his new
suit looked as if he had slept in it. His collar was bent and wilted,
and the green necktie had been taken off and exchanged for a ragged
black one.

"Miss Liz!" he said huskily. "I die; the heart is gone! My parent--"

He broke down again; and leaning against the door jamb he buried his
face in a handkerchief that I could not believe was one of the lot we
had bought only yesterday. I hardly knew what to do. Tish had said she
was through with the boy. I decided to close them out in the hallway
until we had held a council; but Tufik's foot was on the sill, and the
more I asked him to move it, the harder he wept.

The mustached person said it was quite true. Tufik's father had died of
the plague; the letter had come early that morning. Beirut was full of
the plague. He waved the letter at me; but I ordered him to burn it
immediately--on account of germs. I brought him a shovel to burn it on;
and when that was over Tufik had worked out his own salvation. He was at
the door of Tish's room, pouring out to Aggie and Tish his grief, and
offering the black necktie as proof.

We were just where we had started, but minus one hundred and twenty
dollars; for, the black-mustached gentleman having gone after trying to
sell Tish another silk kimono, I demanded Tufik's ticket--to be
redeemed--and was met with two empty hands, outstretched.

"Oh, my friends,--my Miss Tish, my Miss Liz, my Miss Ag,--what must I
say? I have not the ticket! I have been wikkid--but for my sister--only
for my sister! She must not die--she so young, so little girl!"

"Tufik," said Tish sternly, "I want you to tell us everything this
minute, and get it over."

"She ees so little!" he said wistfully. "And the body of my
parent--could I let it lie and rot in the so hot sun? Ah, no; Miss Tish,
Miss Liz, Miss Ag,--not so. To-day I take back my ticket, get the
money, and send it to my sister. She will bury my parent, and then--she
comes to this so great America, the land of my good friends!"

There was a moment's silence. Then Aggie sneezed!

IV

I shall pass over the next month, with its unpleasantnesses; over
Charlie Sands's coming one evening with a black tie and, on the strength
of having killed a dog with his machine, asking for money to bury it,
and bring another one from Syria! I shall not more than mention Hannah,
who kept Tish physically comfortable and well fed and mentally wretched,
having a teakettle of boiling water always r