The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,117
for the rest of her life, and she only wished that her other siblings could have accompanied her.
On the first week of January, 1905, she boarded the Mombasa steamer, captained by a MacKenzie family friend, Captain Stephenson. Dolly’s next stops included Spain, the Near East, Calcutta, Rangoon, and finally, Hong Kong. The rush of anticipation that skipped along her skin at this last stop was hard to put into words. The docks teemed with Chinese, and everywhere she looked, she spied resemblances of those she loved back home.
On mainland China, she made it a point to visit the Canton province, from which many of her girls had come. She was guided along the streets by a woman who was a former teacher of Chinese in San Francisco. They traveled the crowded streets of the cities and visited the smaller villages with their thatched roofs and sprawling rice fields. A major highlight included being reunited with N’gun Ho, one of the rescued slaves from San Francisco who had returned to China and married. In China, N’gun Ho had struggled with her in-laws accepting her Christian views, but she had eventually won over her mother-in-law. At every school and every mission home Dolly visited, she shared her message of stopping the sale of girls and women.
The final leg of the voyage home to America was long and arduous, but worth every passing hour. Dolly would never forget China or its people and beauty.
But San Francisco was home. As the steamer neared the harbor, her heart swelled at least two sizes. A crowd had gathered to await the arrival of the ship.
Set apart from the main crowd was a smaller group. Dolly recognized her sisters and her niece, Caroline, along with several of the dark-haired girls who called her Lo Mo.
Her daughters.
Dolly wiped at the tears that were falling too fast for the wind to help dry them. She was home, and she laughed as a couple of the Chinese girls began jumping up and down, pointing at her. Lifting her hand high, she waved at the girls, then placed her hand over her heart. Her gaze soaked in their features: Lonnie, Dong Ho, Jiao, and Leung, all young women now. And of course, Tien was among the group. Her smile was full of light, and Dolly’s heart soared at the sight of her beloved daughters. As soon as Dolly was allowed, she walked off the steamship, right into the arms of her dearest loved ones.
After hugging all the Chinese girls, Dolly next embraced Caroline and Jessie, as well as two of her other sisters, Katherine and Helen. She had sent them letters about Isabella and a quick note about how things had ended with Charles Bazatas.
When Jessie drew away, she pinpointed Dolly with her gaze. “Are you all right?”
Dolly knew she was referring to the breakup with Charles. That day spent with him in Philadelphia seemed ages ago. In the past year, Dolly had traveled the world, met so many people, and refocused her goals in life.
“I am home with my daughters, and this is where I want to be.”
Jessie studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”
But Dolly didn’t miss the wistfulness in her sister’s eyes, the lost hope Jessie clearly felt, thinking her sister had turned down an opportunity to marry. Perhaps the last one. But with all the time Dolly had had to consider her relationship with Charles, both before and after seeing him in Philadelphia, she had come to realize their callings in life would always conflict.
Even now, her Chinese daughters tugged her hand, each waiting impatiently for her turn to speak to Dolly next.
“Thank you for coming,” Dolly told Jessie after giving Caroline another squeeze. “Come up to the mission home any time you are able.”
On the buggy ride to the mission home, her daughters competed for conversation, giving her news and updates, while Tien sat silently beside her. Dolly looked forward to learning all that Tien had been up to, but it might be a while before they were alone.
The first few hours at the mission home were filled with hugs and the girls taking turns telling her their stories. When Mei Lien stepped forward with her one-year-old son to embrace Dolly, Mei Lien whispered, “I still haven’t heard from him.”
Dolly knew that the “him” she was referring to was Huan Sun. She wished she knew what had happened to him. For better or for worse, knowing would ease the pang in all their hearts.