The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-10-28
The Butterfly Links
BY r. c. more

the golf possible in Guam. l related
the incidents to a few of my friends
since l returned to the States and
they have seen fit to look upon the
recital with some incredulity, but l
have resolved to write the story, that
this valuable citizen may have his
;, due, and doubters may 60 hang.
Golf took like anything in Guam
when the first sticks and balls we're
first brought in, some eight years ago,
and we who were marOoned there set
about providing a suitable course.
This was soon found and put in shape
and we went at the game with vim.
Ii is pretty dull in mid-Pacific with
nothing to do but wonder when one
! will be transferred.
But as soon as everything began
to shape up nicely, troubles began
to spring up like the rank vegetation
OF that prolific island. Indeed the
vegetation was the greatest bother.
II we had put enough men at work on
the eighteen hole course to keep it
clean, we would have bankrupted the
government. 1t would have required
a small army all the time.
, The grass grew so fast that a close
ly cropped green would cover a ball
the second day, and we lost SO many
balls that we exhausted the visible
supply, which was not large to start
with. Closely as our keen-eyed native
caddies would watch we would lose
balls, and besides delaying the game
it was expensive.
EalloWell was connected with the
department of agriculture of the Uni
ted States government and he knew d
lot of things. One day, al l left the
links, l saw him in a little shelter
house where we hung our coats. He
did o notice me, but l noticed him
and saw the light of genius in his
eye. Next day he came swinging
across the grass, making connections
in the swarms of butterflies and
seeming very joyful.
He came to the first tee and called
us all about him. Then he made \
little, flamboyant speech calling him
self "the deliverer of Gaum" and tell
ing us where he wished his monu-
mGnt erected when he had been called
f,om us. l was glad afterward that
VIC cheered him very generously,
though we had not the slightest idea
of what he was talking about.
"Observe closely" he commanded
as a magician would. Then he drew
a golf ball from one pocket, and from
another a small jar with a screw top,
such as ladies keep on their dressing
tables. He rubbed some of the jelly
like contents of the jar on the ball,
teed it up, and drove off.
Casually noting the direction he
turned to us as an orator.
"My friends, you will now kindly
follow me. | lead you to your deliv-
erance." He strobe off through the
ankle deep grass, swinging his club
as gaily as a fairy would a wand. A
hundred yards away was a cloud of
blue butterflies, apparently sWarming
over some OBJECT on the ground. He
walked into he fluttery mass, brush
ed aside the grass, and there was his
ball.
We cheered in good fashion then
for we saw the hallmark of inspira-
ton. We knew that he had forever
eliminated the lost ball trouble if he
could make the butterflies follow the
bill, for there are more butterflies
than anything else in Guam.
Then William Emory consented TO
explain. He had carefully examined
in the habits of the large, swift
blue butterflies and had learned that
they fed exclusively upon the honey
l.. a little brown flower that we came
later to call "the foozler's lily" Then
it was simple. He employed some
natives to bring him a quantity of
this plant and extracted the honey in
some way Of his own. This made in
to a sort of paste, was the stuff he
rubbed on the ball. It's strong and
rather pleasant odor attracted the
butterflicr, and all in the vicinity flew
to the ball when it stopped, setting a
waving flag as it were, on the balls
lie.
Hallowell was a hero for days, and
we gave him a very successful sup
per in the commandments quarters.
He went stolidly ahead with his work
but found time to analyze the honey
and compound a satisfactory substi-
tute which could be made by a chem
ist, thus eliminating the native flow
e." gatherer nuisance.
We named the course 'the butterfly
links" in his honor, and the wife of
a consular agent created a decided stir
at a lawn party n afternoon by put
ting some of the honey on the tip of
her hat. She moved about the ground
with an aurora of blue butterflies
above her. It happened, by the mer.
est chance, that the blue was the col.
or most becoming to her.
But it was two years before the &C.
complishment was announced which
finally assured Hallowell of immor-
tally. We usually played up to the
very moment of nightfall, and night