January 10 Friday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: Cackle Madame. / Jean ill.

Eulabee Dix has been in to show the King some miniatures, & before she gets married, Sat. the 18th—she wants to & plans to paint a miniature of the King in his Oxford robe. The King says of her that she is “beautifully architected” and she is. Slim, tallish, beautiful upper lip, long almond finger nails. Everything is right. It is dreadful that life has to be made up of extremes, either the King’s life is a blurr with too much billiards or it is bleak with none.

Mme. Nordica stopped at the house this morning with an invitation to a Sunday evening party at her house. The King was just going out for a walk and got into her mobile with her for a ride. Dear, great, lonely King.

Ashcroft came for dinner & cards. We played until  11:15, then the King went for a walk of 2 blocks. He said his vitality was very low because he can have no billiards. I believe it.

Will told a story that Otto Roth told at a luncheon today. A teacher asked a small boy the gender of Father. “Masculine”—Then she asked the gender of Mother. “Feminine,” the boy said. Then she asked the gender dog & the boy said “Show me the dog” [MTP: IVL TS 6-7]. Note: Lillian Nordica (1857-1914) Am. Opera singer. Otto Roth, native of Vienna was a Boston violinist. Hill adds, “The games, and card games, too, often lasted into the early- morning hours, and the ‘blur’ was not always billiard-induced” [Hill 194].

Harper & Brothers wrote to Miss Lyon about her Jan. 9 letter referring to the Musson Book Co.’s Canadian edition of HF; They were meeting with the management of that company this week [MTP].

Misses Winifred Holt and Edith Holt sent Sam their calling card for Wed. afternoons after 4 p.m., 44 E. 78th St. NYC [MTP]. Note: this was similar to the English “At Home” cards.