The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1937-11-19
Mike Knew q l-of
About Golf. and
lie I-e armed
Later About
Love

A PRO, Connie told Mike that ieweled
a June morning, never makes any
money "He wouldn't be teaching If he
had the stuff tournament timber is made
of" she declared emphatically.
Mike Hess stared at her intentIy, and
apricot skin, the drenched pansy- beauty
OF her brown eyes that kept him from
tying his No. iron neatly around
her neck. and finishing it Off with
bowknot 1t never failed to do this to
him-Connies fresh, blythe verbal shots
guard and landed raw Oh bruised quiv-
ering sore wounds 1t never failed to fill
him with a mute sort of wonder that he
could take so much and pay of so little.
No other woman had ever troubled
Mike Hess Not even in his PALMER
tournament days when debutantes
trouped after him, lifting their ecstatic
praises, and doting dowagers trailed
along in his wake, subtly withholding
their marriageable females until such
time as he might be thoroughly razzle-
daz2led. But from the first. Connie Lang
got In his hair.
TIE TOLD himself first that he hated
H small women And Connie was
barely S feet Al He assured his inner
mind that red-headed wimnin were all
right for the ice man, for cops and truck
drivers, but he wouldn't have any Of
that kind Of potatoes. thank you. The
sand In spinach was much more easily
digested.
AS for girls who played golf IN brown
check linen shorts and halter, and
tennis IN a romper suit that was
mere wisp OF pink linen or so-Well, he
had b own idea of them. and it was
plenty, oh most assurediy and def
nitely sufficient 1t didn't help mat
tiers any that she weighed barely ITO
pounds, and that figure like hers was
q crime concealed, and a delight the
further you adorned It with Natures
own sunshine.
No. those FIRST dark, moody weeks in
May, when the sun marched higher and
hotter, Mike Hess was ready to turn in
his brash new assignment as golf pro
at the Lakemere Country Club. and 60
peddle encyclopedias. or take magazine
subscriptions. or even sell insurance
He'd tried those, and the penalty there
of was merely genteel starvation. A
matter Of one meal day, plus coffee at
8 Ia the morning, of cigarettes budgeted
and carefully counted each Gay. and
clothes pressed the old seamans mattress
way. avec magazines.
Connie, however. refused to let the
mote In his eye darken the gleam In
hers Daily she sWirled her rakish. irn-
ported cream -colored sports roadster up
the drive and parked it under the viii
lows. two boots and holler from the
caddy house windows, and, leaping out,
ran lithely over to the tennis courts--or
the first tee. depending on which she
was concentrating on that morning, or
afternoon--and began playing.
It didn't help any that it was Howard
Cramer who introduced them Howard
was member of an ancient and hon
orable clan practically responsible for
the town of Newford. Mass, and had
he come from any less noble line
age, his lot would have been mild
but positive starvation at his trade in
stead Of moderate success reading law
and taking odd cases in old Judge .Scher-
merhorn's law offices. Howard was
Comics constant swain, and it was an
other thing you couldn't forgive a girl
for Even a red-headed girl with amber
freckles marching gayly across a brief
straight little nose. and a smile that up
set the physical geography of your heart
This is Mike Hess, Connie Howard
said that hot May morning, "our new
golf pro. He's going to iron out some Of
the kinks in our game-we hope"
How do you do?" Connie said calmly,
"my name is Connie Lang Howard al
ways forgets to mention it, though, so
I'm used to explaining for him."
MIKE released her lean little paw and
A'1 stared at her suspiciously She
hadn't said word about golf she
hadn't gushed! She hadn't been too,
too thrilled for words and she didn't
think it was just too divine. In fact
he might have been railway section
hand for all she cared about his pro-
fessioni
Mixes professional pride began TO
smart. Who was she anyway? What
was she, that she'd never heard of the
Pebble Beach tournament? The South
ern Pines and Piping Rock and Ashe-
vile contestsa And the Miami Bilt-
more Classic? Maybe she thought he
was q horseshoe pitching champ OF
something.
The next time Connie squared or at
the first tee--which was the following
morning Mike picked up his bag of
clubs and lounged carelessly out to play.
And sure enough, there at the ninth.