The morning times., 1895-09-07
CHARLIE And HIS BICYCLE
Unromantic Romance Of a Young
Washington Wheelman.
His Friends Played Practical Joke
Which Brought Him In Collision
With II Young Lady's Mother.

There is a young man in Washington
who longs just at present To go on gun
ming expedition because OF the tangle in
which he has become mixed up over
telephone message and a bicycle expedi-
tion, both OF which started out well but
terminated in decided water haul" The
young man, who, for the purpose OF this
writing may be named Charlie, is an enthu-
siast on the subject of the bicycle TO such
degree that he has come to grief through
the Vaccinations OF some of his friends.
one fine day recently he received a tcle
phone message to the effect that a young
lady OF his acquaintance in Georgetown
would be delighted if he should can that
afternoon provided with an extra bicycle,
on which she would go for a spin with him
Thefact that he was, upto thattime unaware
that she knew anything whatever about
riding a bicycle Initiated not against his
pleasant anticipations OF the ride in pros
pect That afternoon promptly at the
time named in the telephone messa ge,
Charlie appeared at the house in George
town leading in tow the extra bicycle.
In response to his query for the young
woman, her mother appeared to inform
him that her daughter was out and not
expected back until a late hour. That
seemed strange, md the young fellow very
naturally went on to explain that her
daughter had that day sent him a telephone
message 10 the effect that she would be
delighted to take a bicycle ride with him
provided he appeared at certain time
with an extra wheel.
Then the floUdgatcs OF the mothers elo-
qucnce were opened upon the un>uspccting
Charlie The very idea that her daughter
ever could OF would mount u wheel wa in
! her estimation sufficient To Iclcgutc her
10 the lowest depths of degradation The
New Woman was a creature in all things
10 be abhurrcd, stunned, ruL' from, il
necessary.
All this and more was poured out in an
uninterrupted stream, until the young
man began TO regard him>elfas the greatest
culprit in existence at even mentioning
the possibility that that particular daugh-
| ter Of that particular mother should ever
have dreamed OF mounting the wheel, 10
say nothing of enjoying a spin win him.
Yet there was the telephone message, and
! there equally, or even more in evidence,
was the extra bicycle with which lie had
supplied himself now resting innoCently
! against the curb
II dawned upon Charlie that the young
woman, all unknowiugly to her mother,
| had secretly mastered the various phases of
| learning. and essayed TO enjoy some stolen
sweets i'll the way of riding the bicycle,
whether or no. But why had she then
! asked him TO call at the house? That was
deep, lark mystery.
However, in Self-justifiCation, the be-
wildered young man explained that he had
not come OF his own volition; that his ap-
! pearance with the extra wheel had been in
| response to a telephone message received
! that day from her daughter; furthermore,
that If he betrayed any condolences in max
| ing this statement, or ratified any family
! skeleton in the disclosures as 10 the why
and wherefore of his being there at that
time, accompanied by the extra wheel,
| he was more than sorry. Beyond that he
had no explanation or apology to make
so Charlie mounted his own wheel and
leading the undcsired extra one went
whirling homeward to mediate and TO do
vast deal of thinking, much of which
| would be entirely fit for publication.
The next morning he received a uote
| from the young woman herself diSclaiming
any thought of sending him any such tele-
! phone message or ever at any time, past,
| present or TO come, aspiring to ride
| bicycle Then the young man set himself
! diligently to work To unearth the mystery.
1t did not take very long for him to dis
cover that he had been made the subject
of a practical joke on the part Of several
Of his friends, who had concocted the telc-
phone message and written ii out so that
there should not be the least mistake in
! the matter.
That is the reason why Charlie is now
desirous of quitting his usual peaceful
habits and going on cunning expedition,
and why, just for the same reason, the
| friends who put up the practical joke on
him are keeping well out OF the way until
| his feelings have had time to resume their
! normal temperature.