Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-27

| LII the gentle s.t Oh cycnnB. 1 gave hlni
his first lesson. which lasted half an
] hour by the clock, but which lasted me
very much longer period, for during
that half hour Podgeley and his bicycle
lay about ali over me very freely aud
took liberties with my epidermis which
it needed weeks to repair. Podgeley was
not hurt, of course. got the knocks.
When he fell OFF, or with, his machine,
l was always on the spot TO be lain
down upon, You see, so that naturally
Podgeley was all right.
For all that he did not learn to ride
in that first half hour with me for teach
er. He learned nothing then, unless it
were few new words which l may
have taught him when he rammed me
backward into stone wall, with his
front wheel between my knees and the
handle of his machine in my watch
pocket. may have said something
original when he did that. / don't
know. | remember that didn't like the
position, and that | admired it still less
when Podgeloy shot forward, with his
fingers all over my face and neck, and
dragged me sideways down the wall in
sort of general chaos of spokes and
| treadles and handle bars and Podgeley
and me.
That was the end of the first half
hours lesson and l went to bed after
it, and it was while / lay amending
there that Podgeley went and had IA
shillings' worth of tuition at the Crys-
tai palace. He had four lessons for this
sum, but l would bet my last shilling
that it required four different men to
give Podgeley four lessons. No one man
could survive the lot, and it is extreme
ly improbable that any single individ-
ual would be we'll enough to teach
Podgeley even twice within a week or
two. And if he were well enough he GER
tainly would not be foolish enough-not
for 3s. Cd at any rate. Podgeley ought
10 be taught from gallery. That
would be the way with Podgeley. The
teachei could stand there in safety and
shout out his instructions, only the sup
ports to the gallery must be strongly
made, for if they received anything like
the punishment Podgeley and his ma
chiue gave me they would be shaken to
their very foundations. That machine
Of his, you see, was very demon when
reused, and it seemed TO rouse it TO
have Podgeley in the saddle ! am
bound 10 say thar any bicycle might
fairly lose its temper with Pcdgeley
up. / don blame the machine bit
1t must be a maddening thing to have a
WIDER on one ; back of Podgelev's stamp
and If Were bicycle and he behaved
on me * he did on that wretched ma
chine dare say l should go as mad rs
II does and dash my head against every
obstacle | came across and buck, and
rear, and skid, and play Old Nicholas
generally i'll order to get rid of hi..
1t iaveIy generous OF me to speak like
this Of his bicycle, for, as a matter Of
fact that machine hurt me very much,
and at the time WAS not at all inclined
10 make allowances for it and was dis
posed to regard its loss of temper and
the general abandoned recklessness of
ITS conduct aS very unbecoming to II
guinea machine, even on deferred paw
mcnt-fOr those We're the terms upon
which some contiding individuals sold
1t to Podgelcy. If they had known lit
tie more Of my friend as rider they
would have reflected that there would
not be the remotest chance of recovering
any portion of the thing bigger than q
penny piece after Podgeley should have
ridden 1t for week or two, and suppos-
ing that the payments had become over
due. Why, ii Is not even now more than
SIX weeks since Podgclcy bought that
mach-;.c, ana / am sure he does not
know where any of it is at this moment
The f~cf i5 it is dead and distributed |
long sl-cc, AID that is patty Why am |
so generous IN speaking Of it. De NOR |
tuiS, ! have always Thought, lii nisi |
bonum, Whicn may be translated for my |
less leaned readers. Don't Jump on !
dead dogs "
think / ought 20 admit that there
are campcnsations even for those who
have suffered for trying to teach Fodge.
ley.
On my bed of sickness, or rather of
confusion and abrasion, ] Jay and 1o-
iected much, and the remembrance Of
lIttle short, fat figure, cooked
lp on that bicycle, chccred and oonsoled
ne very greatly. His legs are very short
mes and do not reach the trcadlcs even
when the saddle is dumped down as
ow as 1t will 60. Thus Podgeley, in
rider TO set the machine going, is
,bhged TO kick at the trcadles as they
90 round, for he cannot keep his feet
lpon them all the time. Sometimes
'odgeley comes down fairly upon the
readle and sometimes he does not.
When the latter happens, he gets tipped
onward and nearly falls off. Well, the
'lcycle hates it, Of course, and bucks
nd dashes often enough in bee line
or the first lamppost or curbstone it
ees, anxious to pay out Podgeley for
licking at il.
Of course it is very awkward for the
nan who is holding Podgeley up on