Apostate

U. S. linkswomen lost their breath. It was taken from them by Mary K. Browne, of Los Angeles Country Club. In 1912, 1913 and 1914, Miss Browne had U. S. tennis women breathless with her mistressful national title play. But, having conquered the tennis world, Miss Browne did not, like Alexander, sit weeping. She turned her hand to golf and last week all but conquered another world.

Little was said when Miss Browne qualified for her first national golf championship with a 96 (rather high) over the Rhode Island Country Club links at Providence, R. I. Eyebrows went up when she eliminated Louise Fordyce, Ohio State champion, in the second round. Eyebrows went higher, exclamations were heard, when she entered the semi-finals at the expense of Bernice Wall, of Oshkosh, Wis. When she carried Glenna Collett, ex-champion, to the 18th hole, squared her match with a deadly spoon-shot through trees, won at the 19th with a 15-foot caromed (lucky) putt, then jaws dropped, gasps were heard, tongues wagged long and loud. Such prowess in a comparative novice was unheard of. In the final, against seasoned Mrs. Dorothy Campbell Hurd, of Philadelphia, twice before champion (1909-10), Miss Browne "cracked." On a soggy course, she sliced with her brassie, lopped her irons. Tourna ment nerve had pulled her through thus far, but Mrs. Hurd had tourna ment nerve, too,* and a sounder game than the tennis apostate had had time to develop. Mrs. Hurd romped off 7-and-6 with the title. Even so, Miss Browne's glory was inviolate. Edith Cummings, of Chicago, de fending champion, faded early from the scene, a vendetta victim. In the second round she ran across young Miriam Burns, of Kansas City, whose ptomaine gripes during the finals of the Western championship last month had let her in for a 12-and-11 humiliation at Aliss Cummings' hands. Miriam Burns teed off this time with health on her side, with a determination to be revenged, with a caddy who rivalled Miss Cummings' faithful Joe Horgan for sagacity and devotion. Ding-Miriam, dong-Edith. All square at the 18th. All square at the 19th, at the 20th. On the 21st, with Miss Cummings down in 5, Miss Burns' fourth shot hung at the cup-lip, toppled in.

*In 1909, she accomplished the feat, still unique, of winning the U. S., Canadian and British titles all in one summer.