Evening star., 1920-11-28

ing 10 tell me tudt' ne nau SOAveu Tie
problem Of putting. He. intended, In
future, he said, to use a croquet mall
let, and he wondered that no one had
ever thought of it before. The sound
of his broken groan when I Informed
him that croQuet mallets were against
the rules haunted me for days. ..-
His golf library kept pace with his
collection Of clubs. He bought, all the
standard works, subscribed to all the
golfing papers, and, when he came
across paragraph in magazine to
the effect that Mr.. Hutchings. an ex-
did not begin to play till he was past
forty. he had it engraved on vellnm
and framed and hung up behind his
shaving mirror.
A Nd Betty. meanwhile? She. poor
child, stared down the years into
a bleak future, in which she saw her
self parted forever from the man she
loved. and the golf-widow of another
for whom-even when he won media
for lowest net at weekly handicap
with a score of a ahundred-and-twentY
three minus forty-six-she could fee.
nothing warmer than respect. Thos.
were dreary days for Betty. We three
oAC <auA i <1uO xLuuAC DCAtOu-O4tSl.
talked over Mortimer's strange obses-
sion. Denton said that, except that
Mortimer had not come out in pink
spots, his symptoms were almost iden.
tical with those Of the dreaded
mongo-mongo,> the scourge Of the
West African hinterland. Poor Dem
ton! He had already booked his pas
ing in the atlas for good deserts. :.
In every fever of human affairs
there comes at last the crisis. We
may emerge from 1t healed. or we
may plunge into still deeper depths Of
soul-sickness; but always the crisis
ent when II came in the affairs Of
Mortimer Sturgis and Betty Weston.
l had gone into the clubhouse one
afternoon at an hour when it is uSu-
ally empty. and the first thing ! sar
as / entered the main room. which
looks out on. the ninth green. was
Mortimer. He was groveling on the
floor, and confess that. when /
caught sight Of him my heart stood
still. feared that his reason, sapped
by dissipation, had given way /
knew that for weeks. day in and day
out, the niblick had hardly ever been
out of his hand, and no constitution
can stand that.
He looked up as he heard my foot
steps.
"Hullo." he said Can you see a
ball anywhere?"
for the .door-han1le. MY dear boy"
I said. .soothingly. you have made a
mistake. Quite a natural mistake
One anybody would have made. But
as matter OF fact. this is the club
house. The links are outside there
Why not come away with me quite
quietly. and let us see II we can't find
some balls on the links? If you will
wait moment. I will call up DR.
Smithson He was telling me this
morning that he wanted good spell,
OF ba'l-hunting to put him in shape
You don't mind il he Joins us:'
X X * 7t'sr*
esIT was a Sure Shot Fifty with my
= initials on it." Mortimer went on
not needing me. IT got on the ninth
green in eleven with a nice mashie-
niblick. but my approach putt was a
little too strong, 1t came in through
that window" -
I perceived for the first time that
one Of the windows facing the course
was Hroken. and my relief was great
went down on my knees, and helped
him in his search. We ran the ball
to earth inside the piano.
Whats the local ruler" INQUIRED
Motimer. Must I. play it where It
lies, or may ! tee up and lose a
stroke? If have to play it where it
club?"
1t was at this moment that Betty
came in. One glance at her pale; set
face told me there was to be a scene,
and l would have retired, but that she
was between me and the door. -.
"Hullo. dear" said Mortimer, greet.
! ing her with friendly waggle OF his
niblick. I'm bunkered in the piano.
My approach-putt was little strong,
and I overran the green" -
Mortimer" said the girl tensely. Il
want to ask you one question: "=f
"Yes. dear? i wish,- darling, you
could have seen my drive just now. It
was pip:" 4; Is
"Are we engaged" she said, looking
at him steadily. .'or are we not?"
Engaged? Oh. to be married? why,
Of course. tried the open stance for
a change and" j..
This morning you promised to take
| me for ride. You never: appeared
Where were you?" .- =
Just playing golf.'' 8. "a
Golf! I'm sick OF the, very namer'e
A spasm shook Mortimer "@9-,
You mustn't let people hearc you
saying things like thatw he said. II
somehow felt. the moment began my
| up-swing.. that everything was. goinr
! to be all right. u
"Pn give You one more chance. Win
] you take me for a drive in your car
this EVENING"" =
"I can't"
why not" What are you doing?'
"Just playing golf!'
I I'm tired of being neglected like
this!" cried Betty. stamping her foot
Poor girl, saw her point Of view. II
was bad enough for her. being en-.
gagged to the wrong man, without
having him treat her as mere &C,
quaintance. Her conscience, fighting
with her love for Eddie Denton, had
| kept her true to Mortimer, and Nor
| timer accepted the. sacrifice with an
absent minded carelAssness which
! would have been CALLING to any girl.
I'VE might just as well not he en-
gagged at all. You never take me any
where
"I asked you to come with me- to
! watch the open championship"
"Why don't you ever take me to
dances?" =
IT can't dance"
"You could learn"
i. But I'm not sure II. dancing is good
for fellows game. You never hear
| Of any first class pro. dancing. James
Rraid doean'f dancA~ T.. !. -. .,