Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-06-15
A FOUL CATCH.

''Now, Tom, be quite sure that you
don't let Phyllis stir from your side the
whole day
Trust me, my dear; I'll look after the
little puss.''
1t really is most unfortunate that l
am laid up with such bad cold and am
not able to accompany you. A woman's
eyes are SO much sharper than a mans
IN an affair Of this kind"
Very true, my dear"
"What would happen to our daughters
if we mothers did not possess this fac
ulty? Why, bless my soul, if it hadn't
been for me, Phyllis would have been en-
gagged before perhaps even married
to that impecuniOus and unsatisfactory
young Darlington"
I'm sorry he has no money, for he
seems a decent young fellow. And his
father IS capital sort. Always liked
INN, must confess. although he did get
me caught at the wicket off my arm, By
.Joye, IN that memorable match at Lord 5!
Beastly sWindle, too. He ought never TO
have appealed for the catch. That's 1hir-
y years ago now! Heart alive! How
time does run aWay!
does not make the son matrimonially de-
slrabe, particularly as neither of them
has any means worth speaking about.
And II / allow Phyllis to go with you 70
Lords today, Tom, [ must insist, not
only that you keep her at your side all
the time, but also that if young Parting
ton tries to hook himself on to you, you
will cold-shoulder him without hesita-
ton
All right, my dear. I'll guard our lit
tie Phyllis. Don't be afraid
Mind then. | trust her to you. And
If you let that young man get, the better
OF you, III never forgive you"
Tut, tut. Never fear, mother.
know the time Of day"
But Phyllis is not so simple as she
looks, Tom"
"0h, Phyllis is a mere child; besides,
she has forgotten all that nonsense long
ago; Hello! here she is. Well, Phyllis,
pet? Ready to start, eh?"
Quite. papa. I've just looked in to
say goodbye to Nuns. I'm SO sorry,
Nuns. dearest, that you can't come 18th
as to Lords. It's such a delicious day
$50 am I, Phyllis. just turn round,
child, and let, me see how your skirt
hangs. Um-ah, latter a critical survey
pretty fair. And have you u pocket
handkerchief, PhyIlis?'
Two, Nuns. One for show, and one
fOr-er-uSe."
That's right. dear. Well. now, you
must be off. And mind you are a good
girl and don't give papa any trouble"
Oh, III be as good as gold. An re-
yoir, Nuns"
Squire Bingham, it may be we'll to ex-
plain was up from the country, with his
wife and daughter. for u jaunt in town.
whittier he usually repaired about the
middle Of June, for the purpose IF do
ing" Ascot, the varsity match, Henley
Elton and Harrow, and whatever else hap
Dened to be on. The ladies delighted in
these smart functions more than did the
-E1 INcIo j
famous county cricketer, found no pas
time so cOngenial to him as watching
good cricket. He, therefore, insisted on
staying up for a while after the close Of
the season, when there were no disrrac-
tons TO keep him away from the big
county matches at the Oval or Lords.
In days of yore, when he had lived in
London, reading for the bar-that, Of
course, was long ago, during his fathers
Iifetime-he had played for Middlcsex,
and had been one Of the cOuntys most re-
liable batsmen. 1t was with the Metro
polltan county, therefore, that his past
triumphs were chiefly associated; and to
be at Lords watching match in which
MiddleSeX was engaged was the thing
above all others wherein his soul de-
lighted.
But apart from the mere pleasure of
watching the play, there was the pleas
Ure of meeting old cricket friends and
cronies. And there was one such crony,
in particular whom he always met there
and whom it always did him good to
meet. This was Rev. Timothy Parting
ton, once the champion fast bowler of
Cambridge, and afterward of the Kent
county eleven, but now stout and elder
~ country parson. Eheu fubaces! For
who nowadays that saw the reverend
gentleman, slow of motion and stiff in
the joints, would ever guess that time
was when he had been the demon trundler
Il @bo+
men had then feared his lightning dcliy-
cries, as they have since feared those of
Spotforth or Sammy Woods, of Richard
son or Mold.
Only one little cloud had ever arisen to
mar the friendship of our squire with the
Rev. Darlington. 1t was the matter Of a
catch at the wicket. 1t occurred in the
last county match in which the squire
played, when Kent was opposed to Mid
dlesex, at Lords. MiddIesex had nine
wickets down in the last innings and
wanted two runs to win the match. Bing-
lie had the over Darlington being the
boWler) and it was considered a moral
cert that he would obtain the runs. But,
alas for certs moral or otherwise. Bling
ham played forward at Partington's first
delivery; the ball kicked slightly and
wicket-keeper's hands. There was Il
click. and the ball had swerved a bit from
its direction. Darlington appealed. The
umpire gave it against the batsman. So
Kent won the match. amid a scene OF
great enthusiasm. But Bingham was
furious. He asserted-and no doubt he
must have known-that the ball struck
his arm, and that Darlington was aware
of this and ought never to have appealed.
Timothy, however, stuck to it then, as
he had always stuck TO it since that
Bingham was fairly caught off his glove.
1t was the one point on which our squire
and our parson had ever quarreled. and
1t was a point on which the squire had re-
manned rather sore and touchy ever since.
The match today being between Kent
and Middlesex was, of course, liable TO
recall to the squire that unfortunate oc-
currence of thirty years ago. But, as Il
matter of fact, the squire was hardly
about it. He had a more i'm
mediately urgent matter on his mind. The
Rev. Timothy's son, also called Timothy,
was today playing for Kent. This, in
fact, was the second year of his appear
ance in the county eleven. He had
played in the previous year. and it was
then that he had first met Phyllis Bing