JO FINDS THAT HE IS SOME ONE ELSE
When, late at night, Chinese Jo reached New York and alighted from
his train in the Grand Central Station he was bewildered and almost
frightened by his surroundings. He found himself in a vast edifice
occupied by many long trains of cars, some standing still, either
receiving or discharging passengers, and others in motion, drawn or
pushed by hoarsely puffing locomotives. Between every two trains was a
narrow platform extending the whole length of the great station, and
most of these were crowded with outgoing or incoming passengers, all
in a hurry, and each too intent upon his own affairs to pay attention
to those of his neighbors. Among them moved red-capped porters and
blue-clad railway officials, too mindful of their own importance to
condescend to answer the low-voiced questions of an insignificant
"Chinaman."
As Jo drifted with the tide of one of these human streams, his eyes
searched anxiously every face within his range of vision with the hope
of discovering Mr. Wang. But no such good-fortune was in store for him,
and finally he reached the street without having found his friend. He
had asked several of the uniformed officials if they had seen a Chinese
gentleman anywhere about the station, but some of them had only laughed
without answering, while others had paid no attention to him. Outside
the station, however, and standing irresolute on the sidewalk, Jo was
beset by plenty of persons anxious to serve him. Drivers of carriages,
cabs, and baggage wagons shouted at him and solicited his patronage.
Agents of express companies wanted to take charge of his luggage,
ragged street urchins struggled for possession of his hand-bag, while
hotel-runners besieged him with cards of their respective houses.
"But I only want to go to the Blevoort Hotel," he finally managed to
explain, "and not anywhere else."
"Take you to the Brevoort for five dollars," shouted a hack-driver,
waving a whip in the lad's face and at the same time reaching for his
hand-bag.
"I am going to the Brevoort House, and will show you the way if you
like," said some one close behind Jo, as he was attempting to explain
that he had not five dollars to expend on carriage-hire.
Turning, our lad saw a man, evidently, from the bag that he carried,
a traveller like himself, and, greatly relieved to find some one
willing to aid him in this time of trouble, he gratefully accepted the
stranger's offer of guidance.
"All right, then, come along," said the man. "No, we don't want no hack.
Street-cars are good enough for us."
With this he waved aside the clamorous throng of drivers, and led
the way to a car bound down-town. As they rode, the stranger, while
admitting that he was not a resident of New York, so impressed our lad
with his knowledge of the great city, and of the manifold pitfalls that
it held for the unwary, that he inwardly congratulated himself upon
having met so willing a guide, who at the same time was so competent to
direct his steps.
The car took them within one block of their destination, and when Jo
read the name "Brevoort" over the doorway of the hotel he believed his
troubles to be ended, for surely here he would find his friend, or at
least learn of his whereabouts.
"Is there a gentleman by the name of Wang stopping here?" he inquired of
a sprucely attired clerk at the desk.
"Not if we know it," was the reply, accompanied by a supercilious stare.
"But I received a telegram only a few hours ago telling me to meet him
here."
"Can't help that. If he is here it's without my knowledge, and you'll
have to find him as best you can."
"Then I will take a room for the night and wait till he comes," said
poor Jo, desperately. "This is the only address he gave, and so he is
sure to look here for me sooner or later."
"Haven't a vacant room in the house," answered the clerk, shortly; "and
if you think this hotel is a Chinese joint you're mightily mistaken."
"Let's get out of here," said Jo's friendly guide. "That's outrageous;
and if this place isn't good enough for you it isn't good enough for me
either."
Here, unobserved by our lad, the speaker winked at the clerk, who winked
back understandingly. "Come with me," added the man. "I'll show you a
decent place, where we can spend the night, and to-morrow I'll help you
hunt your friend."
As Jo knew not what else to do, he for a second time gratefully
accepted the offer of this stranger, and followed him out through the
inhospitable doorway he had so hopefully entered a few minutes before.
Again boarding a street-car, they were carried far down-town, and
finally reached a small hotel, in which they secured a room containing
two beds.
There they spent the remainder of the night and had breakfast the next
morning. By this time Jo had determined to make one more effort to find
Mr. Wang at the Brevoort House, and, if it failed, to return at once to
Hatton. He still had money with him to pay his fare, but not enough to
keep him much longer at a New York hotel. During breakfast, which he and
his newly formed acquaintance ate together, he confided this plan to the
latter, who gave it his hearty approval.
"Best thing you can do," he said. "New York is no place for a stranger,
more especial a foreigner who is not used to American ways. There's
only one thing, though. While we're down-town we might as well visit
the office of the police commissioners, and find out what they know
about your friend. They keep track of all foreigners arriving in the
city, and are sure to have full information concerning any one so
distinguished as your Mr. Wang. It's only about a couple of blocks away,
and you can leave your bag here to pick up as you come back."
Jo agreed to this proposal; and, filled with a new hope, willingly
accompanied his friendly guide. They walked much farther than two
blocks, but our lad was so fascinated by the novel sights about him
that he took no note of the distance traversed. Finally they entered
a massive stone building, in which an elevator speedily lifted them
several stories above the street level. Jo caught a glimpse of the
word "Commissioner," printed in letters of gold over a doorway, as he
was ushered into an anteroom, the entrance to which was guarded by an
officer. His acquaintance seemed to know this man, for he nodded to him
as they passed in. Then he said to Jo:
"You sit here and wait a few minutes, while I go and see if the
commissioner can give us a hearing."
With this he turned away and disappeared through a second doorway at the
other end of the room.
So Jo waited and waited with the unquestioning patience of his race
until more than an hour had passed, while many persons went in and out
without paying him the slightest attention. At length he began to grow
uneasy; and, walking over to the officer who guarded the door, he asked:
"Is the commissioner very busy this morning?"
"Rather," was the laconic answer.
"Then, perhaps, I had better not wait any longer."
"Oh, I guess you had," was the reply, accompanied by a curious scrutiny
of the young Chinese.
"But it may be that he won't have time to attend to my affair."
"He'll attend to you fast enough when the time comes. Never you fear."
Reassured, but at the same time somewhat perplexed by these answers, Jo
returned to his seat and waited another hour. Then, determined to remain
no longer, he walked to the door with the intention of going back to the
hotel and carrying out his original plan.
"What do you want now?" inquired the officer on guard.
"I am not going to wait any longer," replied Jo.
"Oh, you're not going to wait any longer, aren't you? Reckon we'll see
about that, too. Just you stroll back to where the deputy marshal left
you, and stay there till you're ordered to move, or I'll make things
lively for you. Do you hear me, Chink? Well, then, get a move on."
Bewildered and frightened by the officer's fierce aspect, Jo did as he
was bidden, and again resumed his seat. He had hardly taken it, when the
door through which his acquaintance had disappeared was flung open and
another officer called out, "Joseph Lee!" a summons that our lad obeyed
with alacrity.
He was ushered into a comfortably furnished room, containing a number
of men, and was conducted to the presence of one who sat behind a desk.
Near at hand stood his acquaintance of the night before.
"Is this your man, deputy?" asked the person behind the desk.
"Yes, sir; he is," replied Jo's acquaintance, who was a deputy United
States marshal, engaged in searching out illegal Chinese residents of
the Eastern District.
"What is your name?" asked the man behind the desk, now turning to Jo.
"Joseph Lee," was the reply.
"Native of China?"
"Yes, sir."
"How long have you been in this country?"
"About eight months."
"Where?"
"Hatton."
"What have you been doing there?"
"Studying."
"Never lived in S----?"
"No, sir; but--"
"Never mind your buts. Haven't you been employed in Charley Wing's
laundry in S----?"
"Certainly not. I am a student, and--"
"This isn't your picture, then?" said the United States commissioner, at
the same time holding out an enlarged photograph of a scene in a Chinese
laundry.
Jo took it, and to his amazement recognized himself, prominently in the
foreground, and engaged in ironing as though that were his trade.
"Yes, sir," he answered. "This seems to be a picture of me; but--"
"That will do," interrupted the commissioner sharply. "Now let me see
your certificate."
Jo had a certificate of identity, to which was attached a photograph of
himself as he had looked when about to leave Hong-Kong. This certificate
had been furnished by an American consul-general in China; and, as he
had been warned always to keep it about his person, he now was able
promptly to produce it.
"Um, um," muttered the commissioner, as he glanced over the paper. Then
aloud he added: "This appears to be a certificate of identity issued
to one Li Tsin Su, student, unable to speak English, and so forth.
You speak English fluently, declare your name to be Joseph Lee, and
admit the correctness of this picture of yourself at work in a Chinese
laundry, a photograph, by-the-way, that does not in the least resemble
the one attached to this certificate. Thus, your case seems to prove
itself beyond need of further investigation, for you don't appear to be
anywhere near as sharp in matters of deception as most of your tricky
countrymen. I rather think you won't find America a congenial sphere for
your future studies. Marshal, remove the prisoner, and retain him in
custody until such time as the next personally conducted excursion is
ready to start."
"This is an outrage!" protested poor Jo, struggling furiously in the
viselike grip of the man who had taken him in charge, "and I shall
appeal--"
"Shut up!" growled the officer, "and come along quiet, or you'll only
make a bad matter worse."
With this he hustled his indignant but helpless prisoner from the room
at so breathless a pace that he could utter no further word of protest.
A half-hour later saw our unfortunate lad stripped of everything found
in his pockets and lodged in one of the city prisons, in company with
several of his countrymen, all of the coolie class, who were awaiting
orders from Washington for their deportation to China in accordance with
the provisions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of the United States.