The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-10-23

"Ah!" Dan sighed contentedlv
"And your father won't either. So
it's perfectly safe for me to show
myself"
Don't be silly, Dam" Nancy in.
dignantly protested. you're not
exactly an outcast, you know"
He insisted with mock gravity:
INDECENT instructor plays clandes-
tine tennis with daughter of wealth
and beauty" He shook his head.
"That's bad," he said.
Nancy cried, half-irritated: "Just
for that, l shall beat you'll" She
spun her racket. Trough or
SMOOTH"
Rough" said Dan; and the
racket fell.
Smooth" she announced tri-
umphantly. "I'll take the serve!"
So Dan stripped off his sweater
and crossed to the farther court,
and Nancy's racket rose and swung
in a free full circle. The ball
clipped the line, went untouched in
to the backstop. Dan had not
moved, had made no effort to re-
turn it.
Weren't you ready?" she called.
Sorry" he confessed with a
grin. "You ought to wear veil
or something, Nancy, or black your
teeth! How can a man keep his
eye on the ball?"
you'd better watch this ore!"
she retorted, her cheeks bright,
and served again. But the ball
came back, low and fast on her
tackhand, and at her very feet; and
thereafter Dan managed to keep
his attention on the game.
Yet-inattention might have been
forgiven him. Nancy was slender,
with loose dark hair; and she wore
one of those scant tennis costumes
calculated to permit the greatest
possible freedom of movement, with
no sleeves, and a skirt which even
in repose scarce reached the knee.
Her bare legs were golden brown
from three months of southern sun.
and her arms and throat were the
color of honey. Dan thought her
like that classic figure of Diana
with the stag. Her movements were
liquid and effortless; her body
flowed through a succession of pos
lures, each beautifully composed,
like fine work of art, which the
eye recorded and remembered.
Dan himself was no work of art.
He was taller than Nancy, but so
broad of shoulder and heavy of leg
that he seemed short and almost
chunky. He moved about the court
with robust zest and a reckless
waste of energy. His stroke seemed
awkward, but had surprising eff
ficiency and power. Nancy had
learned her tennis in a good school,
and played easily and well; and she
did in fact win that first set from
him, though by sheer stubborn per-
sistence he carried it thrice to
deuce.
But in the second set his superior
pace began to tell; the balls he
hit had a steam behind them which
when they struck her racket COM
municated the shock to her hand,
to her wrist and arm. Little by lit
tie, her returns began to drift family
to the right of the spot where she
aimed them; she made errors. He
broke her serve
"Golly, Nancy" he protested,
you're blazingl Too hot?"
"Of course notl" She laughed at
him. you're no iceberg. yourself, !"
she retorted. you're red as beef!
It makes me hot just 10 look at
you"
want to call it OFF," he urged.
mo sense killing ourselves"
"Of course not. Wen play two
sets out of three" she insisted stub
bornly. and they came back to the
court again.
She coasted through the remain
ing games of that set, outstanding
her strength, making him run when
she could, placing the ball rather
than driving it. He took the set at
six-four.
There" he suggested. "That
makes it even-stephen. Let's call
it drawl" g. -e...
"Of course, II you're tired" she
said derisively.
He grinned. you're q glutton
for punishment"
"I've just begun to fight" she
wal ned him.
"An right, have It your way" he
assented. tits my serve. Let's
CO."