's friends in America had been writing her about when she would be coming home, and when news of the disturbances in China reached them, they immediately began to write to her as if this was a provi- ! dence that would send her home in the near future.

She wrote them in reply: "I was very much

touched by what you wrote that one of our family said: 'I hope she is on her way home, and half way home by this time.' Such a flood of desire came into my soul that the one who wrote this might be on his way to the only 'home' that can perfectly satisfy immortal souls, the Father's home. Yes, in spite of all my unworthiness, I believe I am on my way to that home, where there is so much room and such a welcome and so much love that I want to see every one of you there when I get there. I have never in my life so far had a cherished hope or plan that the Lord, sooner or later, has not given to me its fulfilment. 'Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass' (Psalms 37:4, 5). I say this in regard to myself and my own affairs only. I must admit that the Lord has not revealed to me much of anything about my going home, only I thought He showed to me that at the last day, when I shall be caught up to meet Him in the air, I shall be surrounded by saints from China, caught up with me."

Miss Leffingwell was much exercised over the awful ravages of the opium habit on her much loved Chinese people. The missionaries are frequently called upon to assist in cases of excessive use of this drug, and to rescue those who are dying from over indulgence in it, or those who have taken it with suicidal intent. She was called upon to attend many such cases, and one that is mentioned in her letters of this year is here given:

"I have just come from an opium case, a young

woman who was dying from the effect of the largest dose of opium I ever knew one to take. Her husband, a young man, put forth more efforts to save his wife than men usually do here in China. I thought it too late to save her when I first saw her, as she was lying back with her eyes closed, unable to stand or even to hold up her head, but not quite unconscious. The husband helped me to rouse her up, and when I had administered the usual medicine, he and another man walked her around for some time.

"Then, suddenly I saw that something was the matter with him. He left his wife with the others, and I saw him twisting a piece of coarse cloth in his hands, then he took a bit of light, and to my disgust went into another room to smoke the very drug that had just now nearly caused the death of his wife. He remained there until that awful craving for this terrible drug was satisfied. I had given the woman an emetic twice, and had sent my serv ant for more medicine for the same purpose. He came out again just at this time, and taking down her hair, he jammed the ends of it down her throat so as to produce the desired vomiting.

"When I looked around the house I found lump opium in a cloth, powdered opium in a bowl, and liquid opium in a pretty covered dish. God pity China! Did I do good or harm in bringing that poor woman back to a life of misery?"

At Christmas time this year Miss Leffingwell gave a dinner to the children of the day-school about which she wrote as follows: "I am now making my preparations for the Christmas dinner which I

am going to give to the children of the day-school. The first thing I did for this interesting occasion was to purchase thirty bowls. Perhaps you will remember how one of our family used to tell me, in a playful way, that he expected to see the time when I would put on the boiler, and make mush for my numerous family. That time is now here, and thirty bowls are not enough in addition to those I already have. I also bought some chop-sticks, costing three cents. I paid for the bowls over four hundred Chinese cash. This amount sounds large, but really it is only about thirty cents. I also purchased three pounds of shelled peanuts at about two cents a pound, and a quantity of oranges at three-quarters of a cent apiece.

"An ordinary feast should have eight bowls in the center of the table, one each for fish, chicken, pork and mutton, and one each for four kinds of vegetables; with everything cut into small pieces, highly seasoned, and plenty of gravy. The more elaborate feasts have twelve courses instead of eight, and rice is always included in the bill of fare.

"In China the dessert is the first thing served, not on plates by each one, but in little heaps. These soon disappear up the sleeves. In this city at elabo rate feasts of twelve courses it is proper to have little towers of pagodas built of oranges that are peeled and divided into proper sections, and of various preserved fruits; but I gave each a whole orange. How many had never had one before I do not know, but after the feast when I entered the schoolroom late in the afternoon, one little boy whose father is dead took his orange out of his