John Henry Smith: A humorous romance of outdoor lifeAdams, Frederick Upham
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John Henry Smith: A humorous romance of outdoor life
Adams, Frederick Upham
Humorous stories; Outdoor life -- Fiction
"Don't lose your nerve, papa," cautioned his daughter.
Wilson was away, but when he was within a few yards of his ball he
looked intently at the turf and then dropped to his knees and crawled
slowly around.
"What are you looking for?" exclaimed Harding "There's your ball right
in front of you."
"I know it," calmly said Wilson, running his hand over the turf, "but
I'm curious to know what kind of _Trifolium_ this is."
"Wilson," said the magnate, as the former rose to his full height and
took a club from his bag, "Wilson, I might as well quit and give up this
game."
"Why?" asked the surprised banker.
"Let me tell you something," declared Harding. "I only took up this golf
business a few weeks ago, and by hard work have found out about mashies,
hooks, foozles, cops, one off two and all those difficult things, but
I'm blamed if I ever heard of trifoliums, or whatever you call 'em, and
you can't ring 'em in on me. I won't stand for it! We don't play
trifoliums in Woodvale, do we, Smith?"
"But my dear Harding," interposed Wilson, his mobile face wrinkled in a
smile, "_Trifolium_ is not a golf term and has nothing whatever to do
with the game."
"What in thunder is it?"
"_Trifolium_ is the genus name for the clover plant, and these are
beautiful specimens," explained this amateur botanist.
"It is, is it?" laughed Harding. "Well, let's see how far you 'can knock
that ball out of that bed of _Trifoliums_."
We left them soon after and returned to the club house. The ladies did
not care to play before luncheon, preferring to take a rest after the
exciting experiences of the trip from Woodvale. I ran across an old
friend of mine, Sam Robinson, and he and I played against Carter and
Chilvers. Robinson is one of the best amateurs in the country and we
defeated our opponents handily.
It was a merry party which gathered about the table which had been
spread under the trees near the club house. Oak Cliff is the only club
which Woodvale recognises as a rival, and the Wilson's entertained us
charmingly. Mr. Harding was in great spirits.
"I won!" he announced as he returned with our elongated and smiling
host. "Licked Wilson, trifoliums and all, right here on his own ground!
But he found a _Rumex_ and a lot of other weeds, so he don't care."
Miss Harding and I had discovered an oil painting in the club library
which interested us, and when coffee and cigars had been served I asked
Mr. Wilson about its history.
"Robinson gave it to the club," he said, "he can tell its story better
than I can."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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