Evening star., 1942-12-12

lsn as members
Henry MeLemore. Of Americas
Walker Cup team.
Lord and Lady Astor, both OF
whom love and follow golf, asked
Jack and Johnny if they would like
to spend a week end at Cliveden.
To two wide-eyed country boys
this was chance Of lifetime This
was a chance to mingle with the
peers of the realm. This was
chance to store away a memory
that would last lifetime.
Johnny and Jack pooled their re-
sources in London and by borrowing
So accumulated the total OF $50
and bought car to drive to Clive-I
den. 1t was 1903 Renault with no
brakes, no lights. no clutch, no top.
no nothing, except will to run.
They arrived at Cliveden and
chugged through It's driveway, bor-
dered by ancient trees, just before
noon.
The cars brakes quit functioning
entirely in the middle Of the drive
way and the Astors we're tipped of
to the arrival of the Americans by
a tremendous crash. Unable to put
on any brakes Johnny drove the
car, as last resort, into the right
wing of the lovely old home, tear
ing up a sacred flower bed en- route
A man showed them to their
room, an English man servant, who
Johnny until this day swears is the
strictest, meanest man servant that
ever lived.
AS the two country boys stood
looking out Of their window and
thanking kind Providence for CIV
ing them this chance to visit a real
lord and a real lady, the man SER
want knocked on the door and said:
Gentlemen, will you please dress
for Ascot. Lord and Lady Astor
would like for you to 60 with them
to the races"
The boys studied their luggage.
1t was comprised chiefly of knickers,
which were worn at the time, spiked
shoes, sport shirts and flannel slacks.
They debated as to how to dress"
for Ascot. They vaguely remem-
bered, Johnny says, of having seen
pictures of fashionable crowds at
the worlds most fashionable race
track
They knew they would not be
properly dressed in ordinary golf
clothes. Then Jack suddenly re-
membered that each of them had
q dinner Jacket in their luggage.
The dinner jackets were not their
own, having been borrowed from
kindly and nearly the same size
friends before they left.
Let's put on our tuxedos, JOHNNY"
Jack said. IF they want us to dress,
let's really dress for them"
So the two American boys. at
high noon and headed for an after
noon in the royal inclosure at As
cot, put on their dinner Jackets.
black ties, patent leather shoes,
stiff shirts and all the other trap.
pings Of that miserable suit.
They were pleased with them
selves. They looked in the mirror
and found what they saw very
pretty. In their hearts they were
glad that they would not embarrass
Lord and Lady Astor.
There was knock at the door.
The man servant, the upstairs Boris
karloff of Cliveden, greeted them.
He came very close, the boys recall
to falnting when he saw them. He
staggered, he reeled, he grabbed his
wig, but finally speech came to him.
{ Gentlemen, please get back in
your rooms. Quick, in a hurry"
Then he explained the Ascot dress
costume and, on learning that the
boys did not have the proper haber-
dashery, advised them to wear gray
fannels and an odd coat.
when we went downstairs.
Johnny still recalls, Lord Astor
met us wearing what appeared to
be a simple sack suit. I whispered
to Jack that he was a perfect
gentleman. We didn't have any.
thing to dress in, so he didn't dress
either.
"All the way over to Ascot In the
car we inwardly praised Lord Astor
for being so gracious to us and
then you know what he did7 As wa
drove into the Ascot grounds he un-
buttoned some snappers on the tail
OF that coat and 1t became a dress
coat. He reached in q little COM :
partment In the car and pulled out
a collapsible topper. He shook him.
self two or three times and before
he got out Of that car he was the
best dressed man in England. We
spent very miserable afternoon at
Ascot in our slacks that hadn't been
pressed since we left the United
States, and bob-tail coats"
Cliveden now belongs to the Brit
lsh government but no matter what
happens to 1t. two American boys
will always remember 1t as the
place where they learned for the
first time that the peerage and a
backswing don't mix.
distributed BY McNausht Syndicate, Incl
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