Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1896-08-07

hekV0 breakfast, land II YoI
:: ~ can't stay at home from
~t~ business I'm going Il
NJ telephone in for som,
man to come out and go riding with
u.s."
Her husband couldn't stay, but be
would meet them at the Saddle and
Cycle Club at o'clock for dinner,
then they could all ride home to.
| gether by moonlight.
| Then the city guest came downstairs
and smiling apologized for being late,
tactfully alluding to such, comforta.
BILE bed, and to the soothing influence
of rural stiffness.
When the young Inatron's husband,
who was the bluest-eyed, blondest-
haired, mildest-mannercd ''bear" IN
all of natural history, had gone, the
city guest played with the baby In the
the hammock and the young matron
excused herself to hold her regular
morning session with the cook. But
in the early arternoon the domestic
machinery was running smoothly, the
baby had been perambulated of by q
freckled faced nurse who was "keep-
ing steady company" with private at
Fort Sheridan, the young matron had
telephoned for q man, and the city
guest was putting on her bicycle
clothes.
well ride to Glencoe and meet
him there, and then go on TO the club.
The roads aren't very good yet. but it
will be fun if you don't mind rough
riding. j don't, for IT'S more excit-
ing"
So, after oiling up and pumping up
and Tightening mp, they rolled out of
the little town into the fresh, early
green of the country, with the mead
ows and fields on one side and the lake
on the other.
The roads north of the city lie more
or less near the lake. being, without
doubt, the most attractive to Wheel
men, and on fine Sundays they are
traversed by many bicyclists. During
the week there are portions of these
roads which are lonely and deserted.
Whilepedaling through bit of woods,
with the city guest looking into them
on either side in search of..violets, the
young matron said, suddenly:
my dear, isn't that tramp lying
there by that fallen tree ahead of us?"
The other looked apprehensively at
the indicated bundle of fiuttering tat
ters and discovered one nose visible
among them-such a red, red nose-a
stubbly chin, three ragged black boots
and one ragged tan shoe.
"No," she said, hopping OF in or
der to prevent the collapse OF her slow
moving wheel, sits two tramps. and
they're worse than. they are in the
funny papers. Therel knew you'd
go over if you didn't get off"
'Iet's go back" TREMENDOUSLY sug-
gested the young matron, pushing in
several loosened hair-pins and raising
her wheel. She was nervous and lit
tie pale, but she asked the city guest
If her hat was on straight. The city
guest was frightened, too, but she had
such happy faculty of Disgusting 1t
that she had the reputation of being
unusually brave and ready in an emer-
gency.
"No, let's go on and make q rush
for it. We can pass so quickly they'll
never know till we're gone"
But the passable part OF the road
was narrow just where the wayfarers
we're taking q siesta, and would per-
NIT of only one girl passing at time.
So the plan seemed hardly feasible, for
neither of the riders could make up
her mind to go last.
just then there was q movement OF
the tatters, boots and nose. One of
the men rose on his elbow and stared.
His nose was less red than that OF the
other, but his chin was more stubbly.
Now, the city guest had a secret pas
sion for all things histrionic, and she
noticed with thrill of quick pleasure
that this goddess man wore bright
handkerchief about his neck. This
one artistic touch instantly trans
formed him from common tramp to
something akin to the stage brigand,
while the background of trees and
grass and yellow road disappearing
below the crest of little hill in the
distance made as effective setting as
she had ever seen. Her fear was lost
in this new emotion and. she laughed,
exclaiming under her breath to her
companion:
"Oh, isn't it picturesquei"
The young mstron turned her head
and looked at the city guests face,
her dread rising to terror when she
saw the radiant expression it wore.
Suddenly she was seized with the fear
ful conviction that fear had tenn
porarily unhinged her friends mind,
leaving her in the hands of q maniac
and of two INSCRIPTIONS villains. She
hid her face in her hands and sunk
down by the now forgotten bicycle
and wept quietly till she heard the
voice Of her poor deranged friend
mingled in the most cordial converse
with those of the two men; then she
lifted her head and gazed al them
oOhoc4