. A'Chu and other stories. A STREET CAR IX SHANGHAI Ocean ) to Hankow. Up to this point we had trav-eled 1,400 miles by ship, and were now a little morethan half that distance in a straight line across countryfrom where we had started. On the way from Shanghai to Hankow we stoppedat Wu-hu to let off cargo. A mass of small boatsfilled with beggars calling piteously for gifts, swarmedabout the steamer. Their clothing was tattered; theirhair hung in matted lumps; their faces and hands ap- 54 AChu and Other Stories peared not to have been washed in a lifetime. Theirclothing, such as it was, was su
. A'Chu and other stories. A STREET CAR IX SHANGHAI Ocean ) to Hankow. Up to this point we had trav-eled 1,400 miles by ship, and were now a little morethan half that distance in a straight line across countryfrom where we had started. On the way from Shanghai to Hankow we stoppedat Wu-hu to let off cargo. A mass of small boatsfilled with beggars calling piteously for gifts, swarmedabout the steamer. Their clothing was tattered; theirhair hung in matted lumps; their faces and hands ap- 54 AChu and Other Stories peared not to have been washed in a lifetime. Theirclothing, such as it was, was sufficient so that no onelooked very cold. The faces of the children, thoughsmeared and dirty, were plump and ruddy. The sightof them brought to my recollection a sentence from alesson on beggars in our language primer: If he reallywere as poor as he seems, would he be as fat as he is?. BEGGARS HUTS There are thousands of these huts in Hankow. I decided then that the small charities I could affordshould be spent on persons I knew to be poor, not onswarms of beggars. Hankow lies less than 800 miles directly north ofCanton. This city is a great business center locatedin the heart of China. If Shanghai may be comparedto New York on our eastern coast, Hankow may becompared to Chicago at the center of the country. At Hankow we went immediately to the UnitedStates consul to register our passports for permission totravel in these interior parts of China. The consul By Steamship and Rail 55 wrote down a description of each of us as to height,complexion, color of eyes, hair, etc. In case we didnot return as expected, he would know whom to lookfor, where to look for us, and just which of theChinese officials was responsible for our safety. Itis very comforting, when in a strange land, to knowthat ones own native country is looking out for hissafety wherever he may be. TRANSPOR
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