In the Shadow of the Drum Tower

*In the Shadow of the Drum Tower* by Laura DeLany Garst This missionary narrative collection comprises three connected sketches originally published by the Foreign Christian Missionary Society. The opening titled piece "In the Shadow of the Drum Tower" presents a symbolic narrative set in China: a mother brings her fevered child to die beneath the Drum Tower, but a white-haired foreign woman discovers them and nurses both mother and child to recovery, with Christian hymn-singing replacing traditional practices. "My Little Sister in Far-Away China" follows Dorothy DeLany's transformation from a carefree young woman into a dedicated missionary wife. After visiting her sister in Japan, Dorothy marries Dr. Macklin, a medical missionary, and relocates to China. The narrative chronicles her gradual commitment to missionary work—initial encounters with Japanese Bible classes, visiting the dying, and learning local languages—alongside domestic adjustments to harsh conditions: snakes, centipedes, burglaries, and primitive living quarters in a converted Buddhist temple. The incomplete OCR cuts off mid-narrative.