Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-08-16
A BICYCLE GHOST.

the fire in the comfortable inn of Point-y
Pridd, in North Wales Their talk was of
thrilling experiences ON the wheel and
just as the interest was beginning to flag
Tom Bodkin asked If any one of the COM
pany had ever seen ghost upon a bicycle.
Nearly all of them laughed at the idea.
Don't laugh, gentlemen" said Bodkin
quietly, II saw one"
"The thing happened in this way. To
begin at the beginning Dick Naggs and
myself were running neck and neck for a
dear little girl whom | shall call Sophie
Byles.
Sophie was a tormenting little witch
She flirted with both Of us in thoroughly
impartial way, and if either Of us at
tempted any Of those foolish remonstrances
that fellows desperately in love win some
times venture on in such provoking cir
cumstances, she would only toss her dainty
little head and, elevating her slightly
retrousse nose, shrug her shoulders dis
dainfully and say, Please don't speak to
me any more Tom'-or Dick, as the case
might be.
Now Dick and /, strange to say, were
the best of friends, although we were the
best of rivals. We had been chums for
several years, lodging in the same digs
and getting on together capitally.
when we discovered that we were both
hopelessly gone over Sophie we had long
talk over the matter, and the upshot of it
was that we shook hands over fair agree
ment TO 20 in for her, each of US, fairly
and squarely, and let the best man win,
neither taking any mean advantage of the
other.
Things went ON very nicely under this
oh =,
months. | often met Dick riding back
after visiting Sophie at her suburban cot
tage near Stepaside, and he as often met
me, but no oftener, for it was in the bond
that such visits should be exactly equal in
number.
I'VE always laughed good humoredly at
each other when we met thus, chaffed
each other about our prospects of success
and went off and had drink; so you see
we were honorable chums.
For some months we led this sort of
life, and nothing could possibly be more
satisfactory TO either Dick or me-unless
either of us would take himself forever to
Jericho, out of the others way But as
this was a very remote contingency in
deed, we accepted the situation in a spirit
of beatifc cheerfulness and made the best
we could Of il.
Sophie had only one relative living
but that was quite a sufficient number.
1t was her father-and he was terror.
Among the virtues Mr.. Byles rejoiced
inland they were too numerous to partic-
ularize-was that of rigid honesty He
had never got into debt to the extent of a
penny in his life, he used to boast and he
detested people who did.
1.-THE old man seemed to have an impair
tial sort of liking for both Dick and me.
He didn't object to our paying our adj
dresses to his daughter, but seemed to be
trying, like ourselves, to find out which of
us she liked best-perhaps with equal I'M
success. At any rate, he always met us
civilly, and chatted to us in his own dry
way on such interesting topics as the
weather and the crops, the stock and share
markets and the like.
"Dick and myself were then in the en-
joyment of a modest income each-quite
enough for him, for he was not of an ex-
travagant turn; but hardly enough for
me, for my tastes were more luxurious
However, financial matters are not in
Dicks case, any more than my own, ever
thought of for a moment in connection
with our mutually dear Sophie. We would
have taken her without penny, but we
knew very well she wouldn't come SO
whenever she made up her mind.
zone evening | met Dick riding back
from Stepaside, after one of his regulation
visits, as / was going out to take his place.
He jumped off his bicycle and came over
to me in a state of great perturbation.
"'Tom, said he, Pm in great trouble,
old fellow. have TO go away for fort
night There's a maiden aunt of mine
very i'll over in H0mburg, and she wants
to see me-
- don't see why you should, my boy,
replied; neither DO | perceive why you
should be so dreadfully agitated. You're
lucky dog 50 you are-eoming in for a
fortune
Don't see it' he cried, opening his eyes
in establishment. What is Sophie to do in
my absenceY
Don't trouble your head about that, !
answered. She'll get along just as usual,
Pm sure
"'But you-you won't surely take any
advantage Of my absence, Tom2 If 1 had
your promise on that I'd feel quite re-
lieved.'
"'Well, that's rather hard Dick, | re-
turned. i don't see why my arrangements
should be affected by your maiden aunt's
proceedings The old lady is not going to
make me her LeIf.
"'But don't you see, Tom, that my alb
sence would be giving you an unfair adj
vantage? You're too honorable fellow, l
know, to avail yourself Of it,
look here, Dick said at length,
after he had gone on in this strain for
awhile, I'll go this far to oblige you. III
not come out here again for fortnight
If you're back by that time, well and good
If you're not, the bargain is at an end.
"'Do you give me your word on that,
Tom,' he asked, Frightening up.
az do, returned; you may haunt me
when you die II break it. Now be off.
ave shook hands and parted, and when
saw our beloved Sophie informed her
of the arrangement agreed upon. She