The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-08-12
BARKER'S BICYCLE.

story Is not tolu WIN any MALICIOUS lntcn-
ton. Not for the world would do any
thing to rupture the bond Of friendship
which has existed between us for many
years
have had talk with Barker about il
anyway, and he says he doesn't mind,
provided handle the thing in n neat and
intelligent way and do not exaggcrate,
which / shall certainly be very careful not
to do.
Barker is employed i'm bank during the
day. He has never made IL very clear 10
me lust what the nature Of his occupation
is i'm that institution, but he can be seen
at any time between the hours of 10 and 3
seated on a high stool and waving "a long
black ruler. am informed that he uses
the ruler once i'm awhile to draw lines with,
and even puts down an occasional figure In
a large book that Is always open in front
% him, but this Is only hearsay, and as 1
have promised to conflne this narrative
strictly to facts 1 would rather not make
any positive statement about It,
But while il may be well to give some
short insight into the nature OF Bankers
daily pursuits and the general tenor OF his
existence, it is by no means essential to the
full comprehension OF the events with
which this story has to deal, as the scene Is
laid entirely after the set OF sun, at which
time Barker ceases to be an ordinary In
diyidual and becomes bicycle fiend of the
most desperate description. AS n matter
of fact it Is entirely probable that such
would have been his habitual condition at
all hours II he had not found 1t necessary
for financial reasons To waste his talents
part of the time In bank.
Barker bicycle is "A machine of the most
approved pattern and equipped with all
the latest appliances for securing speed,
safety and grace. There was one point,
however, on which he experienced great
ANNOYANCE. He could never find "a device
which would exercise sufficiently star
Ting effect on pedestrians and make them
lump out of his way in as lively manner
as he would like.
"A bell amt worth u cent, you know,
he would say To me. People are getting
so used to hearing them that they don
nav any attention to them. i ran over
three boys. dog and an old lady last
week, and it's getting TO be nuisance
said I thought it was, and that | had
no doubt the three little boys, the dog and
the old lady also thought So
Its an outr, ge' said Barker ''when a
man can't go along the street without be-
| ing tipped over by people who don't look
| where they are going. There ought To be a
| law against it, Now, what l want on my
| bicycle is some sort of thing that will
show people who go rushing around the
| streets at night that they don't own the
| whole town.
| ~ don't mind telling you, though,
| added Barker, THAT il will take "a pretty
| smart man to invent something that will
| fill the bill. You see, II has got to be some
| thing out of the ordinary run. The only
| way can make them move now Is tn vel
at them, and there's too much work about
| that.
swell, Barker" said I, 81 am not al
extraordinarily smart man, but If yelling
| at them makes them move can fix you.
How" said Barker.
Garry photograph, said /.
| Barker stood for few moments in pro
found meditation. Then he slapped me OF
the back with every appearance OF enthusi
asm.
Perkins, =" said he, "you re an inventive
genius. Now, here I've been puzzling IN.
brains for a month about this thing ant
| couldn't hit on simple little scheme lik
that. III go and get a monograph RICH
away"
"There's one thing about 1t, Barker,
said /, "and that is that monographs cos
| good deal of money"
"What do care for that said he. II
rather pay 800 than be constantly in dan
ger from those reckless people.
One or two evenings after this wa
crossing Howard avenue when L heard
yoice-Barkers voice, but with an ur
familiar nasal twang about it-hallooin
at me, Look out there!'
Inyoluntarily l started. There was n
, uncanniness about tia weird and unnat
ural emphasis. 1t was voice pregnar
with the ring of authority, and as l steT
ned quickly to one side there shot by me
|, vision of gray golf stockings, sweater an
cycling cap with which was pretty we
: acquainted. So he had actually rugged u
his wheel with phonograph! Darling II
D to a nearby bicycle agency, hired whe'
, in feverish haste and sped up the avenue
pursuit of the fleeting figure In gray. l
the dim distance could hear the howl {
the fiendish thing as It sped on throug
the night and as spun over the aspha
| with the speed of the wind the space b
I tween us lesscned, and l began tn catch Il
Y medley of shouts that were pouring fort
| from the vicinity of Bankers handle bar
| He had evidently loaded IL with variei
q of expressions suitable for all sorts
emergencies, and the thing was spittir
them out with an intelligence that horde
cd on the marvellous
"Would you be 80 kind, miss, IL sa
;, with the accent of a Chesterfield, rs avon
o an of the fat and forty persuasion ste
8 ped i'm the way, las tn turn to the right
little? Aw, thanks!
g And the woman smiled at Barker al
. thought he was such polite young ma
A few rods farther on small boy dart'
across the street beneath the Pickering ra
Q of the electric light.
: Eli. thcrep' yelled the phonograp
n | SECT n move on you now-yil vi! VI
a whercupon the boy was convinced he W
4 being pursued by lunatic and fed dow
l. side street.
BARKER" said solemnly, pushing n
wheel ND alongside OF him by tremendo
effort. .'you had better take that thing of
a "Why. how do you do?' said he. ia
N IL Off Why?''
because am morally certain, said
g "that t's a violation of ordinance
bOi6. II one OF those mounted policcm'
comes along and that thing bowls ut hii
you'll go tn jail.
But Barker evidently thought that W
all nonsense He didn't care II IL violat
the whole council series from to izzar
q He had got hold Of an elegant thing al
, was going tn stick to II, and l WAS =
"A sort of n man to recommcnd IL TO him al
:. then advise him Ia give IL up All q
!. time the monograph was talking In to
OF deep disgust to heavy Individual W
was pedaling along In a leisurely way ~
n ..xl xxfhf haya In