Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-07-07
Mr.. Collins CrOquet Set

Croquet, that eminently fascinating game,
was introduced on the premises Of the Col.
Inns, Friday. In the afternoon Podges
boy brought up the set, and just before tea
Mrs. Collins arranged the wickets. Col
Inns had learned to pay when visiting in
Glovershire, last summer, and Mrs. Collins
ACQUIRED an Indifferent knowledge of the
game from two elderly maiden sisters in
Paxton street. And SO on that delicious
Friday afternoon they took out their NAL
lets aud balls and commenced the game
Now, Emmeline' playfully observed
Mr.. Collins, don't you pegin cheating at
the start. lfyou do, the game will be pros
tituted to mere gambling an we'll injure
our moral natures in trying to bui up our
physical
People who are so ready to charge
against Others may need close watching
themselves, young man said She in the
same same spirit, and / mean to keep a
sharp eye on you
Then they both laughed
But it will be good thing for you he
said, with tnge oftenderness in his voice
you are kept cooPed up in the house SO
that you can hardly get breath of fresh
air. This will give you exercise, and keep
you out of doors too.
You are always thinking of me- said
she, as her eyes grew moist You need
the outdoor air as much as do, but you
are too unselfsh to think of yourself
And thus exchanging sentiments which
did credit to both their hearts, the game
progressed.
After passing through the center wicket
Mr.. Collins used her balls to help himsel
though the other wicket to the upperf
stake. Then he left her near the first
wicket, and struck for the stake, which.
being about eight inchs distant made him
confident. The ball missed by about an
eighth Of an inch.
| declare he exclaimed in veXation.
Then she. having watched his rapid
| progress, now struck for him and hit him,
and minute later his ball was spinning
| through the grass to the other end of the
| ground. She was now in position for her
| wicket, and passed through it and others to
the stake, but missed it. Then he came up
| by well-directed blow to within two
| inches of the stake. But she went for him
again, and when she got through she was
three wckets beyond the stake, and his ball
was at the other end of the ground again,
and his brow was finely corrugated. He
stepped nervously toward it. 1t was quite
| evident that he was not unrutiled. When
| his turn came again he drove back to the
stake, but struck wicket, and rebounded
so close to her that she easily hit him, and
again introduced him through wickets ne
was not for, and then sent him flying again.
| Her success caused her to laugh, and he
| heard it,
You think you are pretty smart, but I
will get even with YOU he said, without
smiling
You Il have to play better than you have
done, she pertinenty suggested.
l think l know rs much about croquet
as you do he said, still with straight
face.
If you had any firness about you,
you'd let me have that stroke over, when
was up to the stake. You knew slipped
as well as l did, growing red in the.
No, didn't know anything about it,
she replied, taking on little color,
And say didn't. But if you are 60
ing to play this game, why don't you go
I'm play when get ready, he answer
ed, turning white about the mouth.
ltyou amt going to play, you had bet
ter go into the house and shut up she sug-
gested raising her voice.
Don't you talk to me that way he cri-
ed, or III make you sorrow Of it, you
braz-n-faced hussy.
Hussy, bussyr she screamed. Amt
= you ashamed Of yourself John Jacob
Collins, to call your wife hussy? Hussy
am !, you old william. Hussy, is it, you
miserable brute. I'm to be called hussy,
am J. after working my knuckles off for
you, and shaving for thirty years after
your crooked carcass. There she cried
in a parOxysm, throwing the mallet on the
ground take your old croquet and shove
it down your lying throat and choke your
self 10 death with it, if you want to, you
: miserable old wretch. And don't you
ever ask me to play with you again. or I'll
tell you something you'll remember the
longest day you live, you old devil.
And then she bounced into the house,
leaving him standing there and rubbing
his head in u benumbed sort of way. But
almost Immediately after she thrust her
! head out Of the window and snapped out
You needn' think you are going to get
any hot biscuit for your tea in this house
this night young man, and YOU can put
that in your pipe and smoke it just as soon