The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-04-29
NETTLESHIP'S SCORE.

ground in 81. Johns Wood presented a fairer
So ecIacle Than during that interval. A perfect
galaxy of beauty fioaled before your eyes across
the tim, green sward; behind you the dainty
picture was already in full swing on the tops of
the handsome drags; IN every direction cham
payne corks were popping with envIable itera-
ton, and over all shone the hot June sun. SO The
paper said, and not without truth. Personally,
however, II Is more than likely you took little
or no interest In these phenomena. You knew
| them by heart, you see, as well as the descfip-
| tive gentleman who reported them, at long range,
from The Strand. Most probably you spent tile
time In those exceptionally delightful TecOgul-
lions which come but once wear. and at Lords
where you have the annual Opportunity OF offer
| Ing good Gig 10 your Old h0use-masier-Who
! mad you logged for smoking IN your study-and
OF patronzlng the snob you used TO flag for You
aud some other fellow strOlled bout the ground
| together, anu sought out The Old sci, aud crit
clLeu lneh hOirlDlyi and no doubt, among
! other objects, you drew his attention TO one of
| tie players who was luuchnE in a landau ana
was somewhat spicuOus, being The only one
! oil the twenty tWO-So FAR as could be Seen-wno
preferred This sort OF discomfort To tie regular
thing under cover. That's NetIe ship" you
saldi mes in, you know" Aud of course the
other fellow said pointedly that he could see that
NettleShlp was having his innings, and laughed /;
and you laughed, too indulgently, but drew
nearer, TO stare at the man who seemed already
10 have cuarrd the Cambridge bowling
All Oxford knew NeJleship by sight and
probably so did most Cambridge men He had
played the three previous years al Lords and
though lie had been disappointment In those
three matches, no one who had seen him In the
held was likely 10 forget linn. Not 50 mucn be-
cause lie was the finest cover point In either
team, but almost entirely on account of his good
looks, which were quite singular and not at all
OF tne conventional order. His Jet black hair
for Instance, was a sheer auachronism in us
length and cuilinsss, and would have been con
sldeI ed extremely bad form in anybodv mn Nat-
tleShlp. HIS pale face, also, was clean shayen
| for no good reason; but forehead nose ana chin
were modelled In the very best Greek STYLE. So
| Al least, they had seemed when Netteship PLAYED
| bis nTst match al LO DIS as a Freshman. They
| were now, 1t was remarked, little sharp and
| angular. Ia short, though ii was the face OF
determined, peTseveTlng poet at least looking the
part rather than that of born athlete il was a
face that every one knew. Even the ladies at
LORDS, who VIGOROUSLY never look at the
cricket except TO furnish their annual
supply of high class "comic cory In
inc inc form ,,dIs. OF ,. artless comment : even
sight, and really watched The game il he felded
close 10 the ropes. As for the men OF his time il
has been limited that they judged him by no oldl-
nary standard OF "form," though they may have
regarded him as dangerous and even i'm
possible model. 1t may be added that they aid
not even speak of him In The ordinary w9v
1t is Brown OF OTel. Jones of Braseno>e Robin-
sou OF New. II was NetIesbip OF the varsity
Nettleship OF OGfoid. AND NetIleslip of Oxford
was having his innings, II was observed and fhe
reference was not so much 10 the thitIy or forty
runs he had already made, and the hundred he
was possibly good f0T, as TO The fact that NeIte-
snip was calmly eating salmon mayonnaIse by
the side of one OF the loyeest girls on tie
ground, on the apex OF whose paTaSo fauuLed a
dark-blue knot.
The landau patrouized by the celebrated Ok
onlan was a new one, though In point of exist
euce the crest upon the door was a good deal
newer. The llVelleS OF foOtmau and mage were
also very new aud their wearers were at any "a a
new 10 London, which was plain from their be-
hayiOr In facl, NetteshiD of Tie VARSITY was
with painfully new people. Their name was Me-
llwrath; old Mellwraith was one Of the newest
OF the new NJ. P-'s, and their Town house was an
Institution whose age 10 weeks could be teek.
Oned on the nBgerS OF TWO hands
NeItleshlD nntshed his salmon mayopnatse az
regardless of the "oild's eyes though he were
still al the wicket.
LEI me take your plate" said the lovely Girl
al his sidei aud Netlleshp let her, or al any
rate did not attempt 10 prevent her until TOO
laIe. Then he apoogiZed, of course but coolly
"Elaine!' SAID the girls mother, with some
severity. THAT is Thomas business. Thomas!"
Thomas, the page, arose somewhat flushed
from playful bear hight with the Masters Well
wrallh under the carriage and was within an ace
OF spillIng the remains OF the mayonngise over
Miss McllwraiIh's dress, In his selfconscious-
ness.
-, d" That boy ls quite unbearabe."" said Mrs
McllWTalth with irritation. d" Mr.. NettleshlnU
she continued, in tones that were artihcaIy hos
pitable but unmistaka bly, cold, what dare we
oher you? My eldest boy has told me such ter
lDle tales about training that really one does not
know, you Know
There was moral wheeze in the lady's voice
that Nettleshp's ear detected with lie celerITv
aud certainty OF stethOscoPe. AT once he e
came alert and attentive. He wanted Othinp
more-not that cricket demanded any artculaf
| Tor Mrs. McIlwralth? Oyster patties salad
| strawberries, ices Champagne? II must be al.
! lowed TO make himself useful, he protested and
| Tor some minutes Mrs. MclwIath received
| more asslduous attention at his hands than she
| had ever seen him pay her daughter or any other
| woman, young or old. This, OF course NAV
have been diplomacy in Nett ieshlp His eyes
| were blue and keen and searching; his smile had
| OF late taken cynical curl, and Indeed there
were diplomatic poentiallties in every corner OF
his mobile, clear-cut eOunteHauce But there
was enough OF careless eandor In his smiling
| glance-enOugh 10 be largely genuine.
This glance, TOO, was leveled exclusively at the
lady. Nor could 1t have done any violence 10 MIS-
optic nerves to contemplate Mrs. McIlwratth
closely and long, for as elder ladies' o., size was
among The very pTeiteSt. Stout SHE undouhfedIv
was, but her hair was still golden almost, and
her own entirely; while her complexion had
resolutely refused TO grow any older some thirty
years ago. and had carried out its independent
resolve Without the aid OF a single cosmetic. She
was dlmpIed, too, with sympathetic, poetical
Qlmpies mol III complete harmony with her pres
ent character though they had very well suited
| those ldylnc and comparatively humble days in
which Mrs McllwTaitb bad read her 'Ttnnv-
| son" 10 such practical purpose as to christen
every child out OF lie well-oYed volume. In adj
dillon TO these lingering Charms OF simple girl.
hood there was her Later, more worldly but
scarcely less pleasing attribute of being always
thoroughly well dressed III the best possible
taste. This VI course, was greatly en- evidence
today while, as usual her face offered a choice
study Ia comfortable serenity. AS for Elaine
Mclwiaith, she was precisely what II was plain
| that her mother had been at EIaipe's are: oniv
prettier, you would have said; aud less shaIInw
happen TO know. '''''''" W
You say you are living in town now9" said
For the last few MONTHS" Netleshlp replied.
since gol back from my globe trot."
for in nen now loes y happen that you are playing
For his university" Elaine suggested.
on, we are allowed to play four seasons, don't
| you kDow?' NettIesbip explained All wasn't
| my intrusion TO play thls year and I havsn,t
| been up once this term, but they bothered me
IN
AL this moment an elephantine Young man
| rolled up TO the Carriage and leaned heavily upon
INC door he was very stou', indeed, and ex-
| tremely like Mrs. McIlwraith in face. In fact
| he was her eldest boy But those terrible
taies OF training mentioned by that lady were
evidently not her sons personal experiences"
Med, my boy" cried this young man, slappiug
Nettleship heavily upon the shoulder, "you'fe
aT lIiIIi nothing Thomas-ehampagne for Mr..
ARTHUR" said Nettleship, 81 don't want any,"
Arthur Insisting, however, lie took the glass
| put II once TO his lips, aud seized an early OPP
pottahlty oil suiTeptltOusly conveying it over
| the far side OF The carriage into the bands Of
young Launcel0t McIlwralth. who shared IL am
| fairly with the stu younger Enoch Arden Nc
| face
NJ, The bell for clearing the ground was now
| Hkely 10 ing al any moment. Luncheon so far
| as Netlleshlp was concerned, was long over He
| LOOK the opportunity, however, before going
BACK 10 tue pavilion, afforded by Arthurs whis-
| perlng into his mothers ear tie name, OF tie
| mobiles on The contiguous drags In fulnilnent Of
solemn charge deliver cd before leaving home
| Nettieshlp look thls opportunity to turn aud
| speak to Elaine. W
What ages It Is since we met |" he said, look
| Ing at her critically.
1t is just year and half" Elaine said
| simply.
He, for his part, had no idea when IL was; he
| would not have owned TO one in any case; but
| Elalne's long memory did not dlspease him, and
| he answered with laugh:
ais it really all that? L say, Elaine, how old
| we are all getting You must be-let Inc see
| twenly-what2
"How ridiculous you are Twenty's year
| away STILL Pm 10 on Friday, as you might
| know II you'll"
| "Friday Ohio, your birthdays on Friday ~
| whlstled Nettleshlp-as though, until the otheI
| year, he had not sent her presents, regularly a,
| the calendar on that day. "You ought to cello