Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-09-02

not to the ladies. l defy any one to
produce a more perfect specimen OF
the bicycle kind than / was when l
left the manufacturers on a beautiful
May morning just two months ago.
They were proud of me atthe shops;
indeed, think there was something
about my graceful frame and polished
enamel finish that made me stand out
as one apart from ihe thousands OF
other wheels around me. The first
Journey I took was when | left my ma
tive city and was shipped with many
companions to Washington.
l liked this beautiful Capital City OF
yours, and longed for spin on the
smooth asphalt payements, but it
seemed for time that I was doomed
to disappointment.
1 was taken to the bicycle school,
where I spent most of my days watch
ing the strange antics of beginners,
the earnest efforts OF those who had
takep several lessons, and the lofty,
though sometimes uncertain, air of
the ones almost ready to ride in the
street.
In all of this I had 20 part, I was o
new wheel, aud must wait quietly un.
til purchased. Sometimes my indlg-
nation would be aroused by the rough
treatment bestowed upon yha poor old
machines, on which the beginners
were taught, by their inexperienced
riders. How they slammed those
wheels around! Why, often l have
seen the ground streWn with riders
with the overturned wheels under.
meath them. Sometimes, though the
wheel got on top, and then the rider
usually was hurt little. Th,n again,
some few of the wheels who had not
quite lost all their spirit would get
tired of the endless jerking and clutch
ing, aud spin around the track until
the scholar became paralyzed and help.
less with fear, and then plunge through
an open gate or up urlck wall, with
the rider screaming: Constructor
Instructor! Help!' Those were risky
tricks, though, for you stood an even
chance of getting hurt yourself. .
Day after day watched these sights
until I was weary of it all, and beyond
making firm resolution to throw my
self down precipics. before descend
ing to such work, I did nothing for
several weeks. at last one beautiful
morning. remember welli was May
l9-the manager of the place came IN
thepark, accompanied bya very pretty
girl and an older lady whom l took to
be the girls mother.
They came over to the rack in which
I stood, and drawing me out he said:
"Here is exactly what you want, miss
there is not finer wheel in the city.
Look at that frame, good and strong,
beautifully finished. Light weight,
Just lift it, not twenty-five pounds, oil
the bearings turned from tool steel"
The girls pretty face was o study as
she looked up and down in an anxious
effort to find the different pnrts to
which the manager referred SO elibly.
81 like it," she said at length,
"don't you, mother? You see," turn
ing to the man, "I have been about a
month trying to buy wheel. j
thought it would be quite easy, but we
have had q dreadful time. Besides
having gone to about twenty places
ourselves We have had at least thirty
agents, who heard we wanted wbeel,
come after us, and the most puzzling
part of it all is that each one says oil
the others are perfectly worthless. So
mother and ] made up our minds to
give them all the slip, and that is why
we came here this morning. Let us
take this wheel, mother"
The mother approached me. tried tc
look critical, gave me gentle shake,
ard said:
"Well, it seems to be a good strong
cue. l do hope you won't have any
accidents.
That very afternoon I was sent tc
my new home, magnificent brown
stone on Connecticut avenue. and in
few days / knew all about the family,
for gossip is rife in The servants hall,
in {. little room adjoining which / was
kept.
My young mistress was named Bes
sie Bainbridge, she vas the only-and
needless to say overindulged-child oi
wealthy parents, and just now, ot
course, she was suffering from bad
case of bicycle fever.
Almost every evening after dark the
devoted father and mother would sit
out on the porch and watch Bessie and
me struggle up and down the street.
A young friend OF hers was teaching
her to ride, and of all patient and de-
voted instructors that handsome man
took the lead. He was nice fellow,
too, and never seemed too hot or tired
to invent suitable answers to the par.
ents' endless questions as to why Bes'
sic couldn't ride along like the other
girls did, and what made the wheel
wobble SO, wasn't something the mat
ter. and hadn't they better go back to
the man and complain, and was he
sure there was no danger. The last
time Bessie had run into IL Q tree boz
it looked from where they sat as
though she might have had a serious
fall if he hadn't caught her in time.
AS / say, he WAS wonderfully pa
tient. for Bessie, to tell the truth, was
very stupid and had a silly little way
of grabbing one of my handle barl
tightly and throwing all her weight
on that same side, which was enough
to make any self-regpecting wheel turr
her over in the gutter. / must con,
fess did this numberless times, ano
also played q few other little tricks or
her, one of which-turning into the
pavement when the rider Is trying te
mount and turn you OUTS a great
favorite among the ladies' wheels.
Later on, however, I got to like
Bessie, who was as clever off a whee
as she was stupid on, and Bob, as they
called the young man, was my FRIEND
from the first,
So IN about a week we began t.
make q most harmonious trio, ano
ther Roh would brino his own Whee