JACK DACRE'S MATCH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 262, 11 December 1909, Page 4

JACK DACRE'S MATCH.

When Jack Dacre announced his eu gagement to Miss Gertie Standish we o' the Hemsford Cricket Club were exceedingly sorry. The idea was bad enough in the abstract, for Dacre was bv far our best bat, and matrimony as a rule unsettles

a man and gives him other things to think about. X myself, by the way, am a bachelor, or perhaps I might not have the pluck to say such things. But granting the fact that dear old Jack had to marry someone—he was the most lovable fellow X ever knew—l was particularly sorry that he hit on Miss Standish. In the first place, she didn't know the dillerence between cover-point and square-leg, and, secondly, she had the reputation of being a bit skittish, whereas Jack was the most sober, steady-going chap imaginable. From the first I had my doubts as to the success of the affair.

I Miss Standish was up here on a visit i when Jack met her, her home being 1 somewhere in Sussex—a rather big girl, "with hair just a shade or so too red, and eyes a bit too big and shining. At first it was generally understood that she was practically engaged to a lellow ii the Guards, but. Jack, who had lots ol money and one of the prettiest place* in the county, proved a greater attrac tion. She stayed here tne whole season and Jack never batted better. Then directly she had gone south and thought the danger past, the engagetuen was announced. When we learnt that the wedding habeen fixed for the first week in June, fairly groaned. For it meant that w should be deprived of <his services in tii most important fixture of the yearHemsford versus the County. We made the best of it, however, gav nim a piece of plate } and cheered him oj from the station on fche 31st of May. I hung on to his hand as the trai started. "By Jove, old chap" I said, "we sha] miss you next week!" He tried to laugh, but he was o! I viously moved.

1 "Perhaps my wife will let me come and play," he replied. I l&ughed as I waved my hat, for *we 1 knew that they were going to spend the honeymoon in Italy. Well, i, picked up the best team l could (I was captain, you know), but it was with the greatest difficulty that we could make anything of a snow. For Loxton, our fast bowler, had sprained his thumb; and little Baxter, the best man who ever stood behind a wicketor one of the best men any way—had just lost his father, and was unable to turn out. On the other hand, when the fateful day arrived we found that the County had brought nearly their best team. I won the toss, and started batting with Greenough. He and I, I suppose, in the absence of Dacre, were the two steadiest bats, and I saw that our onlv chance lay in breaking down the two fast bowlers before we were separated. But my plan did not come off, for at the second delivery Greenhough's off stump turned three or four somersaults, and lay down quietly about twenty yards to the rear, Tbe man who tol lowed made a better stand, ana tne board showed 22—1—0, when he was cleverly held at the wicket by a bal|l that came in like a flash ot greased, lightning. The next man succumbed to the first assault, and it looked as if a thorough rot was setting in. I smiled grimly. Then I turned round quickly at the sound of a ringing cheer from the pavilion. I was anxious to learn what our people could find to cheer about.

I soon saw, however, and felt inclined to cheer as loudly as any of them, for coming towards me was the well-known 'figure of Jack Dacre. He was pulling on his gloves when I first saw him, nnd his head was Dent; but wnen i went over to shake hands) and thank him lie looked up, and the words froze on my lips. There was the ghost of a smile about his mouth, but his face seemed quite grey, and his eyes had an uneart>. ly look in -them. I muttered some thing, and returned to my crease with «. cold, uncanny feeling. It was the last ball of the over, anl by the way lie played it I could see that we were in for some good cricket. 1 Three balls of the next over fell to liiin, and he placed them ail with extreme care, as though he were testing his eye. Then I he let himself go. Never before had he batted so lu 11-1 liantly, never had a losing cause been more dramatically righted. 1 soon saw that it was Jack's day, and I gave him every chance 1 could, backing mm up with. the steadiest cricket 1 ' knew. Twenty mjnutes later Jack reached his and the whole ground sent up a cheer which might have been heard a mile off,

I saw him look towards the pavilion with the same ghostly smile playing over his clean-shaven mouth, and for the B'rst time I forgot the issue at stake, and began to wonder what it all meant. Why was he there, considering that it was only two days after the date of his wedding? What had brought about the extraordinary change in him? But I soon had cause to wonder still more, for directly his century was passed the most remarkable change came over Jack's play. Hitherto his performance had been, 1 believe, absolutely without fault, but now he began slogging as wildly as though the match was nothing more than a joke. The County captain soon detected tlie cnange, and put on his last uowirrs again. Dacre treated them with no more respect than he had shown to the others, and after knocking half-a-dozen boundaries in rapid succession, more by luck than judgment, lie ran out at a straight one and was clean bowleg, There was a far-away look ajjoqt him as he walkei back, and lie look on 111s cap <|uct'| mechanically in acknowledgment of the ringing cheers which greeted nun. l was just about to follow him into the dressing-room, when the president buttonhflHed m®, and it was icn mmiues before I got away. The queer part of it was that, though I searched every cubiele, not a trace ot Jack IJacre could J find. -No one had seen him go, no oi)e seemed tq have had a chance of speaking to him. One man told me that he had heard Jack's voice raised in a wild unearthly laugh. And that was the only trace!

Now I cap see by the faces of some of you that you have jumped to th)e conclusion that Jack l)aerc had irnet jwith a tragic death, anil that it was his Ighost that played tnat day tor Hemsford. But those things only happen in Christmas numbers, The fact qf it was that Gertie StandIsli had thrown him over —bolted with the other man on the very eve of their wedding-day. Jack had made a century, just to show the world—and the woman —that lie didn't care, and then dashed over to Africa for big-game shooting.— By Tristram CruU-hley, in M.A.P.