Olympian Nights

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: V The Olympian Links HERE," said Adonis, as he put the finishing touch to my costume. " You look like a champion. Do you play golf, sir?" "There's a difference of opinion about that, Adonis," I replied, my mind reverting to the number of handicap matches I hadn't won. "Some people who have observed my game say I don't. Have you links here?" " Have we links?" he cried. " Well, rather. They're said to be the best in the universe." "And are they handy?" "Veryin the season." "I don't quite catch the idea," I said. "Oh, sometimes the course is nearer than it is at others. Come here a minute," he said, "and I'll point it out to you." He drew me to the wonderful window of which I have already spoken, and through the powerful glass pointed in the direction of Mars. "See that?" he said. " Yes," I replied. " That is Mars." "Exactly," said Adonis. "Mars is the Olympian links. His distance from here varies, as you are probably aware. When Mars is near aphelion he is 61,800,000 miles away, but in his perihelion he gets it down to 33,800,000. That's why we have our golf season while Mars is in his perihelion. It saves us 28,000, ooo miles in getting there." I laughed. " You call that handy, do you?" I said. "Why not?" he asked. "It's a matter of five minutes on a bike, ten minutes in the automobile, and twenty minutes if you walk." "Of course, Adonis," said I, "I'm not so green as to swallow all that. How the dickens can you walk through space?" "You're vastly greener than you think you are," he retorted, rather uncivilly, perhaps, for a valet, but I paid no attention to that, preferring to take him, despite his menial capacity, in his godlike personality. "I might even say, sir, that your greenness is spacious. You judge us from your own mean, limit...