Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-05-07
Berthe
COurtenay
The Stranger Who Took Part
In Baseball Game.
BY MARTHA B. MONROE
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

"Cnarlle, let me tel you something.
] think l 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 hitter2"
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 a
member of a girls team that occa-
sionally 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
flies over property acquired by a Will
kins three generations before was to
be settled by their union-that is, 1t
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 outfelder. This was smooth sail
ing. But when both men wanted an
out6elder and there was just one good
man in that line to be secured the
friction emitted more sparks than
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 he 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 fesh
to come back on his bones. One could
tell of his improvement by his clothes
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 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
wiitfus ofdn't object to his preference.
for he considered him altogether too
Ftx
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 dra wled his words.
was sitting chatting with Kate and
watching q game of tennis Wilkins
came up. Courtenay drawled on. VIII
kins "butted In mimicking Courte-
nays speech. Courtenay imperturb-
ably changed from English to Latin.
Neither Kate nor Wilkins understood
a word he said until Kate caught the
meaning of ''carissima Katherine"
dear Katherine, and blushed. Will
kins. with a growt. turned on his heel
and left them.
This incident when repeated-that Is.
that BERTHE Courtenay could speak Lat
in-occasioned a halt in the opinion the
young people of Roslyn were forming
of him. Then one day. having APP
peared In 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 II they
Here was a 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-
lions, indicating to her that girl who
could. see anything interesting In a
"chump like that was Of no use to
him. As for Courtenay himself. VIII
kins treated him with supreme con-
tempt.
Hes one Of these college men," said
Wilkins, ''they make professors OLA
great capacity for taking in 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 1t up to gain the sympathy due
i'm invalid. Then his dress was too
elegant for anything. his neckwear
now representing the blue field of
heaven studded with bright stars. now
a snow squall. now the green waves of
the sea and finally the red flames of a
People began to wonder who he was
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