The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-05-24
Berthe
COurtenay
The Stranger Who Took Part
In Baseball Game.
By MARTHA B. MONROE
Copyright. 1910, by American Press
Association.

Charlie, let me tell you something.
think | know where you can get a
first class twirler for the match game"
Don't want any twirler. Dan Simp-
son is good enough"
How about hitterT
Don't want any hitter either"
This dialogue was spoken between
Charles Wilkins. captain of the Roslyn
Athletic clubs baseball team, and his
cousin, Kate Hathaway. Kate was an
enthusiastic baseball girl-that is, she
was infatuated with the game and
member of a girls team that occa-
sionaily played on the diamond of the
gymnasium club.
There was more between Wilkins
and Miss Hathaway than a common
interest in baseball. A lawsuit of long
standing between their respective fam
lilies over property acquired by VIII
kins three generations before was to
be settled by their union-that is, it
was hoped by their parents that the
interest might be united in them.
The match referred to was to take
place between the Roslyn club and the
Ringolds. a champion game. Both
teams were training hard. and both
managers were testing and picking UP
the best men they could find Ned
Paddock. manager of the Ringolds,
would require an infielder and Wilkins
an outfielder This was smooth sail
ing But when both men wanted an
outfelder and there was just one good
man in that line to be secured the
friction emitted more sparks than q
skyrocket
There had come to Roslyn that spring
an invalid named Albert Courtenay.
He was suffering from bronchitis and
had been recommended to come to Ros-
Ign on account Of its dry air. For
couple of months be went about cough
ing and hawking, looking as though.
having one foot in the grave. he was
struggling to keep out the other. Then
he began to get better and the flesh
TO come back on his bones. One could
aClA Va LIS improvement Ny LIS NiObhCfS-
the better his health the finer his gar
ments. At last when he was quite re-
covered he bloomed into first class
dude. He manifested an interest in
the society of Roslyn, Joined the Ros-
Ign Country club and showed a mild
interest in the young ladies Of the
place. They were inclined to make
fun of him. calling him BERTHE"
BERTHE Courtenay seemed more in
clined to bestow his attentions on Kate
Hathaway than any other girl. Charlie
Wilkins didn't object to his preference.
for he considered him altogether too
contemplate for rival Besides,
Charlie was too much absorbed in
preparations for the great game soon
to come of to take any interest in
anything else. But one day when
Courtenay. who drawled his words.
was sitting chatting with Kate and
watching a game of tennis Wilkins
came up. Courtepay drawled on. Will
kins 'butted in mimicking Courte-
nays speech Courtenay imperturb-
ably changed from English to Latin.
Neither Kate nor Wilkins understood
meaning of "carissima Katherine"
dear Katherinel and blushed. Will
kins, with gruw. turned on his heel
and left them.
This incident when repeated-that is,
that BERTHE Courtenay could speak Lat
II, hale tn he int fha
young people of Roslyn were forming
of him. Then one day, having APP
peared In a flannel tennis suit, white
as an angels wing, to play game
with a member of the Country club,
he soon collected a crowd by sending
the balls from his racket as If they
had been fired from roman candle.
Here was second gain BERTHE
could not only talk Latin, but he was
a marvel at tennis.
From this point Kate Hathaway be-
gan to show an interest in him. AS
soon as wilkins noticed that the
dude" as he called Courtenay. had
found any favor whatever in Kath-
crimes eyes he ceased his own atten-
tons. indicating to her that a girl who
could see anything interesting in
''chump like that" was of no use to
him. As for Courtenay himself, VII
kins treated him with supreme con-
tempt.
He's one Of these college men," said
Wilkins. ''they make professors of-a
great capacity for taking 10 knowledge
and never making any practical use
Of it."
But he's remarkable at tennis" sug
gested one who had seen Courtenay
make fireworks of the balls over the
net
"Oh, that's sort of slight of hand.
like billiards. There's nothing manly
In the game"
BY this time nobody seemed to know
what to make of Mr.. Courtenay. He
didn't seem to be fool. though he
sometimes acted like one. He wasn't
exactly effeminate. though he appear
ed So What cough was left to him
was certainly affected Some said he
kept it up to gain the sympathy due
an invalid Then his dress was too
elegant for anything. his neckwear
now representing the blue field of
heaven studded with bright stars, now
snow squat, now the green waves Of
the sea anc finally the red flames Of
conhagration.
People began to wonder who he was
and where he hailed from. They
pumped him. and he answered them In
Greek. He was sitting at a table in
the club one day with five men. They
fell to trying to get from him some
thing concerning his antecedents, each
asking him one or more questions. He
answered them in FIVE different Ian
guages. With bit Of chalk he made
caricature of wilkins that set every
one who looked at it laughing. The
bluff baseball man against the versa
tile scholar was like a bread club
against rapier of Damascus steel.
Wilkins became furious at this I'M
known creature who had crossed his
path and who returned his thrusts with
satire. Courtenay did not seem to
mind Wilkins any more than he would
gnat, never manifesting toward him
the slightest hostility.
Kate Hathaway was no less at sea
with regard to Mr. Courtenay than
were the others. He seemed to like
her society, but never made love to