Free The Unexpurgated Diary of a Shanghai Baby by Elsie McCormick Page A

Club.
    â€œPut a little snow on Fuji,” said friend twirling round white thing into center of green cloth. Lots more talk I didn’t understand. Heard papa say later that he was going to put Auntie on the table, but didn’t know how he could as she was still at tea-party.
June twenty-fifth, later
    Crawled under couch and went to sleep, but woke up when boy said missee was coming. Somebody threw round things down under couch cover and somebody else pushed in bottles.
    â€œWe’ve been talking over some business,” saidpapa, as mama came in.
    Thought I would surprise mama. Crawled out with red round thing in my hand to give her but knocked over bottle while getting out.
    â€œWe’ve just had tea,” said papa, looking nervous.
    â€œI never heard it called that before,” said mama, picking up bottle and reading label.
    Papa’s friends said they would have to go on account of important date and papa remarked that he would see them to ricshas. Ricshas must have been a long way off, as papa is still out.

EPILOGUE
July third
    Great excitement. Family going back to America. Papa says mama will have lovely time breaking in Swede servant girl if any, and that she had better ask amah to draw diagram of safety-pins in my attire. Auntie busy buying clothes for shipboard but papa said that if she is still as good a sailor as she was coming over, all she needs is night-dress.
    Squalled all day, as hate idea of being dressed and brought up by amateurs. Heard mama say she was going to give goldfish to amah. Wish I was a goldfish.
July fifth
    Family still busy packing. Auntie says Bertie has asked her to stay, but she says she will look at crowd on boat before deciding. Papa packing clothes in bird-cage, as mama has taken up all room in trunk.
July seventh
    Family leaving. Tried to hide in closet, so as to be forgotten, but mama found me when looking for losthandbag. Still squalling about losing amah.
July seventh
    Final bulletin - Great surprise. Amah coming with us. Passed Jap baby on way, to steamer and threw chow bottle. Very happy. Wonder if being baby in America is any easier than in Shanghai.

GLOSSARY
    Houseboy - The major factotum in a Far Eastern household. He waits on table, answers the doorbell and telephone, and usually directs the other servants.
    Coolie - A servant of lower rank who usually does ninety per cent of the work. The term is also applied to all unskilled laborers in China.
    Tiffin - The meal which at home is known as lunch or luncheon, depending on whether or not there are flowers on the table.
    Chow - Anything to eat.
    Carlton - One of Shanghai’s most popular dancing resorts.
    Bund - The street skirting Shanghai’s waterfront, on the Whangpoo River.
    Shroff - A Chinese bill-collector employed by local firms to present signed chits on the first of every month and secure payment if possible. Very unpopular among foreigners.
    Amah - The lady servant who guides the destinies of foreign children in China. She is also the unprinted newspaper that keeps local gossip in circulation.
    Chit - A bill signed in restaurants, cafes, or stores as a promise to pay; also a note carried by a coolie.The large number of coolies and the eccentricities of the telephone system make the chit a very popular method of communication.
    Taipan - The manager of a firm or office. The social system in the East gives the taipan a large amount of prestige, regardless of his drawing-room qualifications.

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