The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-26


the ponies?" asked Martin as he came
into the breakfast room on the morn
ing of the polo game.
1.-THE last I saw of him. he wa:
bringing in your riGing-boots all pol
| ished for the fray his sister an.
swered.
Guess they're all right then. CAM
make up my mind which one to take
I'm disappointed about Charcoal. Not
| one of our own polos can beat him
| and I'm sure the Kauai fellows
couldn't. Only trouble is, he's play
/ ed out on me twice in the last three
! weeks and I don't dare count on him
| Granting he didn't get hurt, it is not
a sure thing he'd be good for a
| period. TIN be safest anyway to take
| the others. They're all pretty fast
anyhow, and good for two periods if ]
| alternate; so with four of them, I'll
be armed for anything. BY the way,
| Helen, what are you going to drive out
in. or haven't you decided?" and with
his question he passed his cup to his
sister. She was a pretty girl, and even
in the absorption of the occasion
George Martin recognized it and his
heart warmed.
Don't you want to ride Charcoal
yourself?" he suggested. She flushed
with pleasure.
I'D Ike to take him. Do you think
you can trust me to be good to him?''
Course you can take him and you
needn't be too good to him either. He's
all right. only there's just the chance
Ga aiph fr1f% he fo~ auia o
steady work and We can't afford to
run any chances today. Those Kauai
fellows are going to work us hard.
They came out on the field just as we
went off yesterday for practise. Their
mallet work is great. They've a fine
string of horses, too. Only fault is
they've too much ginger. Adams has
the best of the string. Mighty hard
luck though, in the practise yesterday
he famed his standby-strained the
tendons so that he's done for. 1t leaves
him only three, and let one of them
get knocked out and his chances aren't
good. Adams is a right good fellow.
By the way, why not have him up to
dinner some night before the team
goes home? Didn't you meet him that
summer you spent with his cousin?
Guess you haven't seen him since, have
you? You can get reminiscent if con-
lags.-Well, Charcoal for you
then at one-thirty. James will take
my ponies out this morning and put
them in the Club stables SO they'll |
be ali fres,i for the game
After George Martin went out to
look after his horses his sister stayed |
long over her coffee thinking of the
on Kauai that her brother had
brought to her mind, recalling espe- |
cially the man she had come to know |
rather well in those months.
When Helen mounted Charcoal that
afternoon he was puzzled. When he
turned into the road that led to the
polo field he was more so. Sure of his
destination, his interest was thorough
v reused, but he dared not show it.
The groom and Martin had long since
taught him the way to go to a polo
ield-just to get there and that was
Ill. The time to show himself would
come later. So when his rider did not
hurry him, he was quite content to go
and in order.
The road ran through a narrow en-
rance, under broad monkey-pods,
vast a corral and group of low cot
ages, and after many twists and turns
anne out upon the broad floor of the
alley Clear stretches of closely
moved land ran down to the broken
inc IF boulders along the edge of the
,reek, and the springy turf that met
he gray macadam on each side
hanged beyond into cattle grass that
covered the rolling land to the foot of
he ridge. White cloud banks rested
m the crest of the mountains and
,roken masses drifted across a sky
hat was very blue. The sunlight was
empered into comfort by a steady
,reeze from the mountains.
Presently a cut through line of
Iummocks brought Helen out upon a
lathe polo field. 1t was in solid
urf. a low running-board around the
dyes. the goals tied with streamers
f red and blue The broad drive cir
ling the field was already filing with
raps and turnouts of every descrip-
ion. Teams. substitutes. and officials !
-ere Iounging about, some of them
living their fine, clean-limbed little
onies a try-out across the grass.
The referees whistle brought the
len back on the field. They lined up
a
gripping their mallets tightly I
lille the horses watched with as much /
agerness as the players for the ball. I
he referee threw it into the center, 6
he fresh white of new ball plain /
gainst the green, and the play was on. g
When the last period of the game
yas about to begin, the score stood S
ne to one and a half in favor of the t
ONE team. From the network OF G
arriages on the drive there was not i
sound. In runabOuts, in traps, in &
allyhos women stood and waited, their L
ght gowns and lowered hats droop- I
lg and moist from the shower that L
wept across the valley. 1t was the 4
lpreme moment of the game. When /
ne men came out there were mounts [
,r the home team waiting at the side t
mes. but the Kauais to a man were /;
ding their last horses. Score and I
orses taken together, the situation [
as desperate for Kauai. Yet Atkins, il
ATTAIN of the blue shirts, had said. in V
Is last instructions: Fl