Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1896-08-08

| put nnd ~ prudent 10 act on his adj
vice, so this time sadly put away my
idea Of making my first trip on =
wheel nocturnal one. must face the
ordeal in the cruel veracity OF ann
light
never 7oo,d quite understand how
every one in the neighborhood found
out that on that particular day was
/ going to make my first attempt at con-
quering the unruly spirit of a soulless
mechanism. II was after nightfall when
/ brought the wheel home. thought
. the secret was my own and all things
seemed propitious TO a quiet contest be-
tVNen the wheel and myself, in which
/ should have won the laurels before the
neighbors were apprised that the battle
was on. To further insure this result
/ had for several days studied the man
ners of veteran riders, especially when
/ leading their wheels. ] flattered my
self / had this pretty near perfection.
| As I led the wheel out TO the street l
even stopped to examine q spoke crit
ically, in precisely the manner I had
seen an expert do the day before. 1t
/ was in vain. The audience was i'm wait
/ ing.
The prospect, as looked up and down
the street, appalled, me. Every door
/ and window seemed TO have its occu-
! pants. Women waited patiently on
/ front porches. Men lounged lazily over
I front gates. don't believe that there
| was a house within four blocks that
/ didn't have a man about it. And then
/ -horrOrs the street seemod infested
with small boys. The small boy knows
/ instinctiyely az what particular time
and place a man is about TO make a
fool of himself, and he usually manages
10 be on hand TO add zest TO the per-
Torrance. His comments on such oc-
casions are not original, witty or wise,
but are woefully effective.
I believe l am brave man. once
voluntarily acted as Judge of debate in
a young ladies' literary society, and I
stand ready, for sufficient inducement,
to be one of committee on awards at
a baby show. Nevertheless. this once
was frightened. Not at the wheel.
had an affectionate contempt for that
airy-looking skeleton of wood and steel,
but object to being stared at. particu-
larly when l feel as If I am going to
make an exhibition of myself.
put one foot firmly on the step.
hoped along on the other, in the regu-
lation style and stepped up. Now, am
certain that l had that wheel balanced
all right, l had raised myself with ex-
fpnnp1i ,a nj - 10 A,I
been a steady-going machine of a year
or SOS service. it would have been all
right. This was new wheel, though,
and its chief characteristic was concen-
trated villainy.
That's why, just as got my foot well
off the ground and was putting my sole
dependence on the step, the thing
lunged over. | expected 10 see the
wheel broken TO pieces, but il was not
injured. 1t had mission to perform
yet, and could not afford to brcal; until
it had accomplished it, That mission
was 10 preach TO me the doctrine Of the
total depravity Of inanimate things.
After picking up the wheel I Looked
around at my audience. l hardly eN-
pected applause, but thought l might
reasonably look for mirth. wa9 even
prepared 10 laugh heroically with them.
but not a smile was visible They all
seemed interested, but not amused
They were rcserving their merriment.
The next time l had better luck.
succeeded in getting on the seat. This
made it more interesting for the specta-
tors, because when the wheel Hinged. |
ran around in circle and then
collapsed, the situation was good deal
more ridiculous. As a source of Gmuse-
ment saw il was going to be a success. !
After this fall, the men who had been !
lourging on the front gates saunterod |
up to where l was. The small boys, |
who had been viewing operations from !
a respectful distance. also drew around !
me. l was at the fiood-tide of my mis-
cry.
l no longer regarded the bicycle as
4 soullcss thing of steel. nickel and |
wood. II was treacherous and en- f.
phatically animate monster to be pL+
down at any cost. I grasped il savagely. |
placed it roughly in position and |
mounted. II threw me, but I tried |
again. I had forgotten the audience.
The men advised, the boys ieered and
the women laughed; heard I saw, but
did not heed. l was mad. I Twas going
to do or die, and several times the
chances seemed greatly with the sec
ond alternative.
At last I got the wheel 20 go around.
\ thrill Of joy went through me. l saw
the landscape slip by. l felt myself
passing rapidly through space. Tho
crowd which | had feared l now dis
dained. was leaving them far behind.
I felt that until thar moment had not
known life. The hitherto existing To-
lation Of space TO tim" was radically al
tered. 1t was almost IS though 4 new
world had been opened to me. and chicf
among all my delights was victory. on
spun over the fine country road; at
asst | was master
I ought to have noticed that gravel