The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-10
Chance God Asleep.

eighteen holes and IL rewards good golf.
James Van Suites Smith. IS years old,
clean shaver, bald and eye-glassed, a
broker in wheat had made II n 81
Robert Bidwaller Jones. q years old,
whiskered. hairy and eye-glasssd, bro
ker in pork, had made ii in 81. There
fore were they rivals and the quality OF
their politeness was strained long before
Mrs Lucy May Dacres, a wealthy young
widow from New York, had been miro
duced to the club, and had livened its
meets and its evenings with laughter ana
Song. She was tanned of cheek, this
widow, with merry blue eyes, a delicious
figure and manners at once free from
coyness and holiness, from stiffness and
too much liberality. When, at the first
tee, she cast her glance on Smith, he
sclaffed dreadfully and the ball fell a
scant twenty yards away. When she
smiled at Jones, who was poised for a
smash at a beautiful brassey lie, he top
ped like a bungling beginner and fol-
lowed through with such effect that he
spun all of the way around and sat
down hard on the grass. To Smith she
expressed sympathy in low contralto
that ran through every vein of him Ike
wine. On Jones she smiled so brightly
and kindly that he felt 1t would have
been a never ending delight to fall down
for her and jar loose his vertebrae TWEEN
ty times an hour so long as he should
live
When Mrs. Dacres golfed, which she
did often and well. Smith felt that wheat
was vain if permitted to carry her caddy
bag. AT such times Jones sat IN the
cub bar and drowned himself in high
balls When the wheel of fortune made
a half turn and Jones selected her club
for her and wondered al the difficulty
of her hazards. Smith wandered up and
down the porch OF the clubhouse and
gnawed at the blacklist cigar he could
buy. At such times he was distinctly
dangerous. There IS no telling how long
this sort of thing would have continued,
or in what a puddle of gore il might
have ended, but for the fact the rivals
were brokers and therefore used TO TAX
ing chances. They had in them, indeed.
more than faeir shars Of that sort of
blood which for lack of a better name,
is called sporting blood'-the blood
which makes a man want to bet contin-
ually on all sorts of things. They were
contained business men, even though
they were golfers and in love, and they
realized that the dear old days have
gone forever. They were not at liberty
to call each other out and shoot each
other with large bored pistols or TO
whack each other with extremely heavy
swords. In the mind Of Smith and In
the mind of Jones the pursuit of Mrs.
Dacres resolved itself into a betting
proposition. Arriving simultaneously at
this conclusion, they were not long in
getting together II happened in the
club bar room of an off day, when there
was not another member about except
Willie Wimble, aged %, to whom no one
count
Have high-ball. Smith," said Jones.
with cordially.
Thanks. said Smith. taking a seat at
the opposite side of the small table. Il
never drink. It's bad for golf. Have
a cigar
Thanks. I never smoke 1t makes
foozles"
Smith looked at Jones. Jones looked
at Smith. Smith said aggressively:
My score for the eighteen holes Is
ST."
Yes. I know" Jones replied, airly
THAT was two years ago. You were
not smoking then, I believe"
1.-THE score" said Smith with painful
distinctness and slowness, was made
in the spring of the present year-and
I was smoking when I felt like smoking.
in 1896, when the course was new and
putting was guess work
Jones said: Not at all so. Not at all
So" He ordered a high-ball. Smith said
"Humph," and lighted a cigar.
Jones, as becomes a man in pork, was
slightly more rash.
Well" he said finally having drained
his glass and pushed it from him, This
isn't buying the baby frock. Haven't
you anything to propose?'
1.-The cautious Smith answered: What
are you talking about?"
Jones glanced around him carefully,
saw no one. except Wimple, who sat
twenty feet away slipping a lemonade,
and said, lowering his voice:
About the little wid-abcut Mrs Da-
cres, you know. There isn't any use IN
our hanging on in each Others way. One
Of us must drop out Of the running.
Make it any sort of a bet you will. I'm
agreeable"
Smith thought deeply. He had a tall.
receding forehead and when he thought
came thickly to his bald brow.
He rose, walked to the bar counter, ask
I'd for two Jumps of sugar, returned,
gave one Of them to Jones and placed
the other on the table.
Put down our sugars" he said. eff
4 fly lights first on your lump. I drop
put. You the same
They stared a. the sugar for thirty
minutes There was a slight buying.
the Jumps tentatively The men. held
heir breaths. Jones had grown rsd:
Smith had grown pale. The flies sud
ienly made up their minds. dived down.
ward and alighted. each upon lump
1t the same instant Willie Wimple
Who had drawn near. much Interested.
tackled shrtlly and said. Dead heatr
Smith looked up and snarled.
What have you got to do with this?"
Nothing! Nothing said Wimple.
hastily Il used to do that when I was
/ little fellow. I suppose YOU chaps
we're tempting the flies for drinks
Yes, Of course" Jones broke in
smoothly. Run along now. Willie.
While we try something else"
Play you one round OF eighteen
loles"
Smith grew even paIer. and his cigar
xabbied. but he answered. Doner'
The face OF Willie Wimple. which had
seen glued to the screen OF an open win
low. ducked out Of sight. Caddies were
and the game started. II was
% o'clock and the thermometer IN the
DOL Of the office registered % degrees.
When five holes had been played Smith
vas one up and vet from his collar 70
as heels. When ten holes had been
played Jones was one up, and dis face
vas q crimson moon under a narroE-
trimmed straw hat. At the fifteenth
lole Jones was two up Smith wen the !
sixteenth and seventeenth. As they zp-
1roached the home hole they saw that a
,roTd had come from the city They /
we're watching the play and therc vas
ZONE laughter among them Like ar ey-
AM gadfy. wimpie 6uzzed from group (
o group Conspicuous among theu were !
Yrs Lucy May Macres and large I
49, efaa l1ntelrnrr