St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-15
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$1,000 IN FOUR DAYS.
Mrs. ByEravc Received 1t Last Week
for a Bicycle Skirt.

MIS-. ByErave Received 1t Last Week
for Bicycle Skirt.
The palm for rapid and skillful busi-
ness transaction must unquestionably
be awarded to the young and pretty
British matron, Mrs. Bygrave.
Mrs. Bygrave landed in America on
Friday, the last day of January, with
bicycle skirt of her own invention for
sale. Within two hours of her arrival,
while still nervous and dizzy from her
long and earnest communion with Nep-
tune. Mrs. Bygfave had not only
dcnned her new original skirt but was
displaying its various merits to the
buyer of one of the largest sporting
goods establishments in the country.
Not satisfied with the offer he made
her, this self-confdent, energetic young
woman went forth ON Saturday in
search Of greater financial inducements
to part with her cycling skirt. The
first establishment she visited offered
her royalty on all sales made. But
Mrs. Bygrave had other ambitions and
walked away in her patent skirt to a
Well-known firm on Twenty-third street.
The wisdom of her course was shown
when she promptly received an offer
of $1,000 from the Twenty-third street
dealers, who stipulated, of course, that
they should receive full assurance of a
patent from Washington. Lest there
should be any difficulty in regard to
the condition of the patent, Mrs. By
grave on Monday started for Washing
ton, remained in the patent Office two
hours, found the coast clear for launch
ing, as it were, the new cycling skirt,
and returned to New York on the after
noon train. She did not see the White
house. That was not her business in
Washington, she said.
On Tuesday she visited the patent
office in New York to make sure that
there would be no delay in granting the
patent, visited the firm with whom she
was negotiating, received a check for
$500 with note for the additional sum
of $4,000 so soon as the patent should be
received, and on Wednesday morning
sailed on the Majestic for her native
shore. the very neat $1,000 transaction
having been accomplished in less than
four days.
Her cycling skirt is the most novel
invention in the matter of wheeling
skirts that has yet come before the
wheeling public. By a system of cords
worked through openings near the
waist line it can be made to fill three
different varieties Of long-felt wants in
the bicycle woman.
First of all, it is trim, circular
walking skirt, close fitting over the
hips and measuring about three yards
at the hem. To adapt this skirt to the
drop frame bicycle the middle of the
front breadth is pulled up by means of
a shirring string run down the front
seam between the lining and a narrow
casing. This string is drawn through
an opening at the waist, where it is
fastened by means of a clasp under a
neat pocket flap. The shfrring reaches
short distance above the knees. leay-
ing the skirt neat and smooth fitting
about the hips and actually forming
two loose bags in which the knees
work up and down without the slight
est dragging and pulling at the waist
line, which is the sad and daily eX-
perience of the woman wearing the or
binary skirts.
The third possibility of the UNIQUE
garment is developed by working the
cords that run UP the back seam and
find an outlet under a tailor-made flap
just over the hip. The pulling of these
two side cords converts the skirt into
a pair of neat and graceful bloomers
that will permit the fair rider. in case
OF an emergency, to mount a diamond
frame" bicycle with all the grace and
agility of masculine wheelman BY
the use of four square leads in the hem
OF the skirt the instant the strings are
unclasped and the rider stands erect
the bloomers again become a walking
skirt There is no pulling of the gar