Cricket 1893

426 0RICKET g A WEEKLt BECORD OF THE &AME0 S E P t. 21, 1893 A CRICKET SELF SACRIFICE. B y W . S a p te , J u n , It was the middle of July already, and Jack Mylford hadn’ t been able to snatch even a day’s holiday since Easter. The result, to a naturally vigorous aad athletic young man, was most distressing. He was quite depressed and jaded; feeble in appetite and weary in mind. Not that he had done any par;icular amount of work, or that his nose had been kept at the grindstone half so persistently as is the case with other young fellows in the City or elsewhere; but the fa.it was Jack had not been brought up to drudgery at all and did not take to it kin31y. However, a stern sense of duty and a strong desire to please his old father had latterly made him stick to business as closely a3 any clerk in the office, and he was now experiencing the ill effects of prolonged sedentary occupation on one accustomed all his life to a large quantity of outdoor exercise. For Jack Mylford was a sportsman in the widest and best sense of the term. A race­ goer but.not a gambler; an athlete but not a pothunter; and, above all, a cricketer who played the game right through from start to finish—working as hard in the field as he did at the wickets. He missed his cricket during the hot and busy summer, more than anything else, and now, as I have mentioned, here was the middle or July come and he hadn’ t so much as handled a bat since the previous season. But one morning about this time something happened which was too much for his stern business resolutions; something which, coupled with the undeniable desirability of a change of air for his health’s sake, justified him, he felt, in taking one brief holiday, even if he had to make up for it by extra work subsequently. This something was the receipt of a letter from the one person whose image he cherished in his heart, a certain Kate Hayward, the yonn?est daughter of his father’s old friend, Sir Thomas Hayward, of Cramoton Hall, Wiltshire. Some years ago he and Kate had passed away pleasant hours together as boy and girl, and, though since he had become a man he had seen far less of her, the affection she had inspired him with in her teens had by no means diminished in the long intervals of separation. The daughter of a keea old cricket enthusiast, she as almost as fond of the game as Jack himself, aud many and many a time had they played it together on Sir Thomas’s pretty ground at Crampton. The letter which did Jack so much good on this particular July morning ran as follows: •‘ Dear Mr. Mylford, “ Papa wishes me to ask you if you can run down here for next week and form one of the Crampton Hall eleven in the series of matches he has arranged for his annual week. We are playing first the town here, then the Regimental Depot from Pumpton, then Raynor Park, then Sorrelbury, and on the Friday and Saturday a two day match with your old club the Wanderers. Papa says he hopes you 11 come and mike some big scores for us. I need not say that I also shall be extremely glad if you will join U3. Believe me, your3 sincerely, K \ te H iY w a rd .’ ’ Before responding to this charming invita­ tion Jack consulted his father, who, so far from upbraiding him for leaving his work, expressed himself delighted at his son’ s proposal. “ You’ve been looking seedy for some time pist, my boy," he said “ a change will do you good, and you can’t possibly have a nicer one than going to old Tom Hayward’s. I hope you’ll please him and yourself by making a lot of runs, and you'll come back to your work like a giant refreshed.” So it was set'led, and on the very next Saturday Master Jack was off to Crampton, a well-stocked cricket bag amongst his luggage. Sir Thomas and his kind wife were delighted tosee him, and so, if eyes and wcrds are to be believed, was Kate. “ I hope you’re in good form, sir,” she said playfully after the first greetings were over. “ Papa has set his heart on winning all the matches next week; haven’ t you papa? ” • j.ua .0 1 have, aud withtue players I shall have here I think we ought to do it, too,” and the old fellow waxed red with excitement and rubbed his hands in pleasurable expecta­ tion of the poming week’ s pleasure. He had been a good cricketer in his time, had Sir Thomas, and could still in spite of his five and fifty years, handle, a bat occasionally to advantage. Jack was obliged to confess that he had not played before that year and that his form therefore was entirely problematic il. Practice is essential to good cricket, as everybody knows. “ Oh, never mind, you’ll be all right enough ! ” said Sir Thomas. “ Make a century very likely, before the week’s out.” 44 I should like to,” replied Jack truthfully. For he could really imagine nothing more giatifying than to distinguish himself with Kate looking on, and for the advantage of her father’ s house. The brief perio I that intervened betweenthe hourof Jack's arrival and the time for pitching stumps on the following Monday would have been one of unalloyed pleasure for him but for one trifling circumstance. I call it trilling, for it undoubtedly was so iu reality ; but for a young fellow in love, anything which causes a rising of the green-eytd monster, Jealousy is an unpleasant., at times even an almost unendurable matter. Jack was jealou', am apparently had good reasi n lo be jealous, of another visitor to the Hall, the Squire’s godson, Stuart Ellerton, a young fellow recently from Cambridge, wheie he had only just missed his “ blue,” and the captain of Sir Thomas’s eleven for the ensuing week. He seemed on remarkably good terms with pretty Kate Hayward, and what was more, Jack perceived, or fancied he perceived, a great partiality on her part for tae society of the handsome and agreeab.e Cantab. Not that she was otherwise than kind to him self. indeed, in the course of the two mile walk home from church on Sunday, she was amiability itself, and Jack was transported to the seventh heaven of hope aud happiness. Stuait Kllerton’s star, however was in the ascendant later on, and Jack kept awake thinking bitterly of his rival for two or three hours after he had retired to rest—a bad preparation for his first appearance at the wickets. A little practice in the morning with Stuart Ellerton and a couple of the men about the Hall did not serve to restore his equanimity. He found himself even more ou& of form than he expected, and something more than want of practice seemed the matter. The fact is, as often happens with a suddeu change of all one’s conditions of living, Jacc was really not quite well and would have doue wisely to have abstained from participating in the first match, that against the town club. Such a thought, however, never crossed his mind, and he only took his place iu the field when the first pair of local batsmen went to the wickets. Nothing particular happened during the opening inuings. Jack fielded very badly, as did one or two more on the side, but he had no catches to take, luckily, and the b jwling of Stuart Ellerton was so deadly that the Town eleven were all disposed of for the paltry total of 79. On the Hall going in to bat they easily sur­ passed this score, there being one or two very capable batsmen among the Squire’s guests, besides Ellerton and Jack Mylford. The latter, to his own chagrin, but not to the surprise of those who had seen him practise in the morning, was bowled first ball, but Ellerton and tome of the rest made useful scores, and in the end the Hall total reached 212, and Sir Thomas’s first match was well won. Jack was miserably ashamed of him- elf that evening, aud was very silent and wretched. Kate cheered him up a little by some kind remarks to the effect that he “ was sure to do better to-morrow,” aud that no one could play without practice; and on the whole, perhaps,because she sympathised with his deje t?d conditi >n, she was even kinder to him than to Ellarton, though the last-named had certainly upheld the honour of the Hall in splendid fashion. On going to the wickets on the following morning, against the Soldiers from the Depot, Jack felt that he must do something respect­ able, if only to bear out the kindly prophecy of Kate Hayward overnight. Once again, though, disappointment was his portion, as, after getting a single through a bal and flaky hit, he was easily caught at cover-point from a second feeble stroke; altogether an even worse display tbao his opening one. Kate was disappointed and vexed, plainly; still, she agiin sympathised, and once more declared that Jack would do better next time. It was a small-minded sort of consola­ tion to him that on this occasion Stuart Elierton failed; and, after all, a3 it turned out, no harm was done, for the Hall team gained an easy victory, beating the Military in the hollowest possible fashion, to Sir Thomas’ s huge delight. So far the Hall siie had done splendidly, and Sir Thomas and the whole of his family were in high feather, and more than ever confident of the week of unbroken success on whioh they had set their hearts. With a view to retrieving his reputation, Jack was mo3t abstemious in participating in all the amusements pro/ided by the genial squire for his guests, and once again did kind- hearted Kate do her best, to cheer and console him. But ill-luck still do'ged his foot3tep3, and by this time ill-luck had, as it will wnen at all persistent, engendered a feeling of nervousness which did ■ot greatly strengthen Jack’s chance of breaking the spell. Anyhow, once again, in the third match, he failed dismally, scoring another duck’s egg, and missing a not very diffio lit catch at long-field. Once again, though, others came to the rescue, and for the third time Sir Tnomas was delighted with an ample victory, the itavnor Park men retiring signally defeated. That evening Jack Mylford had the morti­ fication, for the first time, of hearing his failures talked about. An I what made in the more galling, by the t vo very people h-* would lea t have ciosen, viz , Kate Hayward aid Stuart Ellerton. “ Don’ t seim to be much use, this big hitter of yours,” stid Ellertoa. 44 Sure you've got- the right man ? ’’ “ Wnat nonsenso you are talking ! ” replied Kafci, with an indignation for which •a^k fe t grateful. “ Of course we’ ve got the right mao. And what is more, he is a splendid hit'er when he’ s in practice, but ha hasn't played for ever so long.’' “ Looks to me as ii he’d never p’ ayed at all,” sneered Ellerton, whereat Jack’s bloo I b riled, and he prudently moved out of eir- shot to avoid catchiug any more compliments. But he could not esoipe the report of his misdeeds. A little la e r he heard Ellerton an I Sir Thomas conversing on the same topic. “ It’ s ail right for to-morrow,” said Bller- ton ,44we re sure to lick Sorrelbury ; but f >r the two-day match with the Wanderers we can’ t afford to run risks. The Wanderers are all good men, you know.” 44 But Mylford himself is a Wanderer,” re­ turned the Squire. “ Is he? Well, I can’t see how he became one, unless he j oined them as scorer,” said Elleiton. “ Anyhow, it would be a real good thing for us. if you could persuade him to stand out on Friday and Saturday.” Poor Jack's ears positively tingled with shame, rage, and mortification. Of course he knew that good old Sir Thomas would never, even to win the match on which he had set his heart, be so rude and inhospitable as to act on Ellerton’s suggestion, to which, iu view of all the facts, Jack could not deny a certain amount of reasonableness ; but he did not liie the notion of playing iu the Hall team aftei such a conver.satio i bet veeo its captain and their host as he had just over­ heard. Should he take the bull by the horn3 him ­ self and ask Sir Thomas to fill Lis place? What excuse could he give besides that of a failure, which he still felt he