The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-25
THE NOBLE GAME.

Banting had each tennis lawn.
We had croquet club. We rode horst
We got up private theatrioals and fame
balls. We played billiards and halma.
But one day thunderbolt fell anon
u.s. The thunderbolt which fell was tn
revelation that there is but one game; tina
Its name is "golf, and that those trivial
ties In which we SO vainly INDUCED wer
nothing-absolutely nothing-not game
at all.
1t was The MeGourock who let this ligh
In upon us and practically saved us.
There had been a house to let in GU
road, villa named Sidelines, with ,
tennis lawn, and one day McGourocl
moved in, and those of us who went ou
after breakfast next morning observed {
painter painting out "Sidelines" ant
substituting "Bun1ers. Those among III
whose gardens adjoined that of The Side
lines and who happened to go into them
before breakfast on that morning follow
ing the arrival Of The McGourock saw
him in his garden engaged with golf sticks
and little white ball stamped with q
cross pattern. He had made little hole
In the tennis lawn and was trying to knock
: the little ball into 1t.
That evening, while Wilkinson was
smoking pipe in his garden and trying
to water great oak with half inch hose,
emitting quarter of pint in five min.
utes, Peter McGourock looked over the
fanpn nj y,nccod bo fI,,n -
yell have club here, of coursef"
asked Peter.
"Oh, rather!' replied Wilkinson. "No
end of clubs. We've capital tennis club,
and u croquet club, and river club, and
bicycle club, and"-
But Wilkinson drew up suddenly, thrown
on his launches, for the gray eye of Peter
McGourock, which should have been ablaze
with enthusiastic interest, was pale with
strong contempt.
but how about the club9" he asked.
"Club9" said Wilkinson. "Why-well,
we've all those clubs-what MORE
II was not asking about these treevial
things" said McGourock. where is your
golf club?'
"Ehp Oh-why-we haven't-er-ex-
actly any golf club-that is, not just yet.
Is it a good sort of gamer" said poor Will
kinson.
Peter looked him all over very slowly;
then looked tho hose all over very slowly;
then Wilkinsons garden; then Wilkin-
sons house, right up to tho top of the new
Louvre pot. Then repeating very slowly,
observation-disclosures" he
turned away and disappeared into his
drawing room.
For days after that poor Wilkinson,
while watering the big oak with the half
inch hose, would cast furtiye ganccs at The
McGourock tapping the little white ball in
to the little hole In the lawn, and at times
he could perceive, with the tail of his eye
Peter McGouorck oying him over, Or por.
tions of his property, and ut times he could
hear the mrttered words, 'Es ct "A good
SORT Of game:"
At length Wilkinson made heroic effort
to put matters on less painful footing
He looked over the fence at Peter, who
was doing something to golf iron with
file, and said cheeriully, but with dread
full nervousness within:
rs it-er-when you could spare ten
minutes | should take 1t as II favor if you
would teach me to play golf"
Ten minutes, ye sayS' said Peter, using
TINT horrid eye of his.
well, wcll-of course don't mean to
say l could learn In ten minutes-ha, ha-
ridiculous, of course" said poor Wilkin-
son. But If you'd kindly teach me the
stroke
SIR" said Peter "a man cannot be
taught golf!'
"Wcll-of course don't mean to say
that is-but u fellow might try to learn"
Golf, " said Peter, "is not thing that
Il man can learn"
WELL but-hang it all-how do people
ever play' People do play golf, don't
they2"
PLAY" said Peter. "And what might
ye mean by play2'"
-well--confound it! Don't you
see people knocking confoundcd little
white balls over COMPOUNDED obstacles with
things like that you're filing atf'
Poor Wilkinson was turning. Even Will
kinsons will turn.
"Ah, " replied Peter, eye see people do
that-and many's the number of them
But We talked Of playing SimI IF Il man
gins Holl NllNll It > pun lllID kIlOFU
clothes and dcvotes his life to it Excepting
the Sabbath only, that was specially or
dainCd for him to repuint balls and sec to
things, and if it's granted to that man at
the close Of II long life to arrive at the
knowledge that he knows nothing of golf,
that man can die happy man, and when
he's finally holCd he will not have lived in
vain. Aye" continued Peter suddenly,
'it cs q good SORT Of game It's Just
gran game. It's just the only game"
From pure inability to bear the severity
of Peters eye, our road decided to form Il
goli club, and dcpuation waited on Pc
ter to beg him to show lis how, to become
prcsident-and every other officer ho cared
to be, down to Caddic
And where do ye propose to make yer
Inks" he asked.
We had thought that out before There
being no available land within Il reason
able distance, we had agreed Professionally
that We might utilize our back gardens for
the purpose
The fist hole was to be in Banting's
grass plot sr7cn gardens away 1t would
have been quite possible to get on to Bant-
ing's grHCn in one good drive hut for the
proyidentiul intcrlositOn OF Pordlc's cher
ry tree.
1t was arranged that Pordlc's summer
housc-sume way out Of the straight line
should constitute an official bunker.
Now, to loft the ball well from any 20
rition near Pordlc's bunker WAS no easy
task, seeing That the player had to avoid
~.