FIRST BALL.]

[Illustration: MAKES THE CROWD LAUGH.]

A. G. Steel declares that the secret of Dr. Grace's phenomenal success
against young batsmen is the terror inspired by the sight of his beard.
Batsmen meeting the champion for the first time see an enormous man,
with a great black beard waving in the breeze, rushing up to the
wickets. They expect something quite different from the gently lobbed-up
ball which this black-bearded giant delivers; before they can recover
from the shock of surprise they find themselves clean bowled.

But W. G.'s beard does something more than frighten young cricketers. As
Maurice Read says, "it talks to you." Other human beings wag their
heads; Grace wags his beard when things are going wrong. It is even said
that, with a team that knows him, he can indicate to the fieldsmen to
change their positions by merely moving his beard.

[Illustration: WAITING FOR ANOTHER.]

There are dozens of persons all over the country who pose as cricket
authorities on the strength of having once watched the champion
practising at the nets. At a cricket match in a small Welsh town one of
these gentlemen was acting as umpire, and could not agree with his
fellow umpire as to whether a certain batsman was run out.

The argument waxed very fierce, until the umpire of the visiting team
called out--

"What do you know about cricket? You 'aven't shook 'ands with Lord
Hawke, 'ave yer?"

"No."

"Well, I 'ave," triumphantly declared the other, as the crowd dispersed.

And the batsman was declared out.

[Illustration: "Ranji" A STUDY IN CURVES.]

[Illustrations]

FAMOUS LONDON DOOR-KNOCKERS

What souvenir of a great man can compete with the knocker of his door? A
door-knocker is to a man's house what a sign is to a shop or tavern; but
it is also something more. Take, for instance, the knocker on the door
of the official residence of the Prime Minister, No. 10, Downing Street.
No less a person than Lord Beaconsfield once described to a friend this
particular knocker as having a marked resemblance to the features of his
political opponent, Mr. Gladstone. There is no knocker in existence, we
may fairly state, that has been handled by so many distinguished people
as this one. If only the friends of Mr. Gladstone were enumerated, they
would make up a long list of illustrious names, and many Prime Ministers
have resided at the unpretentious, old-fashioned mansion so conveniently
situated for the Hous