Evening star., 1925-03-01
The Boy From the Patch 5z155::
ShoW the Lose

| ter. I'd help the luck along if 1
| could, but it's game in which I'm
| not drawing cards.
X X X X
THE sun was down. Lights glowed
l. in the windows OF the clubhouse.
The golf writer's in the press tent
nearby were hammering away at the
finish of their stories or filing the last
of their copy. The drivers of depart
ing cars were turning on their head
lights before starting down the curv-
ing driveway toward the road. The
outlines of the deserted fairways
were dim in the deepening dusk.
, Jim Loughborough. lounging alone in
| chair on the veranda. felt hand on
his shoulder and looked up to see Red
MacClosky standing beside him.
Walk" said MacClosky.
Sure" said Loughborough, rising
The two left the veranda, strolled
to the first tee and thence on down
the fairway. For five minutes they
walked in silence over the smooth,
cool turf. Then Loughborough spoke.
Not so bad today, son." he said.
II got along" MacClosky said
shortly Didn't spend all the golf
you brought. did your" There was a
hint of anxiety in Loughborough's
question.
Nope" said MacClosky confidently.
Plenty left. can take everybody
in the field except Harkle."
Don't feel that you can beat him,
eh?"
Il don't know" said MacClosky
honestly. I'm worried"
Worried"
Look here, Jim," MacClosky said
tensely, halting. You've known me
ever since L started toting clubs. Do
you think I'm yellow"
II do not" said Loughborough firm
ly. What's on your mind?"
My mother" said MacClosky.
"Oh." said Loughborough.
You met her once, didn't you?'
MacClosky asked.
only once" said Loughborough.
Then only for minute. 1t was while
you were my assistant to the Rock
River Club. I met you on the street
in town one night while she was with
you"
II remember" said MacClosky. II
didn't see you coming. If ! had, I'd
have ducked. I didn't see you and
didn't duck and you met her. Do you
get me?'
Some Of the finest people in the
world don't fit well into a Paris gown,
nor speak English without an ac-
cent" said Loughborough.
My mothers one of the finest"
said MacClosky reverently. Il never
bothered you with my personal busi-
ness. Jim. I'm going to now. My
mothers the daughter of an Irish
farmer She went to school long
enough TO learn to read and write
after a fashion, and that's all. About
the time she'd learned that much in
ha oil he 70 Ar;n
and worked several years as a do
mestic servant. Then she met my
dad and married him. He was rail
road brakeman. He got killed in
wreck the year after l was born. and
from that time on until ! wandered
onto the course at Rock Ridge, where
you were the pro and began making
money as caddis. she took in wash
ing TO keep the pair of US alive. I
don't know if you know it, but we
lived in the Patch, that tough neigh
borhood across the railroad back of
the glass works. In a two-room
shanty. Jim.
Lincoln was born in a log cabin"
said Loughborough.
L know, said MacCiosky. He
| wasn't ashamed of II, was he?"
"Humm-I get you"
x x x =
UT was ashamed of the shanty, JIM"
MacClosky went on. "Of that and
everything that went with it. When
l begun caddying at the Rock River
Club, I paid more attention to the
clothes and manners and speech of
the people / toted clubs for than the
game they played. How / did want
to be like themi Clean and confident
and well-dressed.''
you've come long way since
those days" said oughborough.
II have" MacClosky agreed. And
I've come fast. I've been able to do
il because l wanted, well-class-so
bad that / could soak il up from the
people l envied like a dry sponge soaks
water. Anything that anybody had
that I admired I could copy and make
my own. I learned my golf that way
and in that way l soaked UP manner
and vocabulary. The last two years
I've been watching Harkle whenever
got a chance and soaking up his
stuff. Today I used his own game
against him. That's what beat him.