“That was enough, I had nothing to lose.
“Just before the overture, Prof. Riggles came on the stage and left a note with the call boy for me. It said, ‘Meet me at the ⸺ Hotel, twelve tonight.’
“I was curious to know why it should take him so long to go the short distance (for we always got out at 10:45). I watched and when he left, Dollie was with him. I saw them get into a carriage and drive rapidly south; I began to dream and wonder what it all meant, then like ‘a good little girl’ I went to the appointed place and waited; he came at twelve; we had a dinner, some wine, and then⸺” the girl snapped the stub of a cigarette across the small room, during the pause.
“After Prof, had gone from the room next morning I found a door key on the floor, which, as I afterwards learned, had fallen from his pocket. That night I was placed in a more prominent part in the piece. I was kindly received; my old admirers were joined by numerous new ones; after the show Prof. Riggles came to me and said, ‘my girl, you did fine.’
“Dollie Squires never spoke to me after that; she told some of the girls that she ‘would put me to sleep.’ When the time came for me to leave, I simply asked the Prof. if he could assist me to a place; he told me that the leading lady was suffering from a cold and that I was to rehearse for the understudy’s part in the piece as I might be called at any time.
“When the director made the announcement on the stage that I would be called to play the leading role and the entire company should stay for two rehearsals, Dollie ‘went up in the air.’ She flew into a rage, then into hysterics, for she was supposed to be the next girl up.
“She left the theater in a rage; the next day at noon, I received a note from Prof. Riggles, telling me to come to a certain number on the south side. I went and was let into a handsomely furnished flat, by a colored maid. I found the Prof. in bed with a bullet hole in his arm. He explained to me how he had been held up the night before. It was a week before he could attend to his duties, meantime, I continued to take the leading role each day, not because I loved him, but from a point of appreciation I took many of the flowers which I received the night previous and arranged them in his room. One day I asked him where his wife was.
“‘Oh, over on the west side,’ he said.
“‘But had you not better go home?’
“‘No, not until the measly arm gets good. You see, Althy, I am in New York now, working on a new piece.’