The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-09-13

Maxine Dorsey picked ner up d
the showers. Maxine hoVerec
over little Hilda like a cluckins
mother hen over an extraordinary
chick.
Maxine admitted a proprietary
interest in Hilda Dale. Shed dis
covered Hilda on the public courts
when Hilda was barely past II
wears old, and MaXine'S practlceo
eve even then perceived in the
gangling, towheaded girl the max
ings of a champion.
"Nice work" Maxine said. j
liked the way you stood up and
took it in that third set, Hllda
That tall girl from New jersey
had yo,. six-two and I was fright
ened."
Game through, didn't / Max
ine?" Hilda said.
LIKE A CHAMP
Like a champ. You'll make
headlines with today'S perform
ance, my girl" :,
A few more like that and-well
those English girls are going 70
make a terrific try to lift the
Wightman cup next year"
"The Wightman cup! on!
Maxine, you can't mean it,"
The ladies tennis pro smlleo
automatically.
"And why not?" she demanded
"Haven't made you the hottest
thing in tennis this season?
Haven't you got a trunkful OF
CUBS and medals to show for it?
The Wightman Cup team, OF
course. That's our goal and we're
on the verge of seeing it accom-
plished."
Hilda got under the cold shower
and shivered as the water battered
her pink and tingling body. Her
eyes shone. Maxine Dale's eyes
gIowed back.
The next thing to being champ
yourself was making a champ
Maxine, a famous old-timer, was
going to experience the double
thrill.
But it was something else that
brought fire to the blue eyes OF
Hilda Dale. A boy No, two boys.
It was thrilling and, yes, a little
frightening as we'll, to have two
boys tugging at your heart, each
Straininp in an opposite direction.
BRILLIANT PLAYER
Johnny Rogers had whispered
things into her ear something like
the deductive prospect held out by
Maxine. And Johnny Rogers was
god, no less. A Davis Cup player.
Erratic, but, at his best, prob
ably the most brilliant and devaS-
tating volleyer in all the world.
Young and strong and magnetic.
He lived and breathed tennis.
Tennis to Johnny was father and
mother, eat and drink, and If 1t
must be admitted, support.
He'd been around the world a
couple of times playing his way,
He knew all the best people and
put up at the better clubs. Sports
writers Worshiped him, opponents
trembled at his name.
Hilda remembered the first time
Johnny Rogers had condescended
to notice her. It was the night
after she'd won her first important
tournament. Just two years ago.
She was II then, 1.-the, bub-
bling, vivid kid from the West,
with rubber legs and amazing pow
er in her slender shoulders.
Those days Hilda was scribbling
a note every night to George Bur.
ton back home. Maybe it Wouldn't
be any more than a Scrawled I
love you but enough to let George
know she wasn't forgetting.
TENNIS DUB
George was no tennis player.
That is, he could dub and slam
his way through set well enough
to trim a complete duffer, and
he had been a fair sort of foot
ball player at Stanford.
He got around to the best clubs
too because he was, of all things,
a swimming pool salesman. Natu-
rally, the prettieSt girls at the
club dances had no eyes for the
likes of him when young news,
paper gods like Johnny Rogers
were about.
So Maxine, observing the shine
in Hilda'S eyes, thought that her
excitement arose from the pros.
pect Of being a Wightman Cup
team player, Of competing before
the King and Queen at Wimble.
don, perhaps being presented at
court-the prospect, too, of years
OF luxurious fun and travel, hers
solely because she could slap a
little white inflated ball harder
and more accurately than any
other girl in the world!
But Hilda wasn't thinking OF
those things-not exclusively. She
was thinking of Johnny Rogers
aud George Burton, and wonder
Observation-Disclosures most excru
Ciating delight girl like her could
know-"which one shall l take?
Which one ought 1 to take?
ooh. why can't a girl have two
husbands-one to stay at home
with and one to fly around places
WITH"
DINNER DATE
Her dinner date was with
George. He was doing all right ir
his business now, since swimming
pools were the rage everywhere
and his company had the exclu
sive patents on a particularly at
tractive variety of tile. He came