-——.

ay We must have appeared interested, for someone came and invited us in.

. | was astonished to recognize my cousin Dick, and mentally noted what

five. ay) a good thing it was to have someone in the family know what badminton

a | was. Finally Dick asked me to have a go at it. “Try anything once" is

‘ my motto, so | donned a spare pair of shoes, clutched a ridiculous-look-

ing weapon he called a racquet, and marched toward the net, outwardly

calm. Dick gave me a few hints about keeping my eye on the "bird"

( and standing in readiness for unexpected assaults. | murmured some-
thing about “they shall not pass,"’ and offered up a silent prayer.

As guest | had first serve. After four attempts | managed to hit the
| / thing on the feathered end. A muttered word from Dick, and suppressed
sighs from our opponents; | tried to appear nonchalant. Next time |

was luckier—the shuttlecock whizzed over the net! It dropped outside
the court about a foot. After that | was in a daze. The elusive shuttle-

cock was nowhere in the direction of my racquet, or rather, my racquet

never seemed to be in quite the vicinity of the feathered ball. | finally

decided to leave it to my partner, and let him rush about. I'd had

( enough of galloping. So | instinctively ducked any time it seemed as
( though | would become the reluctant target, and soon | appeared to
/ have acquired a permanent wave in my back. | trotted from one side
to another as | was told, with no idea why, but Dick said he was making
points for us. | was glad of this, for | was only making an ass of myself.
| must have been dwelling on this last thought when | was rudely brought
to earth with "Hit it! hit it!" from my partner somewhere near me. This
time | would show them how I could hit! I'd be a champion yet; so sum-
moning all my reserve strength, | closed my eyes, whirled my arm like a
windmill in a high gale and came crashing down on something—Dick's
head! An eternity of silence. "You sure hit it,"" muttered Dick, weakly.

Collapsing onto the nearest bench, every muscle crying out, | whispered
hoarsely, "Jane, so this is badminton—now | know."

4 | —EULA B. WALKER.