Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong, scene six (final scene)

Welcome, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. In this daily newsletter, I reflect on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully. Occasionally, I will also publish some of my shorter fiction in this newsletter to read for free.

Daily Diary, Day 1609:

Below is the sixth and final scene of the short story Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong, However, if you want to read my earlier post on why I wrote this story, go HERE.

But first, a brief check-in: I spent a rather lovely day yesterday, doing research in the 1880s San Francisco newspapers. In the process, I did go down a bit of a side road that took me to a possible plot for a short story or novella to write that would feature Mr. Wong! If so, I will do what I did with the novella, Dandy and the Dognappers, which is post first drafts of the scenes from the story here as I write it.

Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong: A Victorian San Francisco Story
by M. Louisa Locke
Copyright 2014

Scene 6

“I start to cry every time I think about it, Nate,” Annie dabbed at her eyes, wishing her nose didn’t turn such an unbecoming shade of pink when she was moved to tears. The memory of how the young twins stood with their arms around each other and their faces pressed cheek to cheek stuck indelibly in her mind. Their features were so identical that only the traditional shaved hairline on Song distinguished him from his sister. But the differences in their personalities became clear when Mei noticed the state of Song’s face, and, exclaiming loudly, she began to examine every inch of him, looking for additional injuries. Song stood stoically under her ministrations until he finally frowned and said something Annie guessed was Hakka for “stow it.”

Nate pulled her closer to him on the settee, and Annie sighed with pleasure. Now that they were formally engaged, Nate expressed his affection more openly, even when they were sitting in the main parlor and knew that boarders, might come in at any moment.

Kissing the top of her head, Nate said, “Did Wong say where he found the boy? You said it looked like he had been beaten.”

“He told us it took him most of the night, and he finally found Song in a warehouse near the docks, with twenty or so other Chinese men.” Annie felt the tears return, saying, “Oh Nate, when I think what would have happened if Mr. Wong hadn’t found him, I can’t bear it. He said they were going to be taken across the Bay at first light and shipped south to join one of the gangs working on the completion of the Southern Pacific rail line to Yuma. If he hadn’t gotten there when he did, Song might never have been heard of again.”

Nate said, “You read about this sort of thing happening, but I thought it was mostly the press exaggerating to stir up anti-Chinese sentiment.”

“Considering who employed the labor contractors, I don’t know that the Chinese can be blamed for what happened. Wong said something about the necessity of judging people when they were acting out of greed, but to be more forgiving of those who were acting out of the desperation caused by poverty. I feel confident that, of all the people who were responsible for the kidnapping of Song, Charles Crocker and the other “Big Four” railroad magnates were the greediest and should be judged the most harshly.”

“Yes, yes I am sure you are right,” Nate said, giving her another hug. “But what is going to happen now? Song can’t stay in the Female Refuge, and it doesn’t sound like these two should be separated.”

“Oh, no. Mei wouldn’t stand for that. But, Nate, you won’t believe what solution Mr. Wong has come up with. First of all, did you know that he was a naturalized citizen and he owns property outside of China Town?”

Nate looked down at her in puzzlement and said, “What does that have to...wait a minute. Yes, I remember when I was wrapping up the Voss estate that I saw a copy of his naturalization papers. My uncle said that Voss had insisted Wong apply as soon as California became a state, so he was one of the few who got their papers before the courts decided that only Chinese born in the States could be citizens. So yes, he would be able to own property wherever he wanted to.”

“More importantly,” Annie responded. “It also means he can adopt both Song and Mei, and that is what he is going to do. Wong said that he was already planning on retiring from his position with the Vosses, that he knew just the young man to replace him so he would have time to devote to the children.”

“Good heavens, that is a shock. But what a perfect solution. The fact that Wong and his housekeeper speak their language will make it all the easier for them. In addition, if he really is so financially well-off, their future will be assured.”

“I know it’s really quite fortuitous. At first, Mrs. Greenstock was a bit taken aback. I wondered if she was reluctant to lose a potential convert in Mei. But no, I am being unkind. Once Wong assured them that he would enroll both children in the Chinese school that the Presbyterian Mission holds down on Sacramento, and that he welcomed them to visit Mei and Song at his home whenever they wished, they became quite enthusiastic about the plan. They even offered the help of the Mission lawyer if there were any legal difficulties with the adoption.”

Nate smiled at her, and said, “And did you say they also offered you a job as a financial consultant?”

“Yes, we finally got a chance to have the meeting that brought me to the Mission in the first place. Mrs. Greenstock seemed impressed and agreed to pay me a set amount to go over their books and make some suggestions.”

“I would hope they would be impressed, not just with your business expertise. Just imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t taken the initiative to contact Wong and ask for his help with Mei!”

For a moment Annie experienced the frightening vision of what might have been––Song, bloody and broken by working on a railroad gang and Mei, wasting away in grief at being separated from her precious twin. Then she took a deep breath and blessed Wong for righting what could have been such a terrible wrong.

The End

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