The age-herald., 1901-07-07
Gowf.

trouble and disappointment in we'd lock-
 GoWf.
 "The gowf fad in this country suc- eeeded the cycling fad, which succeeded the baseball fad, which succeeded the lawn tennis fad, which succeeded the croquet fad; and there is no possible guessing as to what will succeed gowf within the coming twelvemonth, for ap- parently this latest and most fatal of the fads has nearly run it's course-gowf course, of course; though in this country they they call the course the links, most likely without knowing that the Scotch word links means an inch and that inch means a common" said an ancient member of an ancient Scotch gowf club
 ''They tell me that many person goes around with a bag full of sticks, each stick having a queer name not under standed of the common people, and that many person finds difficulty in hitting the ground with these sticks not to men, tion driving a little white ball over a 'wherry' of 'whinstones,' and that the gowfers talk almost nothing but gowf Certain it is, the comic journals, which are comical because they are not comic make the unhappy reader very weary with gowf jokes and gowf stories.
 And this reminds me of my first visit to ancient St. Andrews, where the gowf comes from, and where the oldest gowf club in the world plays over the most famous gowf course. It was fifteen years ago this July. A Scotch friend of mine, a crazy man-he must have been crazy, for he travelled AIS miles to play gowf- wrote me from London to meet him in St. Andrews, where he would put me up at the gowf club for a few days From books I had learned much of the history of St. Andrews, one of the oldest and quaintest of old-world towns, and the seat of one of the oldest universities, my friends invitation.
 Arriving at the old town at ' o'clock in the evening, I drove to the gowfers hotel fronting the links and within hundred yards of the clubhouse which was a large. low. heavy granite building. My friend was on the links, they told me at the hotel, but he was expected in to dinner immediately I was starving, but had to wait Nobody could be served with food in that hotel before the gowfers came in. I waited an hour, and then my friend returned with several others all of them talking at the same time and all talking gowf.
 "Dinner was announced, and it was hurriedly eaten, everybody talking gowf all the time of the meal. The party rose hastily and declared they were going for another round of the links. l must go. I went. In that latitude in July there is no darkness. Often I read the newspapers by the bright twilight as late as 10 o'clock at night, at which hour there sets in a dull light that continues until an hour or so past midnight.
 ''So we started over the links, I follow ing the gowfers, and greatly enjoying the exercise and the invigorating breeze that came over the North Sea, for the St. Andrews gowf course is directly on the shore, and many a badly driven ball has fallen into the water, the land lying low not three feet above high tide, though the tide there rises and falls about sixteen feet.
 About 10 o'clock the gowfers ceased playing, and all of us entered the 18th hole,' in the clubhouse, all the gowfers talking gowf all the time. One of them paused long enough to order 'whiskies- and-sodas' for the party, pipes were filled and lighted, the drinks were sipped and all the gowfers talked gowf all the time and kept 1t up necessarily until toward midnight, the glasses having been several times refilled. Meantime I had not spok- en one word; had no chance to say any thing, had nothing to say that would have been effective against that appalling flow of gowf talk.
 "We walked across to the hotel, and each went to his room, the gowfers deter mined to rise at and play until o'clock breakfast
 Just as I had got comfortable in bed, there was a knock on the door opposite mine. l listened. One of the gowfers desired to talk little more about the game. The door opposite was left open. I heard the talk, talk, talk, and finally dozed off with the sound of the 9th hole 27,' bad drive, good floating in upon me.
 T rose for breakfast at I. The gowfers came in from the links, all talking gowf all the time, and the breakfast was hur- riedly eaten, all the gowfers talking gowf all the time.
 "At the conclusion of the meal the fa- miliar yellow envelope of the postoffice telegraph was handed me. Joy! The tele- gram was imperative. must return home by the train leaving St. Andrews at that morning. An hour before I had secretly ordered the telegram dispatched to me-"
 Shirt-Waisted Religion.
 The men who wear shirt waists off n ha