The record-union., 1896-08-12

dare raise my eyes. Tt seemed like
dream, in which space was simply
beaten
Are you all right?" Don't wob
ble" Now put some force in it, boys"
'Say, but doesn't she CO." This is
fine
A hundred people who had insisted
on following the sextet from the town
to the track cheered as we flew by.
The track was hard as a rock. A
photographer snapped his camera at US
as we went under the wire. Mr.. Wood
en- came out with William j." a
Daniel Lambert descendant hitched to
sulky, prepared to trot a mile against
US. Half a dozen bicyclists kept on
either side of US, while the inhabitants
of the houses on the surrounding noun
tains stood in their dooryards and
locked down in amaZement.
The sextet has aroused great curl
csity in Tyrone. AS it rushed along
people exclaimed: why, it really does
60" Some had an idea that it might
balk at the last moment.
| Before we had rounded the half mile
track 1 had lost every particle of fear
| that 1 had of falling off in my first
| lesson. Flying is a tame expression
| for the smooth way the seXtet got over
the ground.
Faster" cried Wertz from the stern
seat. "All together" cried Thomas,
| and then the horrible contagion, the
| bicycle fever, leaped in my veins. 1 felt
the insane desire to ride on around the
earth The strength and power Of the
machine, and it's wonderful speed took
possession of me. It's one thing to ride
the ordinary woman's wheel, but to be
part and parcel of this giant that takes
half mile to stop in when running at
full speed, is quite another.
"Click!''
whats that?" / called out, startled.
Lost speed somewhere. Next time
we'll make a fast mile, 1 do believe" "
Thomas answered cheerfully. Don't
brag. Hold your breath and shove"
And then crack, clack and last man
off, was the sudden order. What had
happened 1 had no idea.
| Last man off, came from Wertz be-
hind, and 1 felt the machine drag.
Chain off, that's ALL" was the assur-
ing word that greeted me as we all dis
mounted. The chain ran from the fourth
to the fifth wheels, and was an i'm
portant feeder to the stern wheel When
it had been fixed I mounted again. A
| diamond mount is not fun, and really
the ST. Louis and Paris girls who used
it must like trouble.
/ had been shifted into the third seat
with Zerbe ahead of me, and Ross, Rose
and Wertz behind. We started off
again, but the loose chain had things
pretty much it's own way.
Twice we had got three-quarters
round the track. "She's all right now
Let's let her co. somebody called. Ev-
erybody was eager to speed. We'll
make this mile yet" was the cry, and
everybody put in more power.
Almost at the mile-post and the sus-
pense was growing.
Hear that?" came in duet answer tc
a queer little catching among the
wheels and the chains.
That's nothing. It's all right, only
lost notion
More speed.
A squirt, and at the hight of it a rat
| Ting, cracking, gathering, and E. c.
Cook, the sixth man of the sextet
team, who had been riding alongside on
a single bicycle watching for the first
sign of trouble, cries Last man off,
There's a mixture of movements In
various directions, but the five. of us
land in safety with at least one foot
on the earth. If there is one thing
did learn, it's how to mount.
The chain refused to stick to its place
a dozen times-it almost threw us unit
Last man off" became a byword. Il
turned out that the last man off" Is
the anchor of a sextet- In dismountins
spill is avoided by the last man
jumping off and clutching the machine
like a small boy hanging to the tail of g
horse. AS the men dismount each helps
steady the wheel.
The six riders were quite as enthusi-
astic over the seXtet riding as l was
We'll give you a fast ride yeti
The chain was taken off and some
one sprang on a small wheel and hur-
rled away to town for the necessary
| repairs.