The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-21
PRETTY AT TENNIS,
A Hint TO Young Ladies Who
Play for Admiration.

An elderly woman. we'll dressed and Jolly
looking, sat on the big cool veranda Of the
Brighton Beach Hotel one day last week.
watching four young women dressed in
snowy costumes play lawn tennis on the
well-kept court that lies between the hotel
and the ocean, having its seward edge
banked up with big bags Of sand to keep the
wild winter surf from knocking the sod into
little pieces and covering it with sand and
seaweed.
The court is surrounded on all sides by
great number of benches, and nearly all tie
seats were filed. The girls were all pretty.
and the New York Tribune says they knew
it, and their clothes were stylish aud eXpen-
sive, but they could not play tennis.
Look at them" said the old woman to
some Younger companions who sat near her.
" Poor little geese, perspiring away there in
the sun, seeking for admiration. See how at
every turn OF their bodies they look out Of
the corners of their eyes to see if any one is
observing them. But, after all, what makes
me desplse them is not SO much their thirst
for admiration, for that is natural, as the
awkward way they go about to attract 1t.
None of them Can serve tennis ball prop
erly, and none OF them can return difficult
stroke TO their opponent. Yet they persist
in serving swift balls to one another, which
are invariably missed, after awkward al
tempts to hit them.
" Look at those men over there, laughing
at the awkwardness of the players They
evidently understand tennis, and do YOU
think they are anything like as much i'm
pressed with the girls us if the dear things
could play the game just little bit? Then
look at those people who do not understand
the game and yet know what lawn tennis
is, have heard of its charms and are glad of
a chance to see it played. They watch VITA
interest as the girls begin. The first one to
serve takes her position, raises her racket,
tosses the ball up, catches some>sne gazing
at her, forgets the ball in wonde1 g how sf5-
looks, and lands the little sphe In the net
The failure annCys her and size hits the next
one sharp but lll-judged rap that sen DIS it
lar beyond the court of her adversary and
causes the latter to scowi in an altogether
unlovely fashion as she walks !azily after il.
Now, why don't they have the sense. or
get 1t from some one who has," continued
the old lady, Ito do what tennis players
call rally that Is, merely toss the bail
back and forth across the net, placing the
ball IN as easy position as possible every
time for your opponent to return il, instead
OF making 1t as hard as possible for her to
do so. Never mind about the lines of the
courts, OF about counting points or anything
of the kind, but bend all your euergies 10
seeing how many times you aud you OppO-
nent who is really partner in this case, on
the other side of the net, can return the ball
without letting it roll away and stopping the
game. 1t does not matter how many times
the bali bounds before you return it, so long
as you do so at all.
Just baby tennis you say. What #
that? 1t will give you all the exercise you
want. Instead of ScOwls and jealousy and
efforts TO make your companions miss tie
ball and look clumsy, you do as you would
be done by, and goud nature beams from
your face and echoes in your peals of laugh
ter. The spectators who do not understand
the fine points of the game are delighted
with the lively sport and think you must be
splendid players. Those who do under
stand it see that you are out for fun only
and admire your graceful poses and agile
movements all the more because their criti-
cism Is not aroused by your poor play. -
This way of playing the game is espfS
cially good for mere beginners, who get Just
as much experience in yolleyiug, smashing,
back-hand strokes, drives, placing the bali,
ETC., when they try to make their strokes
in such a way as will be easy to return
as when they do it in the regular way, and
certainly it gives them ten times the amount
of practice in the strokes. On the whole,
my dears,' added the old lady, as she gath
cred up her needIework and sought her
room in the hotel, when you so on the ten
mis- court fishing for admiration let your
watchword be Rally round the net, gir.'''
Herald