120 THE GOSPEL AND THE PLOW 



learned to play the piano in the orphanage. So I got a 

 friend to buy for her a little folding organ. This was a 

 great joy to her and helped her in her work. Gradually 

 there came a transformation over the women's quarters. 

 The houses were made clean and neat and tidy. The 

 women also improved in appearance. They washed their 

 clothes, combed their hair, and tried to make themselves 

 attractive. When the very hot weather came, my wife 

 had to take our little baby daughter up to the mountains. 

 I went to our Women's Hospital and said to the lady in 

 charge, "Dr. Binford, the leper women do so miss the 

 visits of my wife, if you would go over to the Asylum 

 some afternoon you would cheer them greatly. They are 

 very grateful for the visits of an American woman." 

 She promised to go and a few days later with Miss Alice 

 Wishart and another lady missionary she drove over. 

 On their way back they drove through the college campus 

 where we were playing tennis. After our game I strolled 

 over to their phaeton. Dr. Binford said, " Mr. Higgin- 

 bottom, Frances opened her heart to me to-day. She 

 said that when she first went into the asylum she could 

 not believe that there was a God, or if there were a 

 God, she did not see how He could be a God of love and 

 afflict any one as He had afflicted her, but Frances went 

 on to say that now she could see it all. God had a work 

 for her to do, ministering to the other lepers. If she had 

 not herself become a leper she would never have dis- 

 covered her work, so she said every day I live now I 

 thank Him for having sent me here and given me this 

 work to do." 



For fifteen years I have known Frances. I have seen 

 her work. I know that greater than anything she says 

 is the witness of her own life. That first heartbreaking 



