so at that season, when the summer floods were beginning, that only
extraordinary pressure would have induced any one to venture on it. The
trip to the coast was made in safety, however, and after another stay of a
few months in Japan, Miss Howe and her charge went back to Kiukiang, and
Ida again entered the school there.

Miss Howe was desirous that the people in America who were interested in
the Kiukiang school should be kept informed of its progress; but with her
many duties it was difficult for her to find time for frequent letters, so
she sometimes asked Ida to write for her. Extracts from one of these
letters, written when Ida was fifteen, and sent with no revision at all,
show something of this little Chinese girl's acquaintance with English:

"DEAR MRS. ----:"

"We have at present twenty-four scholars and four babies. We are
not many in numbers, but we hope that we may not prove the works of
missionaries in vain. The rules of this school are different from
others, since only girls of Christian families are allowed to
study. Girls of non-Christian families are allowed to study if they
are willing to pay their board. They also furnish their own
clothes. For these reasons our school contains girls from many
places since Christian girls are few.... In Kiukiang only one
Christian family have their girls at this school. The pastor of the
church over the river sends his eldest daughter. She has been my
companion from babyhood, and we were only separated when she went
to Chin Kiang and I to Chung King. She and her sisters never had
their feet bound. She is the first girl in Kiukiang who never bound
her feet. Her name is Mary Stone. She and I study together both in
English and Chinese."