Upon arrival to my 2 o'clock court time, I was quite alarmed to find a rowdy gathering of the National Assembly. I don't recall them reserving the court, and checked the reservation book to make sure. Well now I was truly perturbed. Not only did they not have the court reserved and weren't playing tennis, but they had resolved not to adjourn until they had established a constitution for the kingdom.
With racket slung over shoulder, sporting my newest knickers, and the National Assembly finally retreated from the court, I struck out to enjoy a game of tennis. Yet as I was approaching the Bastille, I was suddenly apprehended, apparently by an unruly peasant desirous of my racket. Pursuing the thief around the corner, I stumbled upon an angry mob, my tennis racket forever sacrificed to yet another political movement. Foiled again.
Abandoning all hopes of a peaceful spot of tennis in the city, I decide to retreat to the country to my dear friend, Mary Antoinette at Versailles. However, I guess Mary had planned some sort of tea and "cake" party. My entrance to the palace gates was blocked by the myriad of Mary's female acquaintances. Oddly enough, they weren't the upper crust that I was accustomed to encountering at the stately grounds. Frazzled and at my wit's end, I decided to give up on the whole idea of tennis and join the mob. Vive la France!
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Amy Pogue and Patrick Lynch at Miami University of Ohio.