Mt. Idaho Aug 3^rd 1886
Mr W^m Rankin

Dear Sir
Long before Mr Ds enclosed letter reached me I had purposed writing to Mr Rankin this week (D.V.) at the close of my school year – unless some of our boys should come up for a little time of study (as they may if their wheat is not ripe enough to cut by the time they have finished their oats). In that case, letters and everything else must wait, and morning, afternoon & evening be given to them alone.  They come and go as they can. Their houses here ‘open’, their teacher, they know always ready for them – even in ‘vacation’. They are as ‘hungry to know’ as ever.

I reported my school so fully to Dr Ellinwood about the 1^st of March or last of Feb, at which time, the funds of our boys being exhausted, the white farmers near us beginning to plough, my pupils went home to put in their crops, ‘look up’ the stock which had been running wild all winter, attend to branding &c &c. Not reporting monthly to the Dept. now, I did not keep account of days of study, and will have to trust to memory.

I think none of our boys were here in March to study – only Robert, James Hayes, Parsons and Moses Montieth, when the two latter were ‘examined’ for Presbytery. About the 13^th of March, I remember, five of my pupils came up. Two of there were subpoenaed by the Agent, one by the prosecution Attorney as witnesses in the trial of Tom Hill which was expected to come of then, but was taken by change of venue to Lewiston. So we had a good litle time of study, some of them remaining until they had to go home to plant their potatoes. Since then, they have been coming 1, 2, 3, 4 &c at a time, studying as long as they could (or until their money was spent) then going back to their work. (Three of them were here the 1st week in July, one the third.) They like to have their school home here all save perhaps James Hayes, who has an old mother, of whom he is very fond, to be cared for at Kamiah. The brother who cared for her last winter, having gone to the Flat Heads.

Save for Dr Ellinwoods letters Miss McB would have followed her pupils to Kamiah for the farming months as soon as it was practicable to take a wagon (with her cook stove &c) so saving expense for rent &c here. There was no reason in her, or in our boys (never had been) why she should not so return, and no hindering word (to her knowledge) from the Ind. Dept. She has not had a word from the Board since Dr. Ellinwoods letter of Feb 12^th. She sent a long letter with the deed for the Boards house here to the Phila friends, some time this spring, asking them after reading letter and deed to send both to the friends at New Your, as the letter was partly written for them too. Did the deed and letter reach New York?

Mr Ds letter (which Mr Rankin probably will understand better than she, so she encloses it to save trying to explain) is the first intimation to her of ‘Circular Letter’ or change of ‘plan’. I am glad that Mr D throws Miss McB ‘back upon the hands’ of Mr Rankin again, though doubtless Mr Rankin is not glad now. No further notice of the check has reached her yet. (Miss McB has had so much care from forgetfulness in matters which should not have fallen to her care. It is easier to go to Mr Rankin direct at first for herself & school. Mr D too knowing little of the latter.)

Mr Rankins letter of Jan. 30^th (its kind words coming in the midst of so many hurts doing me more good than the enclosure) enclosed a check for $300.00 my salary up to April 1^st he said. I did not understand, clearly, what he meant by the permission to sent to him ‘every three months if embarrassed for want of funds’.

In Dr. Ellinwoods letter of Jan 28^th he said "We would be glad if you will send us an account of the running expenses of your work so far as they are to be paid by the Board, including whatever is done for the young men." The heaviest regular expense was the rent for the two houses, one (with the stable) at $10.00, the other at $5.00 per month, for which I have settled up to the 1^st of June. I would have dropped the one at $10.00 then until fall, if I could have gotten it again then, but I could not and we could get no stable in Mt. I save the one attached to this house. It is a very desirable house for whites, as well, two families of whom we had already ‘kept out.’ I paid Mr Brown, the landlord, $55.00 the 1^st of June, and am $20.00 in his debt, making $75.00 in all. He is a warm friend of the school, and will ‘throw off’ the rent for Aug & Sept even if the house is used, reducing the rent, per year to $100.00 instead of $120.00

I owed Mr Dorman, the landlord of the other house $45.00 on June 1^st. Of that he threw off $20.00 charging me only $25.00 "because, he said "I too am interested in these men" (our boys). I told him I would report his kindness to the Board. He also gives us the house free until it is regularly occupied in the fall. (D.V.)

I brought three of my stoves for my boys from Kamiah. The printing press money bought the house and another stove. Two others - of the six my boys used - cost with pipes $45.00. I would not mention this, only that if God spares and prospers us we will probably need more stoves, really needed another last winter.

And the cost of moving from Kamiah; new school room furniture here; nescessary furniture for self (it not being practicable, easily to bring large and heavy articles from K and besides, we hope to need them there in the farming months) besides cost of books &c was so heavy. And we will need more text and reference books. (I have long wanted Schaff Encycopaedia for instance. My old, well worn Encyclopaedia only reaching down to 1835. I wonder if the Board of Pub. would donate us some copies of the Confession of Faith. Think you?

As to Miss McBs help to our boys and families, personally, she has kept no account; never did, since Robert Williams board account before Mr D came. A little help over a hard place to this one, another to that, or for the whole, made in the aggregate a pretty heavy load.

For illustration: In one (yet unpaid, bill of $52.98, from Mr Scott last week, $23.17 I see is for my pupils & families. $12.42 of this is for freight on ‘Missionary’ boxes of second hand clothing for our boys & families without which they could scarcely study next winter or even this summer. The freight, so heavy from Lewiston, as well as the labor of such boxes has always fallen on the teacher of the Men’s school. Her sister would help nothing even though so much of the contents and the greatest part of the labor were for the wives and little ones in the Womans School.

There is only one item of help to our boys (last fall) which Miss McB ‘begrudges’ i.e. $5.00 to help Harry Hayes, one of the most promising of her latest pupils to pay the Agent a most unjust fine of last Aug. Harry had a severe illness taken shortly after his arrest and trip to Lapwai, was weak for months and had to take the money he had collected to pay his fine to buy medicine &c which with his physician came from Grangeville. When he applied for a ‘permit’ to attend school here, the Agent wrote me that he could

[The rest of the letter is missing.]