Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-10-04
AN ECHO FROM CHINATOWN.

The day before the destruction OF
Chinatown, San Francisco, jesse
Knox, favorably known for her book,
Little Almond Blossoms, completed
the interesting paper on the Shutin
Women of Chinatown from which the
following extract is taken. The article
appears in the Housekeeper. The
writer is probably better acquainted
with life Of the women Of Chinatown
than any other American. She says
A stranger would be frightened here,
for one must pass through a large
gambling house in order to meet the
dear little woman above. At the street
door sits the lookout man." somber
and stolid as a wooden Indian. Like
Poe's raven he sits there day and
night. If the police are seen approach
ing to make raid on the place he
will press a button and warn the gam
blers inside. When the officers enter
all will be as serene as Sunday
school, and no paraphernalia in sight.
Nothing to be seen save a few sleepy
Cinnamon, smoking opium, and the
altar where the incense burns always
for the gods. The gods are never left
out of anything, you know. Sometimes
when 1 pass through this gambling
house it is simply packed with men OF
different nations. Sometimes / fear
the white men, but the Chinese
never. / never stop to stare at them,
but giving them a kindly greeting N
their own tongue, pass on, through a
dark and hellish looking place, called
the kitchen, which is always dark and
full of smoke and unsavory Chinese
smells, and wehere the oil is ever
burning before the kitchen god" and
on, into the dark passageway, and up
the worst flight of stairs 1 have ever
seen. The rooms are small, dark and
stuffy. A malodorous aroma comes
from acres of fish drying on the roofs,
and from chickens and ducks in pens.
At the top of the steps is a door,
and here l give cheddy "hoo-hoo'
which is echoed inside the barred
door Here l never have to stand long
outside, for the lady inside is my
dearest Chinese friend. 1t is Mrs.
Wing.
She has an artists soul and a poets
heart. There is so much that could be
said about her that one could devote
whole volumes to it; of the many
close years of friendship which haze
existed between us; of the hapDy
time when her baby boy was born. and
the joy she felt at being the proud
mother OF son; of all the pretty
American things l had taught her to
make, and how she had trembled and
cried for JOY when / showed her the
simplest things. How we read aloul to
each other English and Chinese, and
cried, and laughed and prayed and
sang together; how a dear little babv
girl was born to her and they let if
lie on the cold, bare floor till it was
dead, because-it was a girl. and the
father thought it disgrace. After
that weary time 1 spent weeks with
ner, OF afternoons. Her life was de-
spared OF, and to me alone did she
pour out her innocent heather heart
1t made one cry one minute and laugh
the next to hear her talk. my baby
girl he die; / no got baby now: INV
little girl ne so pletty-nice little
hand-pletty eye-pletty nose-O. INV
baby SO pletty; just like mel"
So she would go on in this way
tearing ones heart out as they listen.
ed, and putting her hand on her heart
would say, In here l all time go like
this, (heaving big sigh.) l no can
can sleepT no can eatI want nv
baby"