Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-10-07
BULL AND BICYCLE.

BULL AND BICYCLE.
In the early autumn of 1892, g, and
| were riding our good wheels through
Eyangcline's land. We were rolling
lazily along a well-kept, Level hisn-
way and blessing the efficient road-
makers of Nova Scotia. Ahead OF us,
across a wide, flashing water, the stor-
led expanse of Minas, lowered the
blue-black bastion Of Cape Blomidon,
capped with rolling vapors. 10 our
left and behind us rose falr, rouhueu
hills, some thickly wooded, others with
orchards and meadows on their slopes,
while to our right lay far unrolled
those rich diked lands which the van
iShcd Acadian farmers OF old won DacK
from the sea.
Though another race now held these
lovely regions, we felt that the land
scape, through whatever vicissitudes,
must lie changelessly under the spell
of one enchantment, the touch OF the
beloved poet. We felt that something
more than mere beauty Of scene, how
ever wonderful, was needed to explain
the exalted mood which had taken pos
session of two hungry and athletic
wheelmen like ourselves, and we ac-
knowledged that additional something
in the romance Of history and song.
Presently we came to stretch of
road which had been treated to a gen
erous top dressing of loose sand. Such
ignorance of the principles of good
roadmaking soon brought us down
both from our lofty mood and from
our laboring wheels. We trudged toll
somely for nearly half mile, saying
unkind things now Of the Nova Scotian
roadmakers and quite forgetting the
melodious sorrows of the Acadian eX-
lies
Then we came to the village of Port
Avon and We're much solaced by the
sight of the village inn.
In the porch of the unpretentious
hostelry we found fellow cycler in
a sorely battered condition. Several
strips of cOurt-plaster, black and pink,
distributed artistically about his fore
head, nose and chin, gave nightly
groteSque appearance to his otherwise
melancholy cOuntenance. One of his
ankle, and he was busy applying ar
MICA to badly bruised shin.
Against the bench on which he was
sitting leaned a bicycle which looked
as if it had been in collision with an
earthquake.
The poor fellows woebegone countc-
nance frightened up as we entered,
and we made ourselves acquainted. He
was a solitary tourist from Eastport,
Me-, and principal in the important
case of Bull versus Bicycle, which had
just been decided very much in the
favor Of Bull. We dined together, and
as our appetites diminished our curios-
ity increased.
Presently Caldwell, as the woebe-
gone cyclist called himself, detailed to
us his misadventure as follows:
1T wasn't more than an hour before
you fellows came that l got here my
self. l was in nice mess, l can tell
you, but plenty of cold water and Mrs.
BriggS'S arnica and court-plaSter have
pulled me together a lot l only hope
we can do as much after dinner for
that poor old wheel Of mine!
This morning l had a fine trip pref
ty nearly all the way from Hanston.
Splendid weather, wasn't it? and Il
good, hard road most Of the way, eh?
You remember that long, smooth hill
about two miles back from here and
the road that crosses it at the fort
nearly at right angles? Well, as I
came cOaSting down that hill, happy
as clam, my feet over the handles.
l almost ran into party of men with
ropes and gun, moving along that
crOSSrOad.
Il stopped for a little talk with them
and asked what they We're up to. 1t
appeared that a very dangerous bull
had got loose from farm up the river
and had taken to the road. They were
afraid it would gore somebody before
they could recapture it. l asked them
If they knew which way it had gone,
and they told me the 'critter' was sure
to make right for the dixie lands where
1t used to pasture in its earlier and
more amiable days.
That crosSrOad was the way to the
dikes, and they pursued it confidently.
l took it into my head that it would
be lark to go along with them and
see the capture Of the Obstreperous
animal, but the men, who were intelli-
gent fellows and knew what they We're
talking about, told me l should find
the road too heavy and rough for my
wheel. Rather reluctantly 1 bade
them good-morning and continued my
journey by the highway.
->OW, as ldCl, Dull uuu HO
notion of going to the dikes. He had
turned off. the crossroad and sauntered
along the highway, just where he could
get most fun and see the most of life.
But I'll venture to say he hadn't count
ed on meeting bicycle.
Il hadn't gone more than half a
mile, or perhaps less, when little dis
tance ahead of me 1 noticed some cat
tie feeding by the roadside. l thought
nothing of that of course, but present
ly one of the cattle-a tremendous ami
nal, almost pure white-stepped into
the middle of the road and began to
paw the mud. Certain anxious Ques-
tiOningS arose within me.
Then the animal put his great head
to the earth and uttered mighty
below. With much perturbation OF
spirit l concluded that the angry bull
had not betaken himself to the dkcS
after all.
Il felt very bitter towards those men
for this mistake and for not having
suffered me to go along with them on
their futile errand. They wanted the
bull and wouldn't find him. 1, on the
other hand, had found him, and
didn't want him at all.
~ checked my course, pedaling very
slowly. uncertain what to do. The bull