The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-09-10
FROM OUR BICYCLE CORRESPOND.
ENT.
WHERE HE Is, WHAT HE Is DOING, AND THE
PLACES VISITED OVER THE CULVER.
ING WHEEL.

Inc above is the expression that lett my
Ups as turned my back upon the old.time
friends on Tuesday of last week and start.
Ell Tor the Pacific coast, on my Columbia
bicycle, mounted a la clothes-pin. did
not Thank Heaven because was leaving
and might return to these friends minus a
scalp, or worse, might never return at all.
No, that was not the idea. | returned
thanks because | was at last leaving behind
me many thousand queries per day, such
as, how are you going to get over noun
tainsP what will you do when you find
the roads impassablep DO you really
think you will ever get there2' Don't you
think you are crazy to undertake such a
trpF 'How are you going to cross rivers,
and so forth, and so forth and so on, until
| was ready to how'll:
lam not mad bat soon shall be.
left Danvile, ILL.,, more than two weeks
since, but stopped at Kansas, H., fifty
miles south of the above named city for Il
visit among friends and further practice on
the wheel, Just as | was ready for my
start, the rains descended and the floods
came, and the roads, never exceedingly
good in Illinois, got all broke up, so to
speak. But WAS told it had rained little
farther west, and SO | started 'onyhow. .
But | have failed to reach that part of the
west yet where it has not rained, and am
now more than two hundred miles from
my starting point, although much farther
north than west. From Nation to little
west of Decatur the roads were perfectly
horrible. From Lincoln to Peoria the
roads were moderately good in places, and
in places were more than moderately bad.
At Peoria the streets were not in the best
condition for the pleasures of wheeling, but
| found two or three streets on which quite
long, smooth runs could be made, one Of
them leading to a beautiful park outside
the city, where numerous sign boards for
babe the delighted visitor to kick up his
heels and have a good time
Peoria is good town and seems to be
quite business point, even outside of its
whisky interests, which was told are i'm
mense While in this beautiful city, met
several of the Peoria Bicycle Club, who did
all they could to make my short stay pleas
ant. Secretary II. G. Rouse got
out his elegant Expert Col
umbis, and together we took in
the interesting features of the city. The
Peoria bicycle club was organized in 1881,
has now fourteen members and all are
well practiced and provided with fine ma.
chimes from Peoria to this business like
little city, Princeton Ill.,, the roads were
very bad At Tiskilwa stop was made
for a short rest and shave, for was be-
ginning to look like the historic parsonage
who came from the land where they have
no razers. Here asked the best road to
Princeton, and was shown what was pur-
ported TO be "A t. | mounted my rubber
shod horse, end the distance being told
me as seven-and-a-halt miles, was Of the
humble opinion that it could be made in
less than forty minutes by little extra ex.
ertiOn if the way was little rough For
a mile or two all went merry as a mar.
rage bell, but at the end Of this the grav.
ell gave out and found myself houndenng
along on the mudlest road had ever struck
| bltted bravely ahead and never said a
single swear until came to big hill,
just recently worked and about i've inches
deep in mud. dismount here had to be
made and for the next three miles foot pas.
sage was the order Of march, during which
met numerous fellow mortals riding in
buggies and wagons drawn YEARLY along
by discouraged looking horses, whose
drivers never failed to ask me why I did
not ride instead Of leading my machine.
Over two hours were occupied in getting
into Princeton instead of less than forty
minutes, the worse timo that | had ever
made; and had to stop half mile from
town and borrow water to wash of my
machine, and brushes to clean up my uni
form so could enter the place in aetylc
becoming the great profession OF Journal
ism. Although | didn't look as pretty as
Il newly ironed shirt bosom, flattered my
self looked moderately decent, except my
left jaw, which has insisted on raising to
awful boils upon it since my start, but
which have always endeavered to keep
turned away from the crowd. | will re-
main in Princeton yet two or three days,
| and then, as the sun is out once more and
the roads are drying up, continue my way
in the path Of the Star of Empire will
take an off shoot to-day to IIenncpin, coun.
| ty seat of rutrum, fifteen miles north east of