The Goodland republic., 1896-03-06


feeling of the feet for the pedals as they
rose, then Dicks heart leapt exultandy.
The scheme was a successi-and he had
not been altogether sure of it at first
himself. Steadily he began to apply
the pressure; he felt sure Of his mount;
he knew well it was no crock and that
every nut and bolt was present ready
for duty. Day by day his own careful
oversight had seen to that. Hence ali
that could be fairly demanded Of it
would be fairly done. Slowly he moved
at first to get accustomed to his burden.
It changed the customary balance OF
things. Even the shift of saddle was a
thing to adjust himself to at the first.
But presently he settled down to that
perfect feeling of satisfaction in the
wings beneath him, as though they were
q part Of his own body, endowed with
nerves like the rest Of his ganglia-the
state SO familiar to the practiced wheel
man.
Swifter grew the motion, and swifter;
six, eight. ten miles an hour began to
be the ratio as the great moon swung
into space above the tree tops or the
horizon and flooded the hard road with
light, with lacewOrk, here and there,
OF woven shadow. Overhead the night
hawks were calling. Now a hare start
ed up as the rubber tires swept noise
lessIy upon him, almost swifter in ap-
pToach than the low whistling of the
well-oiled chain around the sprockets,
like the whispering twitter of wild
birds migrating by night. With both
hands resting on the bar Miss Betsey
gazed, and once she laughed aloud like
girl at the sudden prodigious leap of
a scared rabbit" as it sprang from a
shadow and fed away along the road
before them. Once she said, in a low
voice, as if to herself: This is glori-
ous!"
They topped a gentle rise at last, and
before them lay the village lights.
"Shall we go straight home, Miss
Betsey, or would you like a team from
here?", asked Dick, ditidently. Boy
like, he hated ridicule, and he did dread
somewhat threading the streets of that
gossipy town in this bizarre fashion.
But Miss Betsey had no such fears.
Straight home, please" she said, and
on they went. But they went like the
wind, for all that, over those last few
furlongs. Past teams, past foot pas
sengers, past stores, from end to end of
the village; and so swiftly that not one
eye identified the flyers, though dozens
of eyes were struck with a sense of
something out of the common about
that "tandem"-if it was tandem!-
and strove too late for another look, 1t
was lost opportunity.
''Im much obliged to you, Dick
JONES'" said Miss Betsey, serenely, as,
red in the face with exertion, and Gov
cred with perspiration, he lifted her of
her seat in his strong young arms and
carried her right in through her door.
every much, indeed. Come and see me
next week. 1 want to look at You by
daylight. Good night"
Dick did call next week. Perhaps
you think that, after the manner OF
stories that are fiction, she gave him
a brand-new bicycle; but she didn't
What she did do was to take him out
into her garden, where no boy had been
beforehand it was a huge garden, too
"Dick," she said, do you see that
tree? It's cherry. See that? It's
an apple tree. See that? It's a chest
nut. There's a red string round each
When one is out Of season it's picking
time for the next. You can have what
grows on them to eat, to give away, tC
sell, But come alone, and don't tel
anyone"
No, she did not give him a wheel
But what she did do next was to gel
her foot we'll, disappear from the vii
lage for month-"gone to the city,
to the wonderment of the village, and
reappear, to the paralyzment of the
village, clad in the most up-tO-datC
cycling costume and mounted on G
shiny wheel! She chad been away t.
SCHOOL, was all the explanation that
she vouohsafed.
AS a matter of course, she finds hel
horizon much extended by her acquisi
ton, and she is as independent as ever
Her latest exploit has set the whole
town laughing. The roadmaster was
lazily leaning over his front fence
chatting with the town clerk and the
postmaster, when up rode Miss Betsey
with her favorite basket full of stones
which same she carefully spilled OF
his front walk.
81 know you must value these, Mr.
Stiles, or you wouldn't leave them OF
our roads with such care, so I've
brought you a basketful. I'll bring
some more the next time I come thii
way, for I know where there are lots.
And she did, too!
Of course the story spread like wild
fire, and official inertia was for Onct
goaded into efficient action. When h'
had picked up the third basketful ou
Of mis- front yard, and was sure shl
meant business, Mr.. Stiles harnesset
up his team and mended his way
thencefOrtb, to the greater comfort o
the community. It was easier to d'
that than to live at odds with Mis-
Betsey. For-Miss Betsey Bennett wa