Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-12
THE CYCLE FEVER.


Shore drive For the first time since she
had overcome her family's objections to
the wheel as part of the equipment of the
modern girl Miss Roberta experienced the
exhilaration which is the reward of merit
to the persevering novice. She had gained
her point only after a series of arguments
and pleadings with each member Of her
fathers household, for Miss Roberta's
mother was of the old fashioned kind and
held on to old fashioned ideas of things in
general and her daughter Roberta in par
ticular.
Probably Miss Roberta would not have
joined tho army of cyclists had not Mrs.
Havetall's minister bought wheel and
then preached sermon on "a Sound
Mind In Sound Body" which Mrs Have
tall not only heard Sunday morning, but
read in the next days paper. Miss Ro-
berta followed up the advantage, and the
family surrendered when one morning the
minister was seen holding his wife on
wheel while instructing her in the gentle
art of maintaining her dignity and her
balance at the same time. The next day
Miss Roberta's wheel arrived.
Mrs. Havetall could not understand her
daughters insistent desire for bicycle.
Miss Roberta possessed that most woman
ly of ACCOMPLISHMENTS Her voice was
low and sweet. She had few quaint man
nerisms, which went well with the way
she wore her hair and the simple drapery
Of her gowns. Not that she was at all old
fashioned, for she was every inch wom-
an, and studied her fashion plates moro
than she read the newspapers. She was
civ fn coch o11rtoinc md Ipiline nd
when she lunched in the tea rooms of tho
dry goods stores, when shopping down
town, she only took the edge off of her
hunger by eating small dishes of salad,
minute portions of ices and slim wedges
of angel food. But she lived near Lincoln
park, and the bacilli of the bicycle fever
found her, and she fell a victim to the
epidemic. That night she shocked her
mother and surprised her father by asking
him for bicycle.
While learning to ride in the back yard
she brought out her bicycle costume, and
she wore it for the first time the afternoon
she dared to wheel in the park. 1t was as
pretty and attractive as herself. The dress
was Of dark blue serge, which fell to her
ankles. Over a skirt waist of cheviot she
wore coquettish jacket, and on her head
was scarlet Tam O'Shanter, with q
white ball in the center. She rat grace
fully in the saddle, and as her dress fell
almost to the pedals she seemed to move
without effort, for her skirt screened all
muscular exertions. Men admired her
immensely as she glided by, for she was
pretty, graceful, and, above all, womanly.
She came home all enthusiasm and spent
an hour cleaning the dust from her bicycle
and studying out its mechanism. Her ia
Their taught her how to pump the pneu-
matte tires full of wind, so as to secure the
requisite degree Of residence" and the
illustrated catalogue gave her the names
of the various parts Of the bicycles anat-
omy For month Miss Robertas Tam
O'Shanter and her blue serge dress came
almost daily to the park. She confined her
rides to a few streets around her home
and to the park, and the repetition of tho
scenes in them became monotonous. She
had become acquainted with half dozen
girls of her own age who were wheelwom-
en-, and one afternoon they made up a
party to ride out to Sheridan road. Miss
Roberta had developed some speed, but had
never tested it with the other girls. The
opportunity was offered when they were
well out on the Sheridan road. She was
challenged by one of her companions and
won the race easily.
"You will be scorcher some day"
shouted q young man who had followed
them on wheel. Miss Roberta smiled at
him as he flashed past her. She had learn
ed that bicycles develop good fellowship,
and she was often surprised to find herself
chatting with o perfect stranger, whom
she would not notice should she meet him
elsewhere than on wheel. Her friends
complimented her on her success as q
sprinter, and one of them said: My
brother told me that you had good speed.
He saw you tearing down the Lake Shore
drive the other day. But you will never
be able to become a crack rider unless you
shorten your dress or wear divided skirts. F"
"Oh, have no desire to become a fast
rider" answered Miss Roberta, giving her
head a decided shake. II enjoy wheeling,
and of course it is nice to race with you
girls out here, but 1 do not think it is
proper for women to race in public or any
thing of that sort, and she dropped be-
hind the others, so that they would not
think she had ambitions Of the "scorcher"
kind.
A week after the race Mrs. Havetall
was again shocked by her daughter, who
appeared before her with her dress several
inches shorter than before and q pair Of
yellow leather leggings over her Shoes The
Tam O'Shanter had been cast aside for a
long peaked jockey cap, and Miss Roberta
walked with saucy swing toward her
wheel.
1.-The wind catches your dress So" she
replied to her mothers exclamation Of
surprise. IAN the girls are wearing this
sort of costume. The long peak keeps til
sun out of your eyes and the wind from
your face when you sprint"
That night Miss Roberta came homo
wearing the badge Of the Cross Country
Bicycle club. 1--WE rode out to Evanston
and back again." she said as she sat down
to the supper table. II led all the way.
Not one of the girls could keep up with
me, and some Of the men had hard work
to pace me. I'm no scorcher, but I'd have
to start from scratch if 1 raced any of the
girls, sure"
Mrs. Havetall was speechless for time.
She gazed blankly at her daughter, whose
hair was half way down her back and
whose face was as brown as berry.
"MenP she finally gasped. Roberta
Havetall, what men do you meanH
"Why, the men of the Cross Countries"
said Miss Roberta. IT am a member Of
that club"
but where did you become acquainted
with them?"
10 nj hn