| Show I fl 1 T Play-Off Play 1 I I By R II n U WILKINSON L j eo j the racket with a 0 aI swung JANIS HANIS I vehemence that to toJ J break the strings And a n moment later Inter she re regret regretted et ted edit It ItOn On the opposite side aWe of at the net Amy Eldredge was racIng mcl l across the court In a n d desperate sperate attempt to return the Ule drive She 0 failed II ell The crowd roared applauded looking toward JanIs It U was the play off of ot the wom wOrn women's ens en's single tennis champiOnShiP JanIs was the favorite avo rite And despite the fact act that the sets were s ere even en and It had begun to look lookas lookas lookas as though Amy Eldredge might have ha havea a chance of capturing the match JanIs was still the Ule favorite fn Champions such each as Janis jants dont don't lose loso their following In a breath Janis heard the roar of or the crowd as she had bed heard i It on hundreds ot of previous occasions ls s She turned automatically to look at them Her gaze aze swept the sea sen of or admiring lag ing faces and didn't see ace them lIer m mind moved swiftly Kirk should be sitting In lib usual seat just behind the umpires umpire's stand lie had occupied that seat every ery day durIng the matches I yes And And there he was Her lIer heart turned over tie lie wasn't lookIng at nt her ber Of at the hundreds of or faces that were there his was the only one that wasn't turned In her ber dIrection lIe was looking toward Amy Just as ns bo ho had constantly toward Amy every ery moment since the match got under way Janis bit her lip mid and d walked back to receive Amys Amy's serve serre Her er mind wasn't on the game She was thinking of or Kirk Lots of ot girls thought ot of Kirk Francis but not quite In the same was as Janis thought of ot him Janis had been Introduced to KIrk six months ago It was at a week week end end party up In the n mountains wInter sports affair She had been bren tennis champion then and was quite an Important In the sports It U was Kirks Kirk's attitude that first attracted the girl The tact fact act that she she was wa u a tennIs heroine didn't em to o bm li a bit I i t I 1 I For or the time since sheI she I become famous JanIs met a toun Mn who tr treated her ller h a would la other r human bf Ing- Ing IngIn I In month Inter after atter they tiey had bad become better acquainted and were back In In the lie city Kirk admit t frankly that iii at pave gave av hira him a pain In I 1 the heck They They had h d ab an ot of themselves tind w were ver r q quite mite j j put putout putout out ut If It a lot lol of people didn't didn't 0 slobber th them m Janis hail had lind h lJ and loved and lr tort font 11 a She Sie to to- lOre Ion him a n lot lotmore more during the nex five There were few women who didn't or S 'S Hut Cut Janis was different Her love WIl wag sound based on f D-d D clear thinkIng the sort sort pf f We love Oye that doesn't doesn't wear oT orr That was what vat lt hurt most ost Wh n nAmy Amy appeared on on scene KIrk fell In love lo with her JanIs realized her own predicament was as serious She had come tc love lo Kirk and now she couldn't get fer et over over It It The thing tiling had embedded Itself tOO In her soul soulY 11 11 1 It to see that Kirit KIrli had lost his hia head bend over o Amy l You could 1111 ten tel tha HlaJ bY by Jh the c expression res- res sion slon that came to his his face wen lie talked with It h her And Janis wasn't l idI lf t c i h b believe she could ever win him for herself Amy was as small and extreme extremely I pretty She may have ha had the mus mus- muscular muscular cular build of ot a tennis champion but the lines of ot her didn't show It it You'd think to look at the girl Irl she was some delicate butterfly who never dida did a n stroke of ot physical ex- ex ex P t f H J JArAl f hopelessness And ArAl so Ing We hope of ot her hr predicament sat down by herself herselt In order to give the matter some thou thought ht She was a sane girl and being seno she he dl didn't herself nt 11 0 e erIn r-In r any r ones about telling herself herselt her craving f fr r KIrk wouldn't wear o off orr with time or lengthy separation or any of or the generally accepted remedies for such maladies therefore What she asked herself there there- fore tore was the next best thing to do The answer came almost at once Ma e I IThe The mere tact that she knew v Kirk was lI would somewhat relieve the hurt of at her ber own o tortured soul And as far tar as JanIs could reason the only way of or making Kirk hap lisp py happy plat was d lm oh tp r op l a jil t ter a n sense of or shock that It was within her power to turn Amy over to the man theman she lov loved r r t For JanIs knew thaL unless won the tennis championship shed she'd never neer marry anyone t Tennis was a passion pasion p slon wIth Amy It H came ame before f aD i fl-i V And that Is why at nt the je ot of the last set of or the three three three-da series of or matches for the women's I j l 1 red between Am Amy nj I Eldrede n roo th the t Il was even e a i the Uie outcome seemed to lean toward the challenger f fT T L JanIs swift 8 drive that had won on for her the Ole applause of ot the crowd Wit was the result of ot Impulse of ot a sudden Impetuous desire to put the full uti strength of or her skill Into the swing of ot the racket to play her ller herbest herbest best to win nut But the feeling passed Standing there waiting for tor or Amys Amy's serve she was once more In control of herself thinking of ot Kirk willing willingto willingto to sacrifice her rating In the world or of sport to bring him happiness with another girL Somehow It all seemed Incredible It didn't seem possible she he was ac- ac ac Sc actually doing the thing And yet et she alle was The TIle ball crashed over o the tho net JanIs scooped It up sent It whir whir- whirring whirring ring back to Amys Amy's court Again It came and again JanIs returned It It They rallied for tor a matter of or min min- minutes mm min minutes utes Then Janis seemed to stumble ble The ed edge e of ot her racket struck the tho ball bali sent It spinning out ot of bounds A murmur ran through the crowd cro faced Grim faced Janis took her ber stand awaiting n a new serve n It came She swung swiftly The ball crashed Into her racket rebounded rushed back toward to the theother theother theother other court and then slap then slap thenet net had stopped the play Janis had to grip herself herselt to go goon goon goon on She SIll w wished bed It was over o Only two points more moore She decided to dub them both even en though they knew v she was 10 do doing In ing It on It-on on purpose But nobody did know Janis Jl had sacrificed the game In Ina Ina Ina a manner that gave all the credit to Amy And for this she was thank thankful ful CUI Kirk was waiting for her hen v hen she came from the dressing room an hour later was I I was watching you JanIs r I saw you throw the game Why Why Why Kirk Kirk- Kirk lie fie Interrupted shaking his head Dont try to lie out of It JanIs Maybe those other Idiots didn't real reat realize ize what you were up to but I did Janis caught her breath Dever never tell on on n me Kirk Why did you do It Im sick of ot tennis and all the tho of ot being champion I want to go away and rest Forget It for tor fora a 0 while Lying again That Isn't so It Is Is I mean every word of ot It lie Ill stud ed her imer Intently Janis lanis let me go with you ou la Mai- Mai Mairy ry Mav-ry ry me inc fet felt f herself clr swaying s and ard Icil f to 0 iII t i iJ iI J I r You Jont Inow yot l Am Arny Amy Amy 1 bo be dd d-d d d d I never ne told h herI r rI I love her her herand and md I dont don't Ive I've e always Il l v ii 1 you Jan Jans Ahr- Ahr Ahr's Always s 's I- I I-I I I you were wera to too taken up lip p with being tennis cham chain champion pion in ft ti even en think about about- e love hove ll l i t youve you've changed d our your mind s Y S T Why l Because Isaid I said I was sick of ot lt it I lie shook his ills head Ine ause you just handed the t he dij J 1 lons for to to i J Amy y There was a rason for tor It I dont don't dare daie thInk what It Is But I do know that you were ere thinking about some some- ome- ome ee cl 1 ft besides tennis And t hats hat's n lIgh for me e Janis id let ct herself herselt go then thien She tr try to keep from V s swaying ying Kirk wn was as there to hold her ber hold her tight and kiss the lips that were l I upturned to meet hIs |
