Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-01-24
A Con7ical
CourtShip.
How a Young Man Outwitted
q Watchful Mother, but Came
Near Losing His Reason.
Observation-Disclosures
Y " "

My friend Derriman and | were
spending our summer holidays in a
quiet little country village. Being keen
fisherman most of my time was spent
by the riverside; my friend thought
fishing anything but sport, so he wan
dered about, as he told me, admiring the
beauty of the scenery. The scenery
afterward discovered was certain
Miss Morley, to whom he had brought
an introduction. When he had known
her for about five days, he was thor
oughly convinced he was in love with
her, and like other young men in sim
liar conditions he was anxious to know
his fate. He tried in vain to get her
alone so that he could unburden his
agitated mind, but circumstances, in
the shape of her mother, were against
him. Now, Dolly's mother, though
anxious to see her daughter well mar
ried, thought it improper to allow her
to be alone with my handsome friend.
If they went into the garden together,
she went with them; if they sat down
on seat, she sat down beside them; if
they wandered by the river in the
moonlight, she would take poor
Georges arm.
Derriman bore this bravely for some
time, but at last he could stand it no
longer and set his wits to work to
discover some means of evading dear
Dolly's mamma.
1t was about this time that he con-
fided his trouble to me. l sympathized
with him, but could offer no solution
to the problem.
'T've got itY' he shouted one evening,
breaking in on my peaceful reveries.
SCOT what" inquired anxiously, as
saw my friend careering wildly round
the room.
II mean can fix the old lady," he
said, apparently surprised at my stu
pidlty.
II thought it was her daughter you
wantedT'
$50 I do, but I want her alone.
am going to get tennis net and rack
cts sent from town and teach her
to play" said he joyfully.
"But don't you think Mrs. Morley
will want to learn as well?" asked.
"Hang it all! They can't both learn
at once, and while Pm teaching dear
Dolly l can find out all I wish to
know"
I didn't admire the brilliancy of the
idea, but that did not dampen his
ardor.
"As you are going up to town." he
oonfinrod Uvo11 uoov DC roII cond q
tennis set down-a cheap one, remem-
ber."
The following day l dispatched the
net and a week later returned to finish
my interrupted holiday. On going to
the hotel inquired for my friend and
heard that he had been away all day,
SO 1 strolled down to the Morleys,
where / thought 1 should find him.
The garden in front of the house was
deserted, so | walked around to the
back door. AS 1 stood there l heard
the voice of old Mrs. Morley. She
was having confidential chat with
neighbor.
81 am SO relieved, dear Mrs. Gossip,
for really was run off my feet. They
would walk for miles and miles, and
there was trudging after them. But
now, thank goodness, he's taught her
to play tennis, and l can sit here quite
comfortable, and SO long as l hear
them calling, Are you ready? Play
You serve and 'Forty-fifteen' l know
that all is well and that the net is be-
| tween them"
Fifteen all!' was just then waited
on the breeze.
"There they go! Listen to thatw
said old Mrs. Morley.
Having discovered where my friend
was, walked up to the hedge behind
which the tennis court had been made
and looked over. The court was there.
The rackets lay on the grass, and
balls we're scattered about, but no
sign could I see of either George or
Miss Morley.
'@Ehirty- -ffteenw broke in on my re-
fiections.
there on garden seat in the far corner
sat George, his arm securely round
| Dolly's waist, and every now and then
between his caresses he was shouting
out "Play!" "Faultw "Forty -thirtyr'
'Deucev' and then continuing his oc-
cupation as If nothing had interrupted
| it.
"What in the name of good fortune is
the meaning of this?" asked, going up
| to them.
They both started, and bright blush
mounted the fair Dolly's cheek. George
| jumped up quickly.
"You see," he explained, 1--WE got so
tired Of playing-forty-ift
that we-forty-thirty- on this idea