Disclaimer: I own nothing except this current gender bender for Frances and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
A Woman's Game Chapter 1
Brookline, Massachusetts 1900:
A herd of sheep was grazing peacefully in the grass that is until an unknown projectile flew into their center. This caused them all to run off frightened.
From around the neighboring trees came a golfer and his caddy. The projectile turned out to be a golf ball from them. The ball was hit off course leaving them to go through the necessity of retrieving it in order to actually continue. The ball missed its mark just a few yards away from the desired hole meaning there was still a long way to go.
The golfer Mr. Wallis and his caddy Francis Ouimet searched separately for the ball to cover further ground that way. Behind Mr. Wallis, young seven-year-old Francis located the ball first.
"Here it is, sir," she said.
To the dismay of Mr. Wallis the golf ball wasn't in a beneficial position. When he looked her way Francis instantly turned averting her gaze and catching the familiar gesture. The moment she did Mr. Wallis kicked the ball into a better spot after checking to make sure no one was watching his action. This provided an easier light of sight to the hole.
After Mr. Wallis tracked the gold ball with his eyes to where it landed he'd barely gone two steps when a squishing noise was heard causing him to freeze. With all the sheep standing around, there was one possible thing it could be. That's right it was sheep poop.
Francis grinned at his back concealing her amusement behind a smile.
Mr. Wallis was scrapping the poop off the sole of his shoe with his club in vain. Since it was her job to handle this Francis took the club when he held it out to her cleaning it with a towel.
Slipping the club into the man's golf back with the others something white in the grass caught her interest. Now being on a golf course it wasn't uncommon for golfers to lose track of their balls. Most were recovered, but others were lost. Francis found one that the owner simply gave up or couldn't be bothered to get it in the first place.
Picking it up Francis saw the label Vardon Flyer painted on it. It was the name of this brand of gold ball. The name Vardon was familiar to her in a sense. She recognized it as belonging to a famous golfer from across the ocean in Europe his full name was Harry Vardon. He was a champion.
"Come on! Let's go," called Mr. Wallis, seeing her lagging behind, impatient.
Francis ran to make ground putting the ball in her pocket.
When Francis obtained a small bit of time to herself she went to where she knew a picture of Harry Vardon was hanging. Inside a large building resembling a shed connected to the stables. In fact it used to be part of it until it was converted into the workshop for the Club Caddiemaster. He was in charge of all the caddies working for the Country Club.
At his workstation, the Caddiemaster was expertly carving a new club out of wood. On a shelf inside was a framed photograph of Harry Vardon. On it was written Harry Vardon, Three Time British Open Champion.
Holding the ball with the champion's name in her hand Francis stared at the picture in awe and wonder lost in her own little world.
That is until the Caddiemaster noticed Francis lingering in the window of his doorway. Gasping at being caught where she shouldn't Francis gasped running off before she was reprimanded.
The Caddiemaster looked in the line of sight she'd had to see the child's interest was locked onto the Harry Vardon picture.
Francis ran stopping when she got to the opposite side of the stables believing her to be safe. In the paddock, a couple of kids were undergoing their riding lessons. Two of them were the children of the man she'd been caddying for earlier.
"That's it. Sit up straight, Sarah," said the Riding Instructor. "Lightly on the reins. There." Handling the reins of her horse Sarah saw Francis on the other side of the fence. She smiled waving at her a friendly gesture Francis mirrored.
Despite being in different social classes these two girls ran into each other once in a while at the Country Club. They could not truly call each other friends just yet but were good acquaintances.
Beside Sarah, mounted on another horse was her brother. Shifting her eyes in his direction Francis watched, but didn't do anything major to attract his attention. Unlike Sarah, Freddie wasn't nearly as a kid. In fact, he was downright mean some days. When Freddie did notice her Francis instantly walked away blushing at the contact. Knowing an inclination they didn't Sarah giggled behind her hand.
At dinner in her home that night Francis had an important lesson taught by her father Arthur Ouimet. As the eldest child in the family, Francis worked to help support her family when she wasn't in school. Hard work meant a great deal to her father so he made a point to imprint it on all of his children especially her.
Arthur had in his possession a glass jar where put kept his earnings instead of saving it in a bank for the family's use. Now it was her turn.
"This is how we do it, Francis," said Arthur, taking the lid of the jar off. Taking the money he earned for the week out of his vest pocket he slipped it inside with the money already there. "We work hard and we bring all the money home."
"Work hard. Bring home the money," repeated Francis, adding her own few coins from her caddy job into the jar.
Arthur aimed a proud glace at his wife Mary who was washing the dishes. Arthur gently stroked her daughter's hair while she continued eating her supper.
When it was an hour when everyone else was asleep Francis was wide awake reading by the light of a gas lamp next to her bed. N her hand was the Vardon Flyer ball she'd found that day.
Francis set the ball on top of a tiny empty glass bottle. The book forgotten she sat there for a while doing nothing else but gazing at it lost in thought.
Authors Note:
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.