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


Elgin road race She's almighty pretty
and I'll back her to win, for she's a hum
mer and no mistake"
1t was arranged that Miss Roberta
should wear the colors of the Cross Coun-
tries at a little road race which was to
come off the next week, and Miss Roberta
did not say mo" when SD was asked to
enter the race
Mrs. Havetall saw but little Of her
daughter that week, for when Roberta
was not locked in her room she was out on
her wheel and always came homo hot, di-
sheveled and dusty. The day of the race
she left the house early, carrying bulky
package.
Four young women made the race, and
| Miss Roberta Havetall, in wide, baggy
boomers, carried the cherry and yellow Of
the Cross Countries across the line 100
yards in advance. She was lifted from the
saddle and overcome by the enthusiasm
, of the moment gave tho clubs yell with
vigor as she was carried around on the
shoulders of the jubilant members Of the
club.
The next morning her father read in the
papers that Bob Havetall of the Cross
Countries had broken the record for wom-
| en- in the 10 milo road race. His daugh-
ter, worn out was still in bed when he
went to business. He had noticed great
change coming over her. He took the pa
! per with him, for he did not want his wife
to see the account of Bob Havetall's tri-
umph.
Mrs. Havetall had become accustomed
| to boomers, because they had suddenly
grown common, and she felt that her
daughter would soon appear in pair Of
them. When Miss Roberta walked through
the sitting room with her new boomers
on, her mother said nothing, for, after all,
they looked, from the side very much like
the short dress and yellow leggings. The
shock came when Miss Roberta wheeled
away from her and she caught the rear
view.
Before another month had gone Miss
| Roberta had become full blown scorcher.
She was the pride of the club, and Mr..
Havetall's front step became gathering
place for all the cyclists in the neighbor-
hood. In time the father and mother be-
came used to the bicycle slang and racing
terms and even to the cigarettes which the
young men smoked, and Miss Roberta had
never enjoyed better health. This was
some recompense for the loss Of the daugh-
ter Of the house, for Miss Roberta was sell
dom at home. She attended all the track
and road races in the city, either as
locker on or as participant. Her name
was often found in the racing columns of
the daily papers, and in time Mr. Have
tall felt something akin to pride when he
read Of her success and counted her med
ais. Bob, as. she was called by all the
wheelmen who knew her. had overcome
her fathers prejudice regarding Sunday
nhl ia .lnTr
morning spin before going to church.
Sometimes she would go out before the
family was awake. So one beautiful Sun
day morning when Bob did not appear for
breakfast nothing was thought Of 1t.
The sermon was shorter than usual that
morning, and Mr.. and Mrs. Havetall con-
oluded to walk home through the park.
Several blocks from the church they found
the sidewalk choked by a crowd before
saloon. On a chair near the curb stood
man with watch in his hand, calling
out the time of the arrival Of dusty, dirty,
tired out wheelmen who came from the
north. Mr.. Havetall gathered from the
talk that the men who staggered up to the
saloon had just ridden 100 miles and had
scored century. He was about to push
through the crowd when loud cheer
broke from the men who were gathered in
the middle Of the street.
Here she comes Get out Of the way,
you fellows! Gangway there! Make
gangway, for Bob Havetall is coming
down strongl"
Mr. Havetall fought his way through,
the crowd to the center Of the street, and
the next instant Miss Roberta rode up,
Her face was white with fatigue and
streaked with dirt and perspiration. One
cheek was bleeding, for she had fallen
against a stone on the road. Her lips were
caked and her mouth was partly opened,
showing her dry tongue. Her cap was
thrust back on her head, and her hair had
escaped and was tumbled over her shout
ders. All of this her father took in as she
came up to the line. But something rose
in his throat when he saw that his daugh-
ter who had been so gentle and winsome
few months before, was now finishing a
century to the cheers and wild applause of
a crowd of men in front of a saloon and
wearing knickerkockers which fitted her
tender limbs as tightly as those worn by
the men.
He looked no farther, but catching her
in his arms as she fell from the bicycle he
gave her to her mother, and then with a
mighty spring jumped upon the delicate
wires of the wheels, smashing and bend
Ing them beyond hope of redemption. An
Empty hack passed. Hailing it, he placed
his wife and daughter in it, That night
Miss Roberta Havetall, after weeping for
nm hour on her fathers shoulders, promised
to give up the wheel. The next morning
she crept down stairs, found the morning
paper, and after reading every word of the
paragraph which told that Bob Havetall
had made the century in S:12, breaking
the record, she slipped back to her room,
cried bit and then cut her knickerbock-
ers, boomers, divided skirts and first blue
serge dress to shreds and came down to
breakfast cured and in her right mind
Chicago Record.