'DONALDINA CAMERON' The Missionary Friend of Chinese Slave Girls. --------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a little past midnight when an urgent knock was heard on the mission door. A chilly mist had cloaked the city of San Francisco earlier in the day. There were no stars visible and the moon had not shown itself all week Most people were sleeping, totally uninterested in the tawdry happenings of the waterfront and of squalid Chinatown. But not Donaldina Cameron, a superintendent of the Presbyterian Mission. She was still sitting at her desk, meticulously writing notes to her staff, directing the school's daily activities. This remarkable woman was used to late-night callers, and the ominous knock hardly disturbed her. "Who is it?" Miss Cameron asked, standing up and leaving the glow of the oil lamp atop her cluttered desk. "Please, Miss Cameron," the Chinese servant boy said, his breath coming in short gasps, "let me in." Dressed in a traditional Chinese embroidered night robe, her manner gentle, Donaldina unlatched the large doors. Brushing back wiry white hair, her good Scottish face and spirited dark eyes flashed a welcome. "Come in quickly, Chiang. It is damp and cold outside." The slightly built Oriental, his back bowed from carrying heavy parcels, looked over his shoulder, peering into the dark mists of the night, and padded hastily inside. "They mustn't see me," he said. He was visibly frightened and knew all too well what would happen if the Tongs caught him coming to the mission for help. For if the notorious Chinese enforcers had one single outstanding enemy other than those of their own criminal kind, it was the missionary lady, Donaldina Cameron. They knew too well the authority and near-idolization she commanded among their own race. They also were aware that once she had given sanctuary to a Chinese slave girl, they had little hope in getting her back, which meant losing money. Sometimes such a loss was substantial. "Now, Chiang," Donaldina said, her voice calm, "let me fix you some warm tea and you can tell me what's the trouble." The boy bowed again, stuffing his hands inside his quilted jacket. "No tea, Miss. I must hurry. I'll tell you and leave." "But surely you need something warm in your stomach." "no, Not now. Perhaps later." Donaldina knew and understood her young friend's desperation, and so asked him to explain what had happened to cause him such anxiety. "A sailing ship, Moon of Canton, arrived at noon today. I see a pretty Chinese girl, about 14 years old, being taken off. I follow and see that she is taken to Tong's basement, where bidding is going on. Poor creature. Tears were coming down her thin cheeks, and her black hair was all messy. But she bring good price: $3,000. Oh, Miss Cameron, you must help Kum Lee, that's her name. She is not the kind of girl for Lotus house." "Do you know where she is now?" The boy nodded his head. "She is in tenement in Chinatown. Wicked lady Ah Toy keeps her until tomorrow, when she goes to Lotus house." "Then we must act fast." Donaldina went back to her desk to write down the location. She knew too well the life of a child bought at auction. It would be one of degradation and near-enslavement, and if the girl was lucky she would be just strong enough to survive some hideous disease. But usually they were undernourished and sickly when they arrived in San Francisco, and such a life would only make matters worse. Some of the girls had been known to commit suicide; others disappeared completely, and no one ever knew if they killed themselves or were murdered. To Be Continued . . . But Donaldina Cameron was not new....... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert October 2, 2005 iggy29@rnetinc.net 'A Closed Mouth Gathers No Foot.'