The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-07-30
H. 81; 1FS 3! :, !! Us
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THE TOWN BICYCLE.
BY ALICE W. ROLLINS.

II was not that Miss Matilda was
tired of her sphere. She simply had
never had one. 1t occurred to her
somewhat late in life that it would be
pleasant to have a definite object in
view, and if it should prove to be
spherical by nature so much the better.
Unselfish always, hers was no personal
aim. She did not crave culture, nor a
profession, nor a husband, nor any
thing that could be hers. She wished
to do something for the world. The
world, of course, meant BoXton.
There was one difficulty. She did
not like to admit the present existence
~ofa flaw in Boxton. To try to improve
it would imply that it needed improv-
ing, and Miss Matilda had always con
sidered the village Of Boxton quite per-
feet of it's kind. What did it not possess:
1t had meeting house with spire.
schoolhouse. a fire company with red
shirts and buckets, a coromon, gro
Gerry store with one corner in it for
post Office, and even a small circulating
library, emanating from the "sittin-
room of Maria Fol]ansbee. Miss Ma
1ilda would not have advocated the ac-
QUESTION of anything which might
have been had before, but which Box
ton had been without. The acquisition
of something new, however, some
thing which other towns never had had
till recently, seemed to offer no insult
to the past, and to be merely proper
difference to the present and noble
legacy to hand down to the future.
Such a thing was the bicycle.
True, no one in town could afford to
buy a bicycle. What was worse, Box
ton had no leisure class able to devote
Saturday afternoons to the enjoyment
of bicycle No, it was certain that no
individual in Boxton was we'll adapted
for the bicycle craze.
But the town, as town? Why not
have public bicycle, as we have pub
lie library or public school? The
town could own it; the people could
hire it by the hour, and Boxton hold up
its head with the cities that had boule-
wards. True, the dreadful thought did
cross her mind that if ever such day
did arrive, everybody would want the
bicycle on the same afternoon, and
there would he only one. However, She
decided that sufficient unto that day
was the evil thereof. Her duty was to
provide the bicycle. Others might
quarrel over it as they pleased.
A bicycle was expensive, she knew
that. And they could not increase the
town taxes, and they had no village
millionaire to subscribe the whole
amount. But they could give straw
berry festival, and the children could
pick huckleberries, and she, she-Miss
Matilda-could take boarder.
She had often thought it pity not
to take boarders in the roomy, old
fashioned house, with the neighboring
woods, and the splendid well, and the
fine apples, and the excellent croquet
ground. Admirable woman that she
was, she had never regretted that GER
tain aristocratic sense of fitness in
supreme over such a mansion
had cut her off from adding another
source to her income; but she had al
ways been haunted with a sincere SYM
spathy for the boarder that might have
been, cut off from the splendid privilege
of dwelling, even for a few weeks, i'll
the green pastures of Boxton. Now,
however, that she had motive out
side herself, and outside any personal or
individual prejudices in favor of other
towns, she felt justified, for the honor
of Boxton, in assuming the role of 4
compensated hostess.
It was Samuel Barstow who first
checked her enthusiasm.
els it a-goin' to be feller's or gals
wheel?" he asked suddenly.
Miss Matilda was startled-she had
not known there were two kinds-but
only for moment.
"Both," she answered, firmly.
For in the brief instant of shock she
had decided to take two boarders. She
had always wanted to, and now it was
her duty to. !
So a few evenings later there APP
peared in city paper the advertise
ment:
"Wanted-A boarder with bicycle"
For with true New England thrift
Miss Matilda had no sooner decided OF
q boarder than it occurred to her what
a saving it would be if the boarder
should bring a bicycle with him. This
would serve the double purpose of in
spring the village by frequent exhi-
billions of the wheel in motion, and
save the expense of their having to
take lessons when their own town BIZ
cycle should finally be installed in
Hence it happened that Grahame
johnson read in the evening paper:
"Wanted-a boarder with bicycle"
It tickled his fancy. He could answer
all the requirements. lie had always
been a boarder, and he had recently
bought bicycle. But what was their
idea? Would they want to borrow the
bicycle? Or did they want a boarder
with an object in life that would keep
him most Of the time away from home,
and therefore away from meals? At
any rate, it was worth finding out. He
might, at least, secure material for a
New England dialect story. So few
days later he took part of the journey
Inv rail and the rest on his wheel. Had