Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-04-19
Our Young Folks.
BOD'S WONDERFUL BICYCLE.

sBOB'!S WONDERFUL BICYCLE.
Dob Burns was boy with a wonderful mind
For cogs. cranks and levers. and every kind
Of machine. from dollar toy-engine to those
That rush through the depot and shrek
through the nose +.E
And. indeed, lit was plain
To person that sane
That the boy was genius, and bound to attain
To something uncommon" said Aunt Betsy
Jane.
And for one don't blame her, for Bob surely
Quite clever with jack-knives, and gimlets, and
- saws, . .-r .t.
And constructed such marvels, the neighbors
Enough to turn any ambitious boys head.
SO Bob came at last to consider that he
Was about as ingenious as mortal could be.
One day there arose tremendous sensation
IN Z. his little town, Der queer combination
master. Michael,
Lnformed ail~who asked him was called a
Perehed high in the seat, ~..t.
Just by working his feet, ri & g. &C..
A man gayly rode up and down through the
street, 81
And the boys said: How jolly The girls
said: How sweet" rs
Bob studied that bicycle day after day,
Played hockey from school, and caught
.s . dare say 3d.. .-.- ..-.- ...s-.f tsef .-+Ia
You knOp what he caught-sonething warm,
anyway. ....- ... -.
"+' t At last, this delEded 60 .f.
s2f Young fellow concluded - -.-
This new-fangled notion he knew all about,
And could make one himself that would beat
i all out. e. -. .l...... azft III ts
An old baby-carriage he found in the attic.
Quite stiff in the joints perhaps twas rheu-
matic), .tI.
And so rusty it whcezed in a manner asth-
b.. nlutic. .s- 5-..,. s....,s .r,i SIC 1920
This furnished the wheels, big and little; the
The bolts bars and serews-with commend
He begged and he borrowed, north south, east
and west. go.
s.! And then what a chatter. s..
.it-. it, Clnk. ciank, hammer, batter. -..r
Till the neighbors all thought what on earth
-. is the matter? ........,..
But Bob worked away with grin and a
~" chuckle, '~t t,t'
He barked his poor sliins, and he bruised
Ht.' every knuckle. ~
.-fi ..a.. -- His nose, .. ..-. ..
... .: Aud Stubbed ..-.....
His toes,
And how many other things, goodness knows,
Till at last, with 4 final hammer and clink,
(" There's now" he muttered, " she'll do, i
Think. t..-tIy
And it was. assure you. no common affair,
But was bound, as he said, to make most peo-
pie stare .-.t
For it ran, not by treadles as those you may
t.t see, --'.sI-. .fE.. ...t.
But by Il huge spring that was wound with a
So that all you need do, if you wished for a
Was to pun on the throttle and off you would
glide. ~ ...
His parents, his brothers, and sisters, and
neighbOrS,
And wisely expounded how much it surpassed
All others created, from first unto last
The news and the wonder spread fast, and his
fame -. f,f ... -...
Grew wider and wider The people all came
BY scores and by hundreds to witness him try
And one wealthy gent eman offered to buy it
AT whatever price; but he proudly refused.
And mounted the seat to show how it was
The spring had been wound up as close as a
And all crowded round as he pulled on the
throttle.
"' whiz! whr!
g. .# .f What stir! ~ '.E L
b.. i-l How excited they were,
As he dashed through the crowd like shaft
Ran over two dogs, hit a fat man blow -...t
That knocked him Il distance of ten feet, l
FL Still faster and faster
Like news of disaster,
He sped through the town and was soon out
Unable to stop, and in terrible fright.
The trees skipped behind at d dizzyine pace,
The fences ON each side seemed running
Up hill and down dale, ,1.--
-s With the speed of Il gale,
He wEizzed DER the road with flap of coat
tail
Streaming out from behind, and his face
scared and pale. q ta f..f,.t.
The dogs tried TO catch him, the women
The n meil 4oiieSea after him with many
shout.
Farmer Jones two horses ran madly away.
Though every one says they get nothing but
f...1 hay. .s-r.. .-, In. ...
Thus. mile after mile, at the same rapid gait,
He dashed and he splashcd, with his hair
% standing straight, -'
And his eyes as big us fists, and the mud fy-
ing fast, 49, .. .f.-....
And the tears falling thick as the rain, till at
last .-. ....
With terrible shock r....
He struck big rock,
Was thrown from his seat, sir. and straight as
Was shot through the window right into the
.4. school '..r1 .... .-I
The poor little scholars all started with
fright, ''"
For never before had they seen such Il sight:
But the master, with wonderful presence Of
Remarked. as he quietly meuded pen:
Master Bob. when you enter the school-room
Come il at the door, sir! and lest you should
Your delicate breath, enter not in such
HASTE ."E-.- t.- ''"t.'
. The bicycle? Oh! -rs
1t split into hundreds of pieces, You know.
And each of the pieces is whirling away
In the parks on the roads, and the meadows
to-day, '- 81
AS this or that bicycle, patent applied for.
Though can't imagine what boys like to ride
....,. Il. j. Wheeler, in st. Ntcholos.