The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-26
HANDICAPPED BY Fate.
A Cyclists Race for Love.
ROMANCE UP TO DATE.
\ Narrative OF Two Lous-distanee Sailors
and Their Contest for n widows Hand.

have never been n gallant sutton, In the sense
of possessing brute courage. which appears TO
win with the gentler scx-even where brutal
candor'' fails. But II is hard TO get away
from ones environments.
My nearest approach 20 n matrimonial nj.
lance occurred some three years ago, under
peculiar. not to say distressing. circumstances.
h I'VE sufficiently recovered from the ''recoil"
OF tn It episode TO tell tho story with com
p!acency. IL was through the connivanco Of
my old friend. Bob White, whose farm Joins
mine, that first met this particular affinity.
White gave a social party, and thus brought
us together. She wasa young and very
pretty widow. Mrs. Bessie Boole. and was Wis.
fting relatives in the nolghborhood. My rccol.
lection is that I fell in love with her imme.
diatcly. At least, 1 recall that my ~constitu-
tional weakness was unusually apparent on
that occasion. | managed to convey the state
of my feelings to her In the course Of the even
fnR-mainly by means OF pantomime and elo-
ouent facial contortlons. At the last moment
she made me temper .rily miserable by an
nouncing that she intended leaving for home
the next day; but her good night was al
most caressingly tender. and I promptly re-
solved TO write to her. This was the last I
saw OF Mrs. Boole until-but I must not fore
stall the denoucment.
After practising for q few days, I wrote her
q brief letter, stating the condition of the
weather and noting the general good health
of the neighbcrhood, with n cautiously orded
request for n correspondence. with a view to
mutual Improvement in spelling and syntax.
Three or four days later, l was delighted at
recetvinga modest answer granting my wish
and hoping the health Of the community would
remain good.
After a few more exchanges I grow bolder,
and In due time breathed a somewhat higher
degree of temperature into my sentences. At
the end of q month / mustered up The nerve to
send her a sonnet on Beauty" which elected
from her q very graceful and encouraging com
phi nent. It was then that I conceived the thought
Of a trip across the commonwealth to par her
o visit. l speeded my proposition to her in the
next mail, and her answer inspired three fresh
sonnets-one on Love-" another on Atm
fly" and the third on "Wedded Souls"
She said 1 might come. designating the time
ten days from the date of her letter, which
was Sept. 1, 1898. l kissed the SIGNATURE.
which vas "Bessie." and went out to overhaul
my bike: for I had already decided to make the
trip on that vehicle.
She acknowledged the receipt of my sonnets.
saying each consecutive reading had brought
moisture to her eyes. / felt as happy Us a man
of my age could afford to feel, and kept the
sonnet mill grinding day and night.
Six of the weary days passed-for they
dragged heavily. Even before that time I had
my little grip packed ana my wneel CREASED
for the OCCASION She was as bright as q gold
pocket piece and fully equipped for the jour
ney. prayed for good weather. and swore
every time I saw q cloud. (My frankness
shows the customary moods Of the typical
lover.)
Listen: The evening before the morning set
for my departure, l received a letter from my
idolized Bessie that took the breath out of me
for a full minute. I reproduce 1t herewith.
and the reader can judge for himself how It
made me feel. It read as follows-literally:
FEEDER STATION. Sept. o, 1898.
my DEAR Mr.. O%vERsMITH: I write to you
this morning in great distress of mind. 1
have learned to regard you 80 dearly that I
can't bear to deceive you longer. l will tell
20 the whole truth. 1t Is this: / have an
other accepted sutton, a Mr.. Sagittarius Moon
of Hathaway, this State. His claim is older
than yours. but what you have lost in time
you have gained In ardency. Heaven help
mol for l cannot choose between you. So 1
have, after great mental anguish, decided
upon making the following proposal-to both:
As you live at about equal distances from
Feeder Station II believe you have the advan-
tage of him one mile, you shall both start to-
morrow morning at an hour before sunrise,
each on his wheel CMr. s. Is an accomplished
tisrD and the one that meets ne frstRt our
front gate shall claim my hand. l put you
both on honor not to start a minute before the
hour get. You have a mile the start Of him,
but he Is about two degrees east of you, which
pbviates this handicap. I have written these
facts to him, and will mail both OF your letters
together. 1 find that by q happy coincidence
the mail trains to your respective homes pass
at this station at $3.50 p. NJ, each arriving at
its destination about the same hour. You will
each get your notification about 8 o'clock.
Neither will dare to start before the time men
toned, as anything that resembles treachery
will cause a forfeiture Of all claims. This may
seem hard and practical-even cruel; but It is
my only way out of this dreadful dilemma.
"If either of you gentlemen do not consider
che prize worth the trial, / shall be all the
happier with the other; and 1 can't think this
fair and impartial test will cause me to lose
Showing the location OF our street and resi-,
dence. the latter being designated by a cross:
Lovingly and expectantly, bessie"
Of the letter. After partially recovering, my
wits. my first impulse was TO take the midnight
at some town near Feeder station, get an early
start. run in about 10 A.. NJ; and claim my
fPi Fiafi', should ba s@GISs IMPOSE s"I Upon m ms a h ifts,
mile handicap, and | mentally denounced the
s : ss .Tse Gsli Rl the altitude shl |, thus Nv p priyase I ssSss in IN
honor was awakened, and | resolved TO win
sfs; .s, tnir ay Or ho tnl l On the a 6yeT sscb mans a,
could find in my library and studying Bessie's
e.sn cot Then aya,v FsTlizip M that l.ss | would Id need ssi
start, set my alarm clock to raise its clamor at
4 A. NJ. sharp, placed IL on a stand within n
foot of my pillow, and retired with an invol.
untary prayer at nv tongues end. tossed
some. hut at about 10 o'clock l fell into n sort
OF phantasmal 5lumber. l dreamed of mount
jng y single wagon wheel and riding the clumsy
<rtrR n thousand niles ON u telegraph wire for
yrize. the same being a beautiful princess,
:.hOm | won against hundreds OF competitors.
But just as | was about to take her far hand
<nd lead her tn the altar. there arose n horri-
sle clamor of Opposition from my disappointed
rivals, who rushed at me In "A fury OF jealousy
and would have torn me limb from limb, hut
] awOke-just In time 10 hear tho lingering
OF my clock alarm. | spranG from
my bed, and In half an hour was ready FOR the ,
race,
Still punctilious Unfolding to my point of
honor. | waited till an hour before sunrise.
and then sailed away in the dim twilight and
che brtcing air of that fated morning. on a
as soul-thrilling as any that ever sent
o knight to the arena or a political martyr to
Washington.