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Show MR. COLLINS' CROQUET SET- Croquet, that eminently fascinating game, "was introduced on the premises prem-ises ot tho Collins', Friday. In the afternoon Podge's boy brought up the set, and just before tea Mrs. Collins arranged the wickets. Collins had learned to play when visiting in (ilovershire, last summer, and Mrs. 1 Collins acquired an indillerent knowledge knowl-edge ot the game from two elderly maiden sisters in Pax ton street. And so on that delicious Friday afternoon they took out the mallets and balls and commenced the game. "Now Emmeline," playfully Ob served Mr. Collins, "don't you begin cheating at the start. If you do the game will bo prostituted to mere gambliug, an' we'll injure our moral natures in trying to build up our physical." "People who are so ready to charge against others may need close watching watch-ing themselves, young man," said she, in the same spirit, "and I mean to keep a sharp eye on you." Then they both laughed. " But it will boa good thing for you," he said, with a tinge of tenderness tender-ness in his voice. " You are kept cooped up in the Iiomso so that you hardly get a breath of fresh air. This will give you exercise, and keep you out-doors, too." " You are always thinking ot me, said she, as her eyes grew moist. " You need the out-door air as much us I do, but you are too unselfish to think of yourself." And thus exchangiug sentiments which did credit to both their hearts, the game progressed. Alter passing through the centre wicket, Mr. Collins used her balls to help himself through the other wickets wick-ets to the upper stake. Then he left her near the first wicket, and struck for the stake, which being about eight inches distant, made him confident. con-fident. The ball missed by about an eighth of an inch. "I declare," he exclaimed, in vex-' vex-' ation. Then she, having watched his rapid rap-id progress now struck for him and hit him, and a minute later his ball was spinning through the grass to the other end of the ground. She was I now in position for her wicket, and miRsrd tlironeh it and tho others to the stake, but missed it. Then he came up by a well-directed blow to within two inches of the stake. But she went for him again, and when she got through, she was three wickets beyond the stake, and his ball was at the other end of the ground again, and his brow was finely corrugated. corru-gated. He stepped nervously toward iw It -n-ns quite evident that lie wus not unru filed. When his turn came again he drove back to the Btako but struck a wicket, and rebounded so close to her that she easily hit him, and again introduced him through wickets he was not for, and then sent him flying again. Her success caused her to laugh, and he heard it. "You think you are pretty Bmart, but I'll get even with you," he said, without Bmiling, "You'll have to play better than you have done," Bhe pertinently suggested. sug-gested. "I think I know as much about croquet as you do," he said, still with a straight face. "If you had any fairness about you, you'd let me have that stroke over, when I was up to the stake, ion know I slipped as well as I did," ho said, growing red in the face. "No, I didn't know anything about it," she replied, taking on a little color. "I say you did." "And I say Ididu't. But if you are going to play this game, why don't you go ahead." "I'll play when I get ready," he answered, turning white about the mouth. ;'lf you ain't going to play, you'd better go into the house and shut up," she suggested, raising her voice. "Don't you talk to me that way," he cried, "or I'll make you Rorry t'or it, you brazen-faced hussy." "Hussy I hussy I " she screamed. "Ain't you ashamed of yourself John Jacob Collins, to call your wife a hu,sy? Hussy, is it, you miserable brute. I'm to be called a hussy, am I, after working my knuckles of for you, and slaving for thirty years alter your crooked carcass. There," he cried, in a paroxysm, throwing the mallet on the ground, "take your old croquet and shove it down your lying throat and choke yourscll lo deUh with it, if you want to, you miserable old wretch. And don't you ask me to playlwith you again, or I'll 'tell you Bomething you'll remember the longest day you live, you old dovil." And then she bounced into the house, leaving him standing there und rubbing his head in a benumbed sort of way. But almost immediately immedi-ately after she thrust her head out of the window and snapped out "You needn't think you aro going to get any hot biscuit for your tea in this house this night, young man, and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it just as soon as you have a mind to." Danbury News. |