Anna V. Blough letter to dear ones in Orange Township, March 27, 1915

              Ping Ting Hsien, Shansi, China
March 27, 1915

Dear Ones in Orange Township, -

This is Saturday morning. Last eve at 4:00 P.M. we got home from our trip to Liao Chou for the 
Yearly Mission Meeting. About the first thing we did when we got home was to send and get 
the mail, for we had none for several weeks and we were pretty anxious for letters from home. 
Counting papers and all, I had eighteen pieces, among them letters from home But I felt too dirty 
from the trip to enjoy them, so I laid them away till I could read them with greater comfort.

We started from home the 16th, arrived there the evening of the 18th, then started home the 24th 
and go here the 265*. Was three days on the trip each way. I think first of all I will tell about the 
trip both ways.

In our party when we started from here, there were 23 including the Chinese Christians who 
went along. Had seventeen mules and donkeys. It was a long train, sometimes stretched out a 
mile or more. One must take so much baggage along, especially in cold weather that it takes a 
number of pack anomals. The drivers counted up and said that there were forty three mouths to 
feed, including, people, animals and the drivers. They were afraid there would not be enough left 
for them.

The weather going down was so nice. Did not always need wraps on, tho as we got nearer there 
it was colder, due to the altitude. We always say down because it is south, tho it is really up. Last 
fall I made the trip alone an when the fields were ripe with grain. This time it was different in 
such a big crowd, and then the hills and mountains were all a brown color and rather 
monotonous. Our first night was at Le Ping. There we staid in the Chapel, for it is out out 
Station. They have a school and Opium Refuge there We were treated very cordial. The Brethren 
there always seem glad to see us and we are also glad to see them after a long ride. We three girls 
slept in the school room, setting up our cots there. I forgot to say that before we started we made 
out a menu for the way so we would know what was planned for each meal and then it did not 
take long to prepare it. Our second day was over the high mountain range. We were a tired set 
getting into He Shun that night. We had to stay in a cold inn. I never knew before what that 
meant. We had no place to warm, so went to bed as soon as possible when supper was over. Then 
with the aid of hot bricks and water bo tles we warmed up and slept fairly well. Next morn got 
up at about four oclock. Were started by six-thirty. A walk of a mile or two warmed us up, and 
then wemounted out donkeys till we came to the scaling of another mountain. So we walked and 
rode by turns and by six o�clock in the eve we were in Liao with our own people. How one does 
appreciate friends at the end of a long journey. And how good do their warm clean homes seem 
after spending a night in a cold and very dirty Chinese Inn

Our journey home was somewhat different. The Chinese Brethren started home a day before we 
did and the crowd was not as large. But the morning we started the wind came up and it blew 
that day something like it does in New Mexico. The dust was so bad we could hardly see, and it 
went thru our clothing and bedding so that we were about as dirty as it was possible to get. I had 
a new experience this time. We had a litter carried by mules and I rode in it most of the way. I 
think it was about as exciting as anything I have tried yet. As we were going up the mountain the 
wind had a full sweep and at times it seemed it would surely blow over, or the mules would be 
blown a precipice. One feels you must hold on with all your might, and yet that is useless. So I 
resolved to take the consequences and not worry, trusting the Lord to care for me. The second 
morn we had to round a number of sharp corners with precipices on the down side. The most I 
could do was to shut my eyes. The fact that the mule behind cannot see makes it rather 
dangerous. I knew that others of our crowd have ridden safely over these places before in litters 
and so I felt I could too.