Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-13

down OH tne Top OF you. DuI III you leu
go of the fellow in hopes that he would
ride yard or two away and then fall
down like gentleman without lnvolv-
ing others in the ruin, one knew abso-
lutely nothing of what would be the
next thing to happen.
He never rode away and fell off
quietly by himself like a gentleman
that is quite certain. On the contrary,
he generally pursued you, ms it were,
open mouthed, shrieking TO you to get
out of the way, but giving you no OPP
portunity to do so, because wherever
you went he followed Immediately and
generally brought you TO earth about
ten yards away, either III the gutter or
on the pavement or against the stone
wall. When this happened one suffered,
besides the physical pains inflicted by
the machine, tine odium of the rider
who would, after helping 20 extract one
from among the spOkos and things, be-
gin to explain to what lengths Of idiocy
and treachery those human beings went
who, under the pretense Of teaching Il
friend to ride took pleasure III putting
every possible obstacle III the way Of
his learning, i'll order to see Linn tumble
about and then laugh at him. 1t was
useless to urge that ones bleeding shiLs
and racking bones ought 10 prove that
what had happened had not been pur-
posely brought about Podgeley thought
otherwise, and said ridiculous and UNI
gentlemanly things. Podgelcy is gem
tleman all right on terra firma 1t il
only when he is perched upon the sad
die of bicycle that all his refinement
and good feeling go 10y the board.
1t was soon after his ii shillings'
worth of lessons at the palace that Podge'
ley came TO me and suggested that
should squire him in trial ride down
town. We live in the suburbs, and we
have High street of our own. There
is fried fish shop i'll it, and sometimes
it is very 'high' street indeed. 1t
was into this busy thoroughtare that
Podgelcy desired to burst in the pride of
his newly acquired character Of trained
,yclist.
wait bit, Podgcley," said. Are
you sure you can rider
"Of course | can, said he.
"Who taught you?" l asked.
He said he had had four lessons at
the Crystal palace l inquired whether
his four teachers were getting better.
"What do you mean!" said Podgeley.
"What four teachers"
Zone man didn't teach you all four
times, Podgeley, I'll bet, >" said l.
Podgeley declared that all men were
not such clumsy idiots as myself. The
same man had given him all four les
sons.
"When's his funeral"' l asked.
Podgelcy lit cigarette.
"What about his widow" / pursued.
This conversation was doing my shins
a lot of good, and even my side and my
head felt better too. Podgeley asked me
not to try to be funny. l said il was nc
effort at all. Then he repeated his in
quiry whether l would accompany him
down town.
Then | spoke out.
"Podgeley," l said, you will never
| get to the town, but, even if you did,
it would be the last thing in the world
| that | should do to accompany you.
| Bring me a suit of steel armor and /
| will walk beside you. In ordinary
clothes / will not come near you. As
for riding with you, thank you very
much, Podgeley. / will do it if you
have two men with red flags, one before
and one behind-not otherwise.
why not?' he asked.
Because of the pavements, Podgeley,
and the lampposts, the perambulators,
| Podgeley, and all that III them Is, the
shop windows, the vans, the Trans, the
infuriated populace, the frightened
steeds, the policemen, lynch law and
your weeping relatives. hate funerals
too. "
Come part of the way with me, -
pleaded Podgeley somewhat cowed now.
Il shall ne er learn if | don't make a
start i'll pubic streets. p"
Well, | agreed 10 go part Of the way
with him On condition that if he got
into trouble | should ride on and
Podgeley was not TO claim acquaintance
with me, and to those terms ne agreed.
We started. Our road Is not busy
| one There are trees and garden gates,
asphalt pavement and so on. 1t leads
into High street at the bottom end. W
live at the top. There was butcher :
cart coming up, and we waited until
that had passed along. Then we mount
cd.
Podgeley was all right for about &c
yards Then somebody with a clothes
basket came out OF the garden gate and
walked down the pavement IA score of
PAGES in front of US. The sight of that
person seemed for some reason to lnfuri.
ate Pcugelcy's machine. He appeared
to me to be quite harmless looking
individual, but Podgeloy's bicycle
thought otherwise, l suppose, for il
went straight for the poor doomed fell
low like an arrow from the bow.
PoGgoloy couldn't hold it, shouted
TO him TO lean over TO the right and
steer away from the pavement, but
might have saved my breath OFF went
the bicycle straight for its quarry. Over
the cmbstone it leaped, full of fire and
fury and down the aSDhalt payemeut ii