Dear Georgia:

I received two nice long letters from you written while you were at St. Jo. I am so glad you had such a nice long rest and gained 12 lbs. Mother says you will be better fortified for your hard winter’s work. Do you really like teaching or is it a drudge to you? By the way I had a nice letter from Minnie Leonori last evening. She is an enthusiastic school teacher. I think most work is drudgery if we work simply because we must have the money we earn but if we have a motive such as you and I may have in our work, the building of character, and take the money because “the labourer is worthy of his hire”¹ it makes all seem different.

I am thankful too that mother kept well while you were away from her. I am sure it must have worried you quite a little—remembering how father was taken away from you while you were away.—Two days more and you will be 21 years old, can it be? I was almost 22 when I went to college and graduated the June after I was 24. I felt quite old then I wonder if you do? I feel about the same now ten years later.

We are looking forward with great pleasure to our reinforcements, Dr. Cutler, Mrs. Hall, Miss Edmunds² and Miss Robbins.³ If the board would only send us some men! They have not even filled the vacancies of Dr. Scranton & Mr. Appenzeller.⁴ We hope for something from them after their fall meeting. If Bishop Moore⁵ does not work up something for us while home I’ll think he is not much good. Our woman’s board is very good to us and seems to hear our cries for need, both for workers and buildings. We are now putting up a big building in Pyeng Yang—a house for four ladies. Next year Chemulpo will come in for a house. The girls are now living in a rented house—Mrs. Appenzeller’s summer home.

We had a thief night before last, not in our yard but the girls saw him prowling around in the next yard and made such a racket, we were all awake. He stole Mr. Reynolds’s⁶ glasses and the poor man is helpless without them. He Page 207 →prepared to carry off a great deal more but was frightened away before he got them loaded up. Last night we had our gate man patrol the place and his steps on the gravel walk kept us awake most of the night, so we have lost sleep two nights.

Miss Paine’s bicycle has just come and now she is going to learn to ride it. I hope she can but I doubt it for she is so short winded, I fear she will not like it. I do so enjoy my wheel it goes rolling along with scarcely an effort. If you should thank Miss Colton every time you see her you could not fully express my gratitude. I am in mortal terror all the time for fear someone may steal it. There has been quite a craze for stealing bicycles, so I keep mine well locked.

I felt so badly about Grace Short.⁷ It is so often hard to understand the why of some providences, yet we know He makes no mistakes. I had a letter last night from Mrs. Ha,⁸ our Korean who is in Delaware. She says Prince Weiwha⁹ is there to attend school. What a fine thing that he should go to a Christian college! I have met him on one or two occasions. The Crown Prince¹⁰ you know Page 208 →is imbecile, so doubtless Prince Weiwah stands good chance of the throne in case of his father’s death. I wish sometime you would have Mrs. Ha come to Bellefontaine for a few days. You would enjoy her and I would like to have her know you & Mother. You would not find her hard to entertain I am sure. Her husband who is the highest official “Camsa” in Chemulpo pays all her expenses in school.

I enclose a check for $50.00 which I send for the Dec. taxes as usual—I have asked Mother to subscribe for the Delineator another year for me, the balance can help with your monthly loan. Does the rent of the house cover the loan assessment? This is all I can send home now for we must lay in our fuel for winter, which is very expensive. I see by the papers the coal strike will make coal dear in Am. also.¹¹ Then our winter food supply takes so much—I keep thinking I’m going to get ahead so I can lay by a little each quarter for necessity but every quarter brings its own needs.

Hope you & mother keep well—

Lovingly—

Lulu E. Frey.