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Show «3* "7e thus have l o s t one family from the Men's Educational work, and one from t he Ken13 Medical work* But -we hive gained one family for the Evangelistic wonon Mr« and Hra Robert 3, IT hi t a k e r , who have been in Peking Language school for two yearsj will be coming to us in September* They are fine people with former experience both- an Sftuth China ( for one year) and in the p a s t o r a t e in Califp$niay they have four children v:ho will be company for ours, and with the language already at t h e i r command t hey will be ready at once to take ever a sh..ore of the work*, Just now X am looking a f t e r repairs on the house inwhioh they are to l i v e , getting the floors oiled, and in genera,.], making it ready for t h e i r coming* Another loss, which we hope will however be only temporary, Is the g oing of Hiss Edith Tallmon. She hat word that her - f a t h e r now n early eighty five years old had fallen and broken his leg, so she determined at once to carry out a pirn she Had previously had of span din g t long summer at home. She hopes to be back by November or December, and we and th e Chinese women are a unit i n entertaining the Same hope.- Miss Long and K«ss Van Kirk will be l e v Ing here enroute for a month or so at Peitaiho tomorrow, and then I will be the only foreigner In these p a r t s 1 Our orai family as you may know now numbers an even half, dozen, Lloy oi Vinton a r r i v ed bright and early Easter morning, &pril 16' t h,and has made his- presence known- as -the- most import ant member of the family ever since,-. He i s making progress ounce b y ounce, and at bis t hree month's birthdav weighed 11 • l b s , 6• and.3/4 ounces, which i s said to be more, than he needs to weigh to be counted a normal baby I Kis older Bisters think he is " t ho only baby that ever was. The family are spending the summer, at Tsingt.10 - a fine summer resort place -.and famous as the port wr ested from G-ermany by Japp.ii, and . kept by her ever • s i n c e , to the great disgust of China and c e r t a i n American Senators, ( not to mention Others.) I took the family down there the middle of June,- stayed u n t i l the f i f t h of July, and expect to r e t u r n for a cl few weeks1 stay the middle of August. Since r eturning here I have had part in th e Graduation Exercises of our Boysf School, saying a few words of advice to the b oys who graduat ed aid handing them t h e i r diplomas; have o f f i c i a t ed at the wedding of one. of our student nurses, who h m yet'- another year ' in the Training School at Tehchow; and have been ' i r v l t ed ' to o f f i c i a t e at another -aedding, but refused so to do. A former, preacher now® runs our local Cash Shop. His wife has poor \ eyesight, -aid is otherwise not well.- She conceived the '•perfectly Chinese idea Of g e t t i n g a wife for their eleven year od Old son, to help her with the- work* . So they went ahead and arran arranged a match and had the day about set f o r the wedding. Th. e f a t h e r • of this youthful groom knew that 1 would not .approve so sent a deputy to make request that I would u n i t e these - two children ( . the bride to be is only sixteen) in the holy bonds of mat rimcny. I sent back word that t here was nothing ; doing, and .that . if some way were not found to postpone the •wedding day i t might be necessary to look for another Cash Shop keeper. A day or so 1 i t e r the father himself came to see me, .aid I had ' a heart to heart t alk with him about t he matter,- -t he outcome, of wh i c h , w i l l , I hope, .be the i n d e f i n i t e postponement ' of the m irriage.; . . I have time and space for just a fur- ' ther Word about the auto.: Lest some of you ma, yho have helped with funds . f o r our Ford car m.;y think that because t he Red Cross roads a r e not fine and smooth ire have l i t t l e use for the car let me say that during the l a s t year the car has "oeen driven some three t h o u s a n d miles p r a c t i c a l l y the wh ole distance over t he ordinary Chinese cart t racks.- With ordinary luck we make the t r i p , from here t o Tehchow {' 60 miles)' In from six to seven hours, ( I t used to tike two long days.) In most of my touring t r i p s to the o u t s t a t i o n s 1 have made b e t t e r time th an t h i s , as the roads are apt 'to be b e t t e r . 1 c a n ' t t e l l you of all the' accidents ; we havo had, D:a, Helllwell has turned the car over Into the ditch, has broken an. axle, etc*, abide • I havebroken the hub of one hind wheel, h «d five blow outs one day, and hwe been hauled back to torn by cows I but we tamk you for' th e car, nevertheless, and expect uliy'y-soue day by the time we have on hand all the r e p a i r s and t he spares that we need are anil be such expert chauffeurs and auto mechanics that we c.ai sail .long with nary an accident J ' . gegret fully ( for- such delay In writing and yet Gratefully ( for .ill your g i f ts aid kindnesses ) Yours, Vinton ?»j Eastman, |