The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-27
PING-PONG.
The Game over which All England
Is Wild.
From Pearsons Magazine.

From Pearson's Magazine.
This year the Christmas Festivities,
as they are absurdly denominated, will
be clouded by a new game. 1t is mod
ern. it is up-to-date, it is fashionable
1t has been the rage in England. How.
then, may one escape here? 1t is
termed ping-pong. OF this pastime
will give you the experiences of an old
and tried friend, an Englishman OF my
acquaintance. He narrated them with
tears in his eyes and a bruise on his
forehead. His story ran as follows:
It was Just after I had settled my
self in my chair, spread my napkin
over my knees, glanced through the
menu and found the dinner entirely
satisfactory, that Lady Eva made the
fatal remark:
Have you ever played ping pong?
No said I.
We'll, I'm surprised at you. Every
body's taken it up, you know"
1 knew that was good enough for
her. If it had been running races
round the park or diving off Westmin-
ster Bridge it would have been just
the same. To be in the swim-even if
the water be scandalously hot-is her
rule of life.
You shall begin this very night,
after dinner" she continued enthu-
siastically, ''and I'll teach you myself
My doctor has told me that to re-
main in perfect health l should lie
fiat on the floor for at least fifteen
minutes after dinner. Though cam
not follow his prescription in public
in my own rooms it is my habitual
custom-I yet endeavor to find in a
commodious armchair a satisfactory
substitute. Yet even this remedy was
denied me. Trembling with anxiety
for my health on the morrow, 1 was
led into the library, where the ladies
had already assembled.
Across a bare, clothless table was
stretched a net some inches high. Upon
1t lay two such racketS as l in my
childhood's happy days had loved to
use-dreaming not of subsequent ping
pongs-to propel shuttlecocks nursery
ceilingwards. Simple it seemed when
young man of our party, in an In
sulting state of fitness, challenged our
hostess; and when the game began. it
seemed more simple still. Backward
and forward flew the ball, bouncing
lightly from the polished mahogany,
and skimming the net score of times
before a misjudged stroke ended the
rally.
l was pleased, and my chair had soft
cushions. I fancied myself forgotten.
My mind wandered to Paris, which I
intended shortly to visit, and 1 had al
most composed the menu of my first
dinner at Paillard's, when a voice broke
my dream-a voice stern, memorable,
from which 1 felt there was no aps
peal.
my dear Mr.. Mountford. if you are
quite ready, 1 assure you 1 am"
1 rose with rapidity unusual to me
and smiled. 1t was the smile of the
Red Indian awaiting his torturers at
the stake.
Lady Eva served, and the ball, ris-
ing rapidly, struck the second stud of
my shirt front. 1t then rolled beneath
the table. To escape the laughter of
the onlookers I pursued it. Rising
somewhat dishevelled and with a con-
siderable bump on my forehead caused
by collision with table leg, apol-
ogized. The second serve / caught fair
ly. / felt the tingle that rejoices ones
heart after a cleanly hit drive at golf.
Luckily the ball is singularly light. or
Lady Eva would have been confined
to her room for a week with a black
eye.
II am awfully sorry" said humbly.
1T will be all right though; 1 shall
get my eye. in presently"
My service was not an unqualified
success. My first ball was we'll placed.
but as had held my racket-they call
the miserable instrument a racket
over the table. it was fault" NV
second was disorganized by the infer
nal racket colliding violently with the
table. OF course l lost the game after
that.
1 have come to the conclusion that
the ping-pong ball is possessed by some
form of evil spirit.
The game itself is not a severe physi-
cal strain, but the supplementary past
times of apologizing to your partner
and gathering the balls-proceedings
which necessitate much creeping in
constrained attitudes-require the most
prolonged and rigorous training.
/ give my friends story as he told il
to me. He seemed to feel badly about
it. For myself, I do not play ping.
pong.