The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-18
sr CHARLHs BArrELL LOOMS.

NJ ACS@N
OF tia ,wo sports I prefer motoring to
eroouet. One day in England last month,
the weather being very chilly, l wished
70 do something athletic in order to keep
warm. My wheel had a puncture that
haaled me--oh, those English fintsi-and
the tennis court Of my host was being used
bv four brilliant players whose storage
batteries Of enthusiasm were warranted to
last till dark.
In my extremity I turned to croquet
and asked a young man who knew the
game whether he would try a round with
me Just 10 warm my blood.
Now, in the days of Reconstruction in
the south, when Germany was whipping
France, | used to play croquet-with the
accent on the -kay"-up in New England
and we used to run through nine wickets
or arches and back again, hitting two
stakes and sometimes adding to the ex-
element Of the game by making a cage
Of the middle wicket by topping 1t with
smother wicket set at right angles to il.
Il was a game calculated to bring out
all that was irritable in a human being,
and / fancy that il must a been as easy
As pie 10 play it, for people OF all ages from
to 20 accused a C other of cheating and
croquet ~croqueted from dawn till dark
On village greens, park lawns and city
hack yards.
But croquet as she was played in the
'7Os and croquet as she is played in
England to-day-croquet with the accent
on the -cro"-are two different things,
and as q stimulator Of the circulation OF
the blood | am afraid that l cannot say
much for the English game.
| took my mallet. a short handled, wide
headed one of greater weight than the old
kind, and / took my hall. stained blue all
over, and my opponent took his red ball
and his mallet and we made our way to
the carpet Of velvet. or, to speak strictly.
the lawn, where I found six wickets. called
hoops. with the accent on The hoo and
two stakes which were called sticks. Any
thing to be different. Why didn't they
call the mallets hammers?
The hoops were so ridiculOusly narrow
that I fsncied it would need strength to
force a ball through
The day was raw and l was chilly and
anxious to begin, but my opponent cour-
teIurly took first plav in order to give me
a chance to play on him. and with a skill
worthy Of all admiration he sent his ball
through the uTSJ nOOp anu gov luto sOou
position 10 play the second next turn.
That was my FIRST inkling that it was a
slow game. It was three by my watch
and the wind was blowing raw.
1t being my turn to play / placed my
hall in the proper position and let drive
and missed the w~icket-hoop. l mean.
with an inaccuracy heaven born.
My turn had ended and my opponent
now hit me, and after celebrating with
knitted eyebrows a. to what to do with me
be sent me to the uttermost parts OF the
AVN, and shivering | went after my ball
and then watched him make the second
arch.
now came back-by his advice-and
sot into pretty good position for going
through my arch. He told me that l ought
to go through easily If he did not put me
on Of commission.
He now put on a pair Of gloves. as his
hands we're cold. and after mentally going
through all the possible strokes he could
make he decided to tear me away from my
present comfortable position in front OF
uc ft.t arch and as | stood there shivering
under the bleak September sky he hit my
bail and knocked it the length OF the lawn
and then went through hoop number three