Volume XXII. 



RECREATION. 



FEBRUARY, J905 

 0. 0. SHIELDS (COQUINA , Editor and Manager 



Number 2 



A GOLFING 



S. L. 



Tom, my brother-in-law, came home 

 about 5 o'clock and said : 



"How about golf to-night?" 

 I got ready at once, and after a light 

 lunch, we boarded a car for South 

 Park, arriving at the golf grounds 

 shortly before 6. It was a beautiful 

 evening, rather breezy, and threaten- 

 ing rain, but we did not suppose 

 it was coming soon. It was to be my 

 third attempt at golf, and I have still 

 to acquire the stroke and the lingo. 

 I got the first hole in 17, and Tom got 

 it in 6. We were nearing the second 

 hole, when Tom said, 



"Gee! we are going to get wet." 

 I looked, and there was a big black 

 cloud, coming right at us. Tom said, 

 "We couldn't get half way back, 

 so we would better get under a tree." 

 I was afraid of lightning, but he 

 said there was no lightning, and it 

 ' wouldn't strike a tree like that any- 

 way, so as the drops commenced to 

 come, we got under the tree, scarcely 

 half a minute after the first sight of 

 the cloud. It was amusing to watch 

 •the golfers scurrying for shelter. A 

 picnic party who thought they were 

 secure under a big tree, suddenly 

 .started to pile tables on end, to make 

 a shelter for the ladies, who evidentlv 

 found it too damp under the tree. The 

 <rain, which commenced with big scat- 

 tered drops, soon went through the 

 tree we were under, as if it was a 

 sieve, and we were getting nicely 

 drenched, when suddenly Tom said, 

 "What's that? Why, it's a mink!" 

 Looking across the green, I saw a 

 funny, long black animal running 

 toward us. Tom dropped the golf 



77 



INCIDENT. 



E. 



sticks, all but the mid-iron, and dart- 

 ed out in the rain, and then I saw the 

 funniest chase it has ever been my 

 fortune to witness. Tom got quite 

 close to the mink before it saw him. 

 Then it stopped, turned, and began 

 a marvelous exhibition of dodging 

 and twisting. Tom seemed possessed, 

 and was more like an Indian or a 

 wild animal than a civilized human 

 being. He could beat the mink run- 

 ning, and was always on its heels, but 

 it turned and dodged so quickly, that 

 he couldn't strike it. Across the green, 

 and under the trees, and over the 

 muddy road they went, and all the 

 time I was shouting at Tom, that he 

 would be fined if he killed it, but I 

 don't think he would have heard a 

 cannon, had it been fired then. It all 

 ended by Tom's aiming a tremendous 

 stroke at the poor mink, just as if it 

 had been a golf ball, and he was mak- 

 ing a 200 yard drive, but he didn't 

 have time to stop to get position, so 

 when he missed the mink, he lost his 

 feet and brought up sitting in the wet 

 grass. His cap flew one way and the 

 golf club another, and by the time he 

 had got on his feet, the mink was go- 

 ing over the bank, into the river. 



All this happened, while the rain 

 was coming down in sheets. Tom 

 came back, under the tree, panting 

 and laughing, with his clothes as wet 

 as if he had tumbled into the river. 

 He said, 



"I am glad I didn't hit it. What 

 did I want with it anyway!" 



We laughed until the rain stopped, 

 which it did in a few minutes. Then 

 we played back along the course, and 

 were dry long before we got through. 



