of officers' row. There were women and children, even
at that early hour, clustered at the little mound beyond the west gate,
whence the last peep could be had at the "byes" as they breasted and
crossed Two-Mile Ridge. There were garrison lads on their ponies, little
Jim among them, who rode forth with the detachment as far as the
railway, and were now racing back. There were even watchers in the upper
windows at Skid's, for the word had gone from lip to lip that the
Indians were in a fury and meant business this time. But there was
darkness, there was silence, there were only drawn blinds and lowered
shades and apparent indifference at Major Dwight's. Possibly Jimmy was
the only one who had heard. Possibly Inez did not know; mayhap she did
not care.

The boy's face was hot and flushed that afternoon, and he lay down a
while, an unusual thing with him, but he had been up very early and out
very long and riding in the breeze. All this might tend to make him
drowsy. He had come as usual to tell his father all about Mr. Ray's
march and the boy escort. A prime favorite and something of a hero was
Sandy Ray among the boys about the post, and Jimmy did not know just why
daddy seemed so uninterested. Perhaps he, too, was tired. After
breakfast Jim had gone to see Aunt Marion, and returned disappointed,
and, after an inning or two of ball, which he played but languidly, had
come home for a snooze, and found daddy talking gravely with gentlemen
from town who had been to see him before, and had queer-looking papers
for him to sign, not a bit like the innumerable rolls, returns and
company things he had to attend to when captain of a troop. Jim awakened
only with difficulty and only when called. He had promised to lunch with
Harold Winn, and went, slowly and heavily, but came back soon with a hot
headache, and was again sleeping when the phaeton drove round for mamma
and Felicie, and he did not know that this time mamma came not to see
daddy before starting. He did not know that Miss Sanford came not to
read. He did not know just what to make of things when he found daddy
bending over him at sunset, with anxiety in his face, and young Dr.
Wallen was helping undress and get him regularly to bed.

Mamma and Felicie had come home before the usual time, and Jim never
knew that, or what happened later, until very long after. But something,
it seems, had occurred during the drive to greatly agitate mamma, and
that evening her conditio