Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-09-17

fer. Men in trouble
came to him for guidance, and rarely
left without a generous dose of good,
common sense kindly administered.
But, like most of humanity, the
colonel had his failings-what mortal
has not?-and one of these was par
donable pride In being the first to take
up any new fad or game or
practice. He dearly loved playing the
role Of leader, and it must be adj
mitted he generally was progressive
enough to see the good in the latest in
vention, to take advantage Of new dis
coveries, to show himself liberal, keen
and discriminating. He would examine
infinitely any improvement on old-es-
tablished customs, which, If he found
worthy, he never hesitated to adopt
In the history of the colonel there
was but one Waterloo, and 1t was all be-
cause of the bicycle that he came to
grief, that his prestige was lowered, his
pride humbled and his utter rout ac-
knowledged. The colonel had tackled
tennis, had warmed as a spectator,
and as father Of college boy, at foot
ball, had enthused over baseball and
had been careful follower Of sports OF
all kinds. When the safety" first hove
in sight, however, and while few
neighbors possessed themselves of for
ty-pounders, with cushion tires, clumsi-
ly lubering about the country, the
colonel set his face sternly against the
machine.
"a mere fad, sir" he exclaimed, that
will die out in a year." And, having
thus passed final judgment against the
invention, he dismissed the matter
from his mind. His fellow commuters,
who were rash enough to continue
straddling the denominations and go
rushing off on twenty-mile rides, came
in for the colonel's jeers and ridlcule
as he met them at the station or on the
trains Of a morning.
There were not wanting, however,
those who predicted that the colonel's
day would come, and that, as he was
deliberately burning his bridges behind
him, his defeat would be all the more
overwhelming, and they blded their
time.
So the years rolled ON, as years I'M
fortunately will, and the wheel rolled
with them, surprising in popularity
the most sanguine expectations Of its
most devoted admirers. The fad" in
stead of spending itself out, grew, as
the world now knows, to colossal pro-
portions while the tradespeople in other
lines stood aghast, as they saw their
profits diminish, their sales grow I'M
comfortably less, and the whole COM
munity becoming apparently bicycle
crazy. Still, the colonel stood his
ground manfully; he drove his spank
ing pair of sorrels and saw his friends
one by one drift away from him and
affiliate with others, to whom they
were attracted by that great social
leveler, the bike" Old comrades who
were wont to drive with the colonel
now begged off, taking their thirty or
forty mile spin on the silent steed that
never baked, or lost shoe, or went
sick; and they returned ruddy Of face,
improved in health and generally still
more enthusiastic.
And so. when the present summer
came the colonels daughter returned
from school, fresh, pretty and dainty in
her girlishness, no more attractive pos
sibly than the rest of his children, but
still very dear to his heart, and not to
be resisted.
"Well, dad" was her ejaculation as
they sat around the dinner table the
first evening after her arrival, II sup
pose you are all riding wheels. Isn't II
great fun?"
"M-no," answered the father with a
troubled look, and he tried to change
the subject. But the girl, laughing,
brought 1t up again, and told how she
had learned to ride on another's wheel
at school. 1t was evident she was dis
appointed that her hint had brought
out no response, and she said no more
But the shaft had sunk deep.
"My dear" said her mother that
night to her spouse as they were about
to retire, there is no use discussing
the matter. Nancy must have wheel,
and the next day one was ordered
Then when Tom came home from col
lege, with honors and good years
record behind him, it seemed absurd
that Nancy should have no escort in
the family, and so second machine
was purchased.
Naturally when the other son came
home from preparatory school he made
no bones about demanding his own
personal wheel, as clear matter oi
right, and third one was bought
There were still two more children, YET
younger, with even less Of sense oil
delicacy about their requests, and their
opportunities were likewise successful
so now Ave machines Uttered up the
halls and drawing rooms and the colo
mel found himself in an atmosphere Of
bicycling that in the end told on him.
From their earliest infancy almost he
had kept in close touch with his chill.
dren, entering into their sports and
games, delightlng in explaining in his
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