Salm

In white flannel trouserings, shirted with linen, shod with spikes, a tall, tanned, hirsute nobleman bounded about a tennis court in Vienna. He was Count Ludwig Salm-Hoogstraten, playing K. A. Meldon of Ireland in the Davis Cup Tournament. Undaunted by losing the first two sets, 8-10, 4-6, the Count stroked his ball with reckless brilliance, accompanying every stroke with a volley of rough pleasantries. When Herr Quidenius, President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, arrived, late, flustered, to take his seat, the Count implored him to leave. "Why must you come to spoil my luck?" he yelled. Herr Quidenius blushed. The gallery guffawed. Player Meldon, sensing the humor of the situation, lost his morale, the next three sets, the match.