ed to make matters all the
more thrillingly inexplicable.

Jimmy, as has been said, came earlier. Daddy had been up quite a while
during the night and the doctor had come over before sick call. Mamma
wasn't quite well, and Doctor Wallen had directed that daddy be
undisturbed and left to sleep, if possible, during the morning. Mamma,
of course, never came to breakfast at all now. She had her chocolate in
her room, prepared by Felicie, and seldom appeared until long after
Jimmy was out of the house. Indeed, he seldom now met mamma at all, this
in spite of the fact that, since the major's seizure, mamma had declined
all invitations to dine or sup elsewhere, and such invitations had
ceased coming, when now with entire propriety she might accept, if with
entire propriety invitations could be extended. Minneconjou society was
nearly unanimous in the view that, so long as her husband saw no
impropriety in the lady's conduct, she must be bidden. Now that he only
saw her in the presence of the doctor or the nurse, and she had for two
weeks declined to attend, there was warrant for the omission of her name
from social functions. Jimmy lunched either at Aunt Marion's, with some
of his friends, or had a chosen chum to lunch with him at home. Anything
Master Jim desired the kitchen cabinet accorded without demur. He dined
for the present with Aunt Marion, or "had his rations," as he said, when
daddy was served at seven.

Mamma, attended by Felicie, dined later, in her accustomed state.
Mamma's appetite was very delicate and had to be stimulated, he said
with unconscious truth, and this morning, this particular morning, he
had had to wait for his breakfast. There was some kind of a squabble
between Felicie and the folks in the kitchen. He couldn't understand it.
They didn't like her having beaux around late at night--swore they'd
seen a fellow prowling about there two or three times, and only just
missed nabbing him at the foot of the back stairs last night, and
Felicie was white with rage. She said Butts, the groom, was a _cocaine_
(though _he_ never kept any, and Felicie did) and she called the cook
_coshon_, and scolded both for having disturbed daddy. Daddy got as far
as the back stairs with his revolver, they said, before the nurse could
get him back, and they swore it wasn't their doing, but hers--her scream
that woke him, and even the sentry heard it out on No. 4 and yelled for
the corporal, and they nearly caught somebody th