Patsy’s arms fell limp across the counter, her head followed, and she sat there a crumpled-up, dejected little heap.
“By Jack-a-diamonds!” swore the storekeeper. “She ’ain’t swoomed, has she, boys?”
The quorum were on the verge of investigating when she denied the fact—in person. “Where am I? In the name of Saint Peter, what place is this?”
“This? Why, this is Lebanon.”
She smiled weakly. “Lebanon! Sounds more like it, anyhow. Thank you.”
She turned about and settled down to the paper while the “boys” reverted to their original topic of discussion. There were two items of news that interested her: Burgeman, senior, was critically ill; he had been ill for some time, but there had been no cause for apprehension until the last twenty-four hours; and Marjorie Schuyler had left for San Francisco—on the way to China. She was to be gone indefinitely.
“The heathen idols and the laundrymen are welcome to her,” growled Patsy, maliciously. “If they’d only fix her with the evil eye, or wish such a homesickness and lovesickness on her that ’twould last for a year and a day, I’d forgive her for what she’s made me wish on myself.”
Having relieved her mind somewhat, she was able to attend to the business of the letter with less inward discomfort. The letter was written to George Travis, already known as the manager of Miss St. Regis. He was the head of a well-known theatrical managerial firm in New York, and an old friend and well-wisher of Patsy’s. In it she explained, partly, her continued sojourn in America, and frankly confessed to her financial needs. If he had anything anywhere that she could do until the fall bookings with her own company, she would be most humbly grateful. He might address her at Arden; she had great hopes of reaching there—some day. There was a postscript added in good, pure Donegal:
And don’t ye be afeared of hurting my pride by offering anything too small. Just at present I’m like old Granny Donoghue’s lean pig—hungry for scrapings.
As she sealed the envelope a shadow fell athwart the counter. Patsy looked up to find the tinker peering at her sharply.