AND HE KISSED HER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17036, 9 May 1923, Page 6

AND HE KISSED HER.

* A TENNIS STORY. (Written for the “Star.”) . . lie kissed her. That is the end of this story. The beginning starts with the love of Jimmy Sefton lor Margaret Flastes, and the wonderful lore hand drive that Margaret had, and th j backhand of Josephine Smith. Mr children, gather around. I am an old man now and have seen much tennis. 1 have lived —yes, the man who has played tennis has lived, and only the man who lias fought against nature to perfect a backhand drive can truly he said to have lived. Fife is not just being, it is aspiring; not to be content with getting a ball back over thd net, hut to return it with speed and placement; with strong and high endeavour. On the courts of tennis i-> the lesson of life learnt. All that I know of women 1 have learned there, and there, also, 1 learned to believe in myself—to know that there is nothing a man cannot accomplish—that there is no handicap can keep him back. L found that men who have climbed life's ladder had even greater weaknesses than my own. Has not the great Greenwood a feeble second serve, and the mighty Goss a weak backhand! Where Nature has failed to endow a man in one particular, eh© always gives better measure to other attributes. Listen ! The story I am going to tell shows liow a man may succeed in spite of what may appear formidable obstacles. Jimmy Sefton was young, about twenty-two, when he fell in love with Margaret. Now Margaret was beautiful. She could give a fairy princess fifteen anu a beating in looks any day, and to add to her attractions she possessed a perfect forehand drive, a wonderful stroke, with speed and accuracy and length combined with beauty and power. Homeric epics could be written on that stroke, and odes to rts strength and grace. Jimmy had no forehand drive, < i backhand, either. It is true he was good-looking and had brown eyes and curly hair, but what was that against a woefully weak smash and a puny service? Even learners refused to partner with him, and as for Margaret, she never deigned to acknowledge his existence. Jimmy worshipped from alar. One day our committee, in a burst of energy, decided to hold a Yankee tournament, and they arranged it as a combined doubles, with the best man taking the weakest lady, the second man taking the second weakest, and so on, till weakest man got the first lady, and thus Margaret met Jimmy. They had not been playing long together be - fore Margaret disliked her partner, and towards the end of the afternoon, after getting beaten 6 love in each game, the dislike had changed to a positive hate. Never by any chance was Jimmy ever m his proper place, neither did it seem possible this day for him to get a ball over the net. The more he tried the worse he got. They did

not win a game. At the end of the season. Jimmy was still humbly loving and the girl now avoiding him. and to anybody but'Jimmy the position would have seemed hopeless. The hero of this tale was. however, made of stern stuff. Within him was the spark from which all greatness is made. In the quietness of the night, he reviewed the position, and made a resolution. Through the winter that followed Jimmy learned to play. lie paid a coach to teach every stroke, and every night and morning ho practised on a volley hoard at his home. It wa.s hard work for him to learn, hut he persevered and after two months the instructor took heart for lit*, noticed a slight improvement: another two mnoth-s and -Jimmy’s skill increased until when, the next season opened James Sefton appeared on the status list and quickly mounted. AY ithin three months lie was first player and with Margaret for a partner in the club matches, and now he had the girl’s respect and admiration. Jimmy’s good tennis gave him confidence. He swaggered round the court, where formerly he had crawled. His love for Margaret was diluted by a critical judgment of her play. They say that every gem has some flaw and his partner had a bad habit of running round a ball on her backhand, a bad fault. “ You oukht to take those on your backhand,” he told her savagely one day after they had lost a set. This cave man stuff shook her. She tried to meet his eyes; failed, and then love came. Yes, love came to her then, but too late, for soon a rival appeared. Josephine Smith joined the club, and although she was plain looking, yet her backhand and serve were hotter than Margaret’s, and at practice Jimmy was seen-to play with Josephine more than with his match partner. Margaret still had her great forehand drive, but the other girl’s all-round play mad© up for it. 'The next big match came off, and Margaret tried all she could to- please him. but her luck was out. All her drives went out by inches, and she could see the gathering frown on Jimmy’s face. After the game—they were beaten badly—it took her all her time to keep from crying. She tried to be nice to him, hut ho avoided her. The match was played in the country, and by the time they arrived back into town by train, it was quite dark. As Jimmy was striding moodily home ward, he heard his name called, and

Margaret came running up and burst into tears. Then it came to him that this girl loved him, and he remembered his love for her. “ T am sorry T got out of position again to-day.” she sobbed. “ I will not do it ever aagin.” He eyed her critically and weighed the two girls carefully in his mind. He knew he must decide. Josephine’s backhand was good, very good, but Margaret’s forehand, was a wonderful stroke. The gil stood before him hungrily watching his eyes- “ Ton’ll have to improve your second service too.” he said undecidedly. “ Yes, yes,” she cried passionately “I will practise it every day.” Slowlv Jimmy’s stern gaze softened and then gently he put out his hand and drew her to him and kissed the upturned face. H. T.