JACK DARCE’S MATCH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2657, 12 November 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

JACK DARCE’S MATCH.

(By TRISTRAM CRUTCHLEY, in s “M.A.P.”) When Jack Darce announced his engagement to Mias Gertie Standish we, oi : the Homs ford Cricket Qlub, were ex-, coedin" perry. The idea was bad enough in the abstract, for Darce was uy far cur best bat, and matrimony as .a rule, unsettles a man and gives him other things to think about. I 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 many someone —he was the most loveable fellow I ever knew—l was particularly sorry that he hit on Miss Standish. In the first place, she didn’t know the difference between cov-er-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. Miss Standish was up here on a visit when Jack met her, her homo being somewhere in Sussex —a rather big girl, with hair just a shade or so too red, and eyes too big and shining. At first it was generally understood that she was practically engaged to a fellow in the Guards/bub Jack, who had lots of money, and one of the prettiest places in the country, proved a greater attraction. She stayed here the whole season, and Jack never batted better. Then, directly she had gone south, and 1 thought the danger past, the engage ment was announced. When we learnt that the wedding had been fixed for the first week in June, I fairly groaned. For it meant that we should be deprived of his services in the most important fixture of the year —Hcmsford versus the County. We made the best of it, however, gave him a piece of plate, and cheered him off from the station on the 31st. of May. I hung to his hand as the train started. “By jove, old chap,” I said, "we shall miss you next week!” He tried to laugh, but he was obviously moved. ‘■'Perhaps my wife will let me come and play,” he replied. I laughed as I waved my hat, for I knew Hint they were going to spend the honeymoon in Italy. Well, I picked up the best team I could (I was captain, you Know), hut it was with the greatest difficulty that we could make anything of a show. For Lexton, our fast howler, had sprained his thumb," and little Baxter, the best man who over stood behind a wicket —or one of the best men, anyway—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 Greenhough. He and I, I suppose, in the absence of Darce, were the two steadiest bats, and I saw that our only chance lay in breaking down the two fast bowlers before we were separated.. But my plan did not come off, for gt the second delivery Greonhouglrs olf stump turned three or four somersaults, and lay down quietly about twenty yards to the rear. The man who followed made a better stand, and the hoard showed 221 —0, when he was cleverly held at the wicket by a ball that came in like a flash of greased lightning. Tne next man succumbed to the first assault, and it looked as though a thorough rot was setting in. I smiled grimly. Then turned round quickly at the sound of a ringing caeer 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 wellknown figure of Jack Darce. He was pulling on his g.oves when I first saw nim, and his head was bent; but when f went over to shake hands and thank him he 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 eves had an unearthly look in them. I muttered something, and I returned to my crease with a cold, uncanny feeling. It was the last ball of the over and by the way lie- played it I could see that we were in for some good cricket. Three of the balls of the next over fell to him, and he placed them all with extreme care, as though he was testing his Then lie let himself go. Never before had he batted so brilliantly, never had a losing cause been more dramatically righted. I soon saw that it was Jack’s day, and I gave him every chance I could, hacking him up with the steadiest cricket I knew. Twenty minutes later Jack reached his century, and the whole ground sent- np a cheer, which might have been heard a mile off. I saw him look towards, the pavilion with the ghostly smile playing over his clean-shaven mouthy and for t-lw first time I forgot the issue at stake, and began to wonder what it all meant. "Why was lie 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, I 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 the change, and put oil his fast bowlers again. Darce treated them with no more respect tlia.n lie had shown to the others, and after knocking a half-a-dozen boundaries in rapid succession, more by luck than judgment, lie rail out at a straight- one and was clean-

bowled. There was a far-away look about him as he walked -mck, and he took off his cap quite mechanically in acknowledgement, of the ringing cheers vhich greeted him. 1 was just about to allow him into the dressing-room when die President button-bob d me, and was ton 'minutes before I got away. The queer part of it was that, though I (searched every cubicle, not a trace of Jack Darce could I find. one had seen him go. No one ecemed to have had a chance of speaking to him. One man told me that lie had heard Jack’s voice raised in a wild unearthly laugh. And that was the only trace of him. Now I can see by the faces of some of you that you have jumped to the conclusion that Jack t/arce had met with a tragic death, and that it was his ghost that played that day for Hemsford. But- those things only happen in Christmas numbers. The fact of ib was that Gertie Standish had thrown him over—bolted the other man on the very eve of their wedding-day. Jack had made a century, just to shew the world—and the woman—that he didn’t care, and then he dashed over to Africa for big-game shooting.