Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-04-15
for bicycling purposes, and an un-
usual, determined light came into her.

on Just the KIND or things want 30
wear, and I'm going to wear Them
Seems to me when I'm most thirty
years old I ought to know how to
dress"
Sarah stared at her with wide.open
eyes.
said.
"Rut don't you think I ought to be
independent if I'm ever going to bes'
Sarah took up her sewing and
turned away. Belinda took little
step forward.
''I ain't never considered the ques.
tion," she said, grImly.
Then Belinda did an unheard-of
s.nd unexpected thing; she went over.
to her sister and kissed her, and then
went quickly out of the front door.
Sarah looked after her to be sure it
was Belinda.
"Well, I never" she declared.
"P'r'aps ] have been too domineer-
ing"
Belinda started on her ride along a
quiet road away from the village. 1t
was not quite 80 hard to assert herself
as she had supposed; she almost
wished she had told Sarah about her
bicycling then and there"
ssI'll tell her tonight, Belinda said,
as she rode on, and she sighed az sshe
thought of her long deferred declara-
tion Of independence; year ago It
might have made much more difference
in two lives.
It was beautiful day, but Belinda
did not once look at the clear sky and
autumn woods as she rode along, for
she was not sufficiently expert rider
to view the scenery and keep to her
straight course; go she did not see the
bare blue back trees that cast o gentle,
dark haze over the later autumn colors
of russell brown and dull REQ. She did
not even dare to steal a glance at the
long piebald line of leaves that lay
curled by the fences. She kept her
eye on the wheel and her hand on the
brake. and pretty picture she herself
made-prettier than any wooded
slope, this bit of dainty womanhood,
whose fashion of by-gone days seemed
TO harmonize with the autumn time.
She had on the little tight fitting
black silk basque with the crocheted
buttons down the front, and there was
o bright blue bow at the throat, lit
tie overshadowed by the black velvet
bonnet strings, for Belinda had worn
6 bonnet ever since she was twenty
one. =
She was going on well, and feeling
happier and more confident every mos
ment, when she came to slight hill.
down which the wheel began to de-
scend little more rapidly; but she
had her little black-mitted hand on
the brake, and oil would have. been
we'll if the barge had not turned into
the road. Now barge, being large
two-horse conveyance, was very for.
midable thing for this inexperienced
bicyclist to pass, and Belinda's breath,
came fast and her cheeks grew very
red in her determination not to loge
her self-control. She had almost passed
the dreadful threatener, when she
chanced to glance up at the vehicles.
There wac but one passenger in the
barge, and that passenger was-John
Baker. Belinder saw his face looking
down on her in genuine surprise, and
then she felt her wheel turn and slip
and pain ran through her wrist.
The driver stopped his horses and
climbed down from his perch, but be-
fore he could reach Belinda, John was
holding her up and tenderly wiping
the dust from her face, while Belinda
moved not at all, only looked at nm
through tears Of mingled Joy and
pain.
"The bicycle amt broke" said the
driver; but neither Belinda nor John
heard him.
"Why, your wrist is bleeding"
John said, and he tried to fasten his
handkerchief about it, but, either,
because Belinda looked at him SO hard
or because he wished to prolong SO
pleasant task, it took him many
minutes.
"Better git in, Miss Belindy," in
vited the driver, lifting the bicycle to
the front seat; ''you can't ride home
if you've hurt your wrist.
"Oh, it isn't much" Belinda pro,
tested. But John helped her into the
barge and, perhaps because of an
almost imperceptible motion of hers,
perhaps because of the look he had
seen in her eyes, he sat down just be-
side her.
"Perhaps I'd better not sit down
here" he ventured.
"Oh, yes!" Belinda said.
s1'm glad we ran into each other"
he whispered, adding, gallantly. "but
I'd rather we'd been the ones to be
hurt"
"Oh, mol" Berlinda cried, lifting
frightened eyes to his; and John
moved little nearer.
stI didn't known you was ridin' a
bicycle, Miss Bellndy," said the driver
from the front seat.
'1've got one, too," John said.
Belinda turned to him with sud-
den radiant smile, then her face
clouded a little.
'sSarah doesn't know about my
riding" she whispered.
John looked at her in amszement.
ssYou're braver than you used to be,
Belinda"
There was sad significance in his
voice, and Belinda looked down.
eyes," she answered tremulously,
then added, Frightening: "l've grown
q good deal braver since 1 learned to
ride. IL was going to tell her about
it tonight" she ventured, after lit
tie pause.
II was impossible for John to move
any closer, but instead he bent over
to whisper:
"Suppose we tell her together"