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

stood watching me. II turned and
made tracks, he would catch me on
the hill or ON the soft crossroad. If /
took to the woods there was little
to gain, for there were no fences be-
hind which to take refuge, and IL
should climb tree / knew the beast
would demolish my wheel.
Straight ahead, however, as far as
| could see, the road was level and
good. and in the distance l saw farms
and fences. l decided to keep right on.
THE road along there is wide and
hard. as you know, and bordered with
deep ditch. l put on good speed,
and the bull, as he saw me approach.
ing, looked little puzzled. He took
the wheel and me, l presume, for some
unheard of monster. l guessed his
medltations and concluded he was get
ting frightened.
only getting in a rage He suddenly
concluded that it was his mission to
rid the world of monsters, and with a
roar he charged down to meet me.
Now thought l, for a trick, and
then a race in which 1 will show Il
pretty speedy pair Of heels" l rode
straight ut the bull, who must have
had strange misglvings, though he
never t1nched. At the last possible
moment l sweved sharply aside and
swept past the baffled animal in fine,
triumphant curve. Before he could
stop himself and turn l was away
down the road at a pace that l knew
would try his mettle.
But the brute had q most pernicious
energy. He came laundering and
pounding along my tracks at a rate
that kept me quite busy staid
ahead easily enough, but l did not do
much more than that for fear of get.
ting winded.
There's where 1 made the mistake,
l think. l ought to have done my ut
most in order to discourage and dis
tance my prusuer. l didn't allow for
contingencies ahead, but just pedaled
along gayly and enjoyed the situation.
OF course l kept Il sharp lookout in
order that l shouldn't take a header
over a stone, but l felt myself master
Of the situation.
"At last, and in an evil hour, l came
to where they had been mending the
road with all that abominable sand
Let us pass over my feelings at this
sOt. They We're indescribable. My
wheel almost came to standstill.
Then l called up fresh energies and
bent forward and strained to the task
l went ahead, but it was like wading
through feather bed, and the bull be-
gan to draw nearer.
"A little in front the fences began.
The first was a high board fence, with
Il gate in it and a hay road leading by
Il rough bridge into the highway. My
whole effort now was to make that
gate.
The perspiration was rolling down
my face, half binding me. My mighty
pursuer was getting closer and closer,
and l was feeling pretty well pumped.
1t was as much as a bargain which
would win the race. l dared not look
behind, but my anxious ears kept me
all too well informed.
II reached the bridge and darted
across it. Immediately l heard my
pursuer's feet upon it. 1 had no time
to dismount. ! rode straight at the
gate, ran upon 1t and shot over it head
first in a magnificent header, landing
in a heap Of stones and brambles.
In glow of triumph, which at first
prevented me feeling my wounds, l
picked myself up-and beheld the furi-
GUS beast in the act of trying to gore
my unoffending bicycle.
AT first he had stopped in cOnster-
nation, naturally amazed at seeing the
monster divided into two parts. The
portion which had shot over the gate
he perceived to be very like a man,
but the other part remained all the
more mysterious. Presently he plunged
his horns tentatively into the big
wheel, whereupon my brave bicycle
reared and struck him in the eye with
a handle and set the little wheel
crawling up his back.
AT this the bull was astonished and
alarmed-So much so that he backed
off little way. Then seeing that the
bicycle lay motionless on the ground
he charged upon it again, maltreating
it shamefully and tossing it up on his
horns.
This was too much for me. 1 ran
up, reached over the gate and laid
hold of my precious wheel. BY strange
good fortune l succeeded In detaching
it from the brute's horns and hauling
it over the gate. Then I pelted the
animal with sticks and stones till he
got disgusted and moved away.
LAS soon as he was safely off the
scene I opened the gate and limped
sorrowfully down to this place, drag
ging my wheel by my side. Do you
think we can do anything with it?'
THE first thing necessary" said I,
"is to have an examination and make
diagnosis of its injuries"
This we forthwith proceeded to do
and found the matter pretty serious
After spending an hour In tinkering ut
the machine we had to give up the job
Then we set forth on visit to the
village blacksmith, who, after being
RECALLED with a full account of Cald-
wells misadventure, addressed himself
to his task with vast good will.
He was q skillful man, and before
nightfall the wheel was In better trav-
elling shape than its unlucky owner.
But Caldwell was good stuff and of
merry heart, so that when on the fol-
lowing day he became our travelling
companion, we found that his scars
and his lugubriOus countenance only
heightened the effect of his good fell
lowship.-Charles G. d. Roberts.
wnen BeaIds Were taxed.
In the reign of Elizabeth every beard
of a fortnight's growth was subject to
Il tax Of IS. 4d. Peter the Great in
1905, imposed a tax upon the boards
of the Russian mobiles Of 100 rubles,
while the common peoples beard tax
amounted to one kopec. This tax
caused much dissatisfaction, but in
spite Of this the impost was extended
to ST. Petersburg in 1714. The tax