SHORT STORY.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16072, 5 April 1924, Page 2

SHORT STORY.

euphemia and me,

A GOLF TALE (By H.T.)

(Concluded.)

I will now digress to explain how that came into being. " It is said that it needs the death of a bishop to ensue some reforms, and at golf, only disasters to tlie secretary or the president are capable of bringing forth a local rule to meet abnormal conditions. Our club has been plagued by people who wohld wear small heels to play in. and oiTe day the president and secretary were partners in a two-ball game. The stakes were sixpence a hole and the}' were three bob down when their ball-sank into a heel mark, the president cursed, the secretary cursed, and forgetting that lightning never strikes in the same place twice, this rule was passed. Jones saw us looking down and strode over. His eyes gleamed when he saw where the ball was. “It will cost you two,” he said gleefully. • ‘‘Oh no.” I told him, “this is a horse’s heel mark and I claim under our local rule to life the balk” "Heel mark!” Jones veiled.

“That’s no heel mark—it's a horse’s hoof—anybody can see it's Well this is a horse’s hoof,’ •‘lt’s a horse's heel mark,” I said sternly.

‘‘Heel? Heel? How can it be a heel? The voice of Perenza Jones rose to almost a shreik. "The rule says heel mark. It does not say rabbit heel or human heel or horse’s heel —just heel. Well this is a hzorse's heel.”

•‘jumping Jehcsphat, you numskull! Don’t you know that a horse has no heel. A horse s hoof is its toes. What do you think?” lie asked, turning to Euphemia. “1 think,” she sad, peerng into

the hole, “that the front part of a hoof is a toe and the back is the heel. If you look down there, you wiH see that the ball rests in the back part, so I consider the ball can be lifted.”

Jnoes’s face went purple. He knew if I lifted the bail without a penalty I would win

"What rot!” he said rudely, “what —haven’t you benighted people heard of Darwin—don’t you know that once upon a time a horse had toes like other animals—like bears and lions and such, but in the horse’s struggle for swiftness, for speed, the heel disappeared and all the toes grew into a hoof.”

"That's all very well,” I put in. ‘‘You can’t bluff me by talking about Darwin. The back part of of a hoof is the heel. I might as well say that the whole hoof is the heel and that the toes of tire ancestral horse have gone. It appears to me to be more likely. It certainly looks more like a heel than a toe.”

"Well, anyhow, you lift that ball and I claim two strokes," Jones blustered. ■'Don’t be foolish, Mr Tones," Enphemia said sternly. “Your opponent says his ball rests m a horse’s heel mark, i say a horse must have a heel. If you can show me any other place the heel is. 1 will consider it, but if not I give my decision that the ball can be lifted without penalty." “The umpire’s decision must be accepted," I said, and lifted the balk and holed out.

Jones picked up his clubs. "I’ll appeal against this,” he told us and stalked away.

That night under a perfect moon I stood with Euphemta, and gazed upon a lonely sea: as lonely, it

u was roaring, but i was content i and kissed her. ■‘Perenza Jones says he’ll ay- ; peal,” I said. j "In the court ofdove there is j no appeal,” Euphemia said j happily. (The End.) j