Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-06-04
THE ERRATIC BICYCLE.
BY LUKE SHARP.

]. ! ]. ]. ] /. . . . | | . | ! . |.
@> HAVE, at various
hsH @%Z periods of my life,
FBtA ~. endeavored to teach
AlHDHIW NllSAN a two wheeled ma
HA EllEI- chine to carry man
T<M S/NMiW with something like
MSEb k1GAOlh dignity and stabili-
SW Hs,flh.MW ty; to act, in fact, as
IA<N ~ If it did not wish to
Z@@BU wobble over the
VI whole earth in the
space of ten seconds My first efforts
were made more years ago than care
TO estimate, on the ordinary bone
shaker of commerce, a two-wheeled
vehicle with hickory spokes in the
wheels. If I remember rightly, l
broke mp the machine, and abandoned
the attempt
Never shall I forget my amazement
when saw human being for the first
time on one of those wheels which we
now call the ordinary bicycle. 1t
seemed to me then anything but ordi-
nary. In due time l tackled one of
these machines at a riding school, and
the result Of this wonderful conflict
wrote up years and years ago. The
result was that in n certain number of
rounds the machine f1oored me every
time, drawing first, second and third
blood. As / had some work to do in
this world l again abandoned the at
tempt, not wishing to break myself
into little pieces On various occasions
since then have endeavored to train
up bicycle in the way it should go,
but always without success.
1t is an amazing thing, then, that q
sedate, middle-aged man should try to
do what he had Invariably failed to
accomplish in his youth. In looking
back to see who is really responsible
for this amazing outbreak on my part,
| think the man most to blame is that
celebrated dramatic author, Mr.. Bron-
son Howard. Yet Mr.. Howard has
always been exceedingly kind and gen.
tie with me, as, indeed, ne is with
everyone, and have often wondered
why he endeavored to lure me on to
the top of a bicycle. Perhaps it is that
Providence does not intend any man to
be entirely good, and as anyone who is
acquainted with Mr.. Howard has never
any fault to find with him, it may be
that his goading Of a man toward feats
of bicycular eccentricity takes the
place in Mr.. Howard's nature that re-
yenge, envy and all uncharita bleness
occupy in the souls of the rest of us.
Mr.. Howard at first practiced on a
tricycle., and used to cover amazing dis
tances on that remarkably sane ma
chine. Once when in Honolulu, with
nothing to occupy his mind or his
muscles but a bicycle that happened to
be unemployed at that particular time,
Mr.. Howard tumbled about the land of
the Sandwich islands, and nearly got
three occasions, but he persevered and
finally conquered the two-wheeler.
Since then he has been Dragging about
1t and inviting me to take trips with
him to various interesting portions of
the earth.
So said to myself that if mere dra-
matte author had brains enough to
ride a bicycle, surely talented news
paper man could do the same.
A friend of mine in England said
that the real way to acquire the BIZ
cycle habit was to get machine Of
my own.
LAS long" said he, "as you simply
depend on hired machines you won't
learn, because you have nothing at
stake, but once you spend your money
for q frst-class bicycle you are then