Page 201 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 201
united again as a family
with Percy.
Amy and Raymond are
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
space in the middle as possible. We put Winnie against the wall with one of her girls on either side of
her, then Percy, Raymond and me, Marj next to me and finally Fred nearest the coolies!
What a night! Raymond was not used to sleeping in a bed with so many others nor with so much
going on around him, and it took a while to get him to sleep. That inn was the birthplace of a song
(lullaby?) which has been sung to all my babies as well as to grandchildren and even great
grandchildren since. I sat on the bed and rocked him in my arms, singing in a low monotonous voice,
“Mummy’s precious little baby, Mummy’s precious little baby boy”, to the tune of “Jesus, tender
Shepherd lead us.” Occasionally if I needed something and didn’t want
to disturb him by a change of voice, I would vary the words with
“Percy, bring me a nappy please, And his powder as well, please.”
This of course caused much mirth among my fellow travellers in
distress, but it had the required effect and Raymond slept soundly for
the rest of the night.
Next morning we were up early and on our way through Chicken’s
Head Pass down to the plain and on to Hanzhong before nightfall.
Miss Haslam had arrived back a week or so before us and Arnold
Strange was there to welcome Winnie and his little girls and take them
on to Chenggu. Percy’s father had arranged for us all to gather in
Hanzhong for a Conference before we scattered to our various
stations, and we did that.
But Percy and I did not return to Xixiang till early
Amy and Raymond are united February as his father was going back to Shanghai to
again as a family with Percy. report to HQ and bring Mother back, so we were needed
to take charge in Hanzhong. It was good to catch up with
the Xiaos again, and the Church folk were all anxious to
see Raymond after our year away. He really loved the
Chinese and they loved him. Old Mrs. Xiao, the doctor’s
mother, came round one day and couldn’t take her eyes
off him. She said, “Of all the good looking babies, he is
the very best looking!” The doctor often came round and
held him on his knee all the time he was there. I think
they felt they had a special claim on him.
There was an old woman who had been in the Church for
years and years. She had hardly a bean to bless herself
with, so once a week we had her come in to wash the
floors and earn a little money. She was a dear old soul,
very gentle, and we called her among ourselves, ‘Old
Peaceful’. The minute she came in the door, Raymond
would crawl across the floor, squealing with excitement
and, as soon as he reached her, he climbed up and
waited to be picked up. She was delighted of course,
and as soon as she got here, looked to see where
Raymond was. She liked to tell us that he loved her,
and we felt quite sure he did.
201
with Percy.
Amy and Raymond are
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
space in the middle as possible. We put Winnie against the wall with one of her girls on either side of
her, then Percy, Raymond and me, Marj next to me and finally Fred nearest the coolies!
What a night! Raymond was not used to sleeping in a bed with so many others nor with so much
going on around him, and it took a while to get him to sleep. That inn was the birthplace of a song
(lullaby?) which has been sung to all my babies as well as to grandchildren and even great
grandchildren since. I sat on the bed and rocked him in my arms, singing in a low monotonous voice,
“Mummy’s precious little baby, Mummy’s precious little baby boy”, to the tune of “Jesus, tender
Shepherd lead us.” Occasionally if I needed something and didn’t want
to disturb him by a change of voice, I would vary the words with
“Percy, bring me a nappy please, And his powder as well, please.”
This of course caused much mirth among my fellow travellers in
distress, but it had the required effect and Raymond slept soundly for
the rest of the night.
Next morning we were up early and on our way through Chicken’s
Head Pass down to the plain and on to Hanzhong before nightfall.
Miss Haslam had arrived back a week or so before us and Arnold
Strange was there to welcome Winnie and his little girls and take them
on to Chenggu. Percy’s father had arranged for us all to gather in
Hanzhong for a Conference before we scattered to our various
stations, and we did that.
But Percy and I did not return to Xixiang till early
Amy and Raymond are united February as his father was going back to Shanghai to
again as a family with Percy. report to HQ and bring Mother back, so we were needed
to take charge in Hanzhong. It was good to catch up with
the Xiaos again, and the Church folk were all anxious to
see Raymond after our year away. He really loved the
Chinese and they loved him. Old Mrs. Xiao, the doctor’s
mother, came round one day and couldn’t take her eyes
off him. She said, “Of all the good looking babies, he is
the very best looking!” The doctor often came round and
held him on his knee all the time he was there. I think
they felt they had a special claim on him.
There was an old woman who had been in the Church for
years and years. She had hardly a bean to bless herself
with, so once a week we had her come in to wash the
floors and earn a little money. She was a dear old soul,
very gentle, and we called her among ourselves, ‘Old
Peaceful’. The minute she came in the door, Raymond
would crawl across the floor, squealing with excitement
and, as soon as he reached her, he climbed up and
waited to be picked up. She was delighted of course,
and as soon as she got here, looked to see where
Raymond was. She liked to tell us that he loved her,
and we felt quite sure he did.
201
