s seen in the house
during the year. I ask them if I burnt them would they think they
were going to heaven? They buy sticky sugar-cakes to give him so
that he may be pleased, and not tell on them for doing evil things.
They think, too, that the sugar sticks his lips together, so that
when he wants to tell on them he can't get his mouth open! Isn't it
all very silly and very sad? The shopkeepers, too, paste up a "god
of riches," thinking that thus they will become rich!

'To-morrow (Sunday) I hope to baptize a man. He is a Chinaman. That
will make four Christians here. They all have faults and
weaknesses, and I am not very easy in my mind about them. Pray that
God may make them better and make them grow in grace. Pray, too,
that God may convert more of the people. Pray, too, that God may
give us a house of our own to live in. People here are afraid to
let us have a house. Now that Dr. Roberts is coming, we will need a
house. He is coming in six or seven weeks. Then he stays two
months, and goes back to Tientsin for a while again. We saw the
Christian at Ta Ss[)u] Kou as we passed. The Ch'ao Yang man we have
not seen yet.

'I have made all your letters to me into a book, and have them with
me. Your letters are nice to read, and show great improvement in
the writing. I am going to keep all your letters this year too and
bind them. You may like to see them when you grow big. The last
letter from you is dated October 27.

'My dear sons, I think of you often and pray for you much.

'You have a photo of mamma's grave. Little Alick's little mound is
close to mamma's, on the side nearer little Edie's. Mamma's and
Alick's coffins touch down below. They lie together. But mamma and
Alick are not there. They are in heaven, with its golden streets
and its beautiful river, and its trees of life, and its beautiful
gates, and its good, loving, kind people, and Jesus and God. They
are having such a nice time of it there!

'My boys, don't be afraid of dying. Pray to Jesus, do the things He
likes, and if you die you will go to Him, to His fine place, where
you'll have everything that is nice and good. I don't know whether
you or I will go there first, but I hope that by-and-by we'll all
be there, mamma and Alick and all. I like to think of this.
Meantim