over. “Stay in the middle of the group with Kum Quai. We don’t know who might be watching or following us, but Officer Cook says that the tong have not evacuated the city yet.”
“I will watch over Kum Quai,” Tien said.
“You are in danger as well,” Dolly added. “Do not risk anything.”
Tien simply nodded, a determined look in her eyes, then joined the traveling pack.
By the time the troupe reached Embarcadero Street, they had become footsore, but everyone was still determined. They needed to cross the bay into Marin County, and there, Dolly hoped they could begin to stitch together their fractured lives. Other women joined their procession—women displaced by the tragedy and seeking shelter. By the time Dolly spied the Ferry Building, she worried they wouldn’t be able to travel across the waters together as a single group.
She entered the Ferry Building to inquire about the availability. The employee there was nonplussed and simply said, “The incoming ferry is empty. You’ve just missed the main crowd.” He cast his blue-eyed gaze over the women and children carrying a mishmash of luggage, items, and bundles. “There is room for you all, ma’am.”
Dolly’s knees felt weak with relief. They were getting out of San Francisco. They would be safe. After boarding the boat, she moved to the rail and gripped the top as they pulled away from the shore. The view of San Francisco was hard to fathom. Smoke filled the sky like a dense quilt, and buildings were ghosts of their former selves. Everything she saw broke her heart for her beloved city.
She sank onto a nearby bundle, needing to rest her legs. Dolly didn’t know where they would end up sleeping tonight, but at least they were away from the choking smoke, the crumbling memories, and the searching eyes of the tong.
In Sausalito, the group was met by friends of the board and taken to San Anselmo. The barn they were led to was lacking in comfort, but considering their situation and the size of their group, this was the only option for now. They would make do. When ladies from the Relief Committee brought in food, it was likely a bit of a shock for them to see so many Chinese women together under Dolly’s leadership.
When she explained how the mission home operated, one of the relief women pulled Dolly aside and said, “We’ve seen other Chinese coming through our town because of the earthquake. Where are they all going?”
“To whoever will take them in,” Dolly said, her mind reeling. Which Chinese? Families? Tong members? She blew out a breath. “Most are fleeing destroyed and burned homes. It will take years to rebuild what was lost.”
The woman’s eyes widened. Dolly supposed some might find the sudden influx of Chinese from Chinatown bothersome. She could only hope that the slave owners would not recover anytime soon and that they would either scatter or stay far away.
But Dolly’s hope was in vain. Only a handful of days later, while she and Miss Ferree were coming out of the nearby Presbyterian orphanage where they’d been given clothing to share with the girls, Dolly saw a man she recognized as a tong member, the one who had spat at Tien’s feet. And with him was a woman Dolly had encountered at a previous rescue. This woman had refused to let Dolly enter her house.
When she and Miss Ferree returned to the drafty barn, Dolly immediately found Tien. “I need to speak to you in private.”
They went outside behind the barn where they only had the trees and buzzing insects for company. “The tong are here,” Dolly said. “The man who spat at you, and another woman who despises me. They might be the ones behind the death threats.”
Tien folded her hands in front of her. For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. “You’ve had plenty of death threats too, yet you continue to work.”
“That’s different,” Dolly said.
“How?”
“I’m not Chinese, and I’m not young like you.”
Tien shook her head, lines appearing between her brows. “You think you’re replaceable, Miss Cameron?”
Dolly sighed. “Be careful, my friend. Be vigilant. Don’t go anywhere alone.”
“If the tong are here, then I am not the only one in danger,” Tien said. “And I can’t hide for the rest of my life.”
“I know.”
“We must call a meeting and tell everyone,” Tien said. “San Francisco isn’t the only place there is danger. As long as the tong exist, the war continues.”
“You’re right,” Dolly said.
With all the older girls and