The morning times., 1896-11-15

manner. and said he didn't mind me- at all
because he Understood me. and knew that
there WIS not a bit Of harm in me.
The next morning l met him as agreed
The first trial of the machine was 70 take
place down the Chalk Hill, as it Is called.
This is steep, grassy incline, with brick
wall of about six feet height running along
the bottom.
ne was going to leap the wall; though, II
had been he, think should have chosen
something softer than brick to experiment
on. / did the best / could. though, by pre-
pairing the ground on the other side of the
wall with the garden tools. until the soil
was beautifully soft and 1oose-quite an
ideal place to fall on. / didn't tell the
genius about my foresight in this matter,
he had such wretched way OF sitting on
fellow.
1 ought to mention here that the genius
Is inclined to be stout; and morever, he
had not ridden bicycle for one ortwo years.
IH:Sc IA rs uid nov apprar 10 affect MS
contiieuce in the least. and he came forth
quite Gaily at o'clock, smiling broadly as
ne wheeled his machine Ia the top OF tne
incline. Polly and l both came out to see
hini. and he waved his hand 10 Us with an
air or approaching. victory. He made one
or two false starts before he was fairly IN
der way; but in the excitement of the mo
mtnt, he had noS noticed that n little boy
with hoop had trotted into the middle of
.hecourse. lfthe genius had ridden straight
on he would not have gone near the lad: but.
or course. with the impetuOus instinct OF the
amateur cyciist as soon as he saw him he
was constrained to run the boy down. He
was So taken up with uttering piercing
screams of warning that he forgot to apply
the break; and the bicycle by this time was
giving small jumps. foot or two high and
was increasing the height at every Jump.
The boy was surprised, to put it mildly,
TO see this howling fat man charging at him
on machine with series OF Jumps and
was completely paralyzed. / think it was
the Immortality of the lad that saved ais
HE. IL he had started to get out OF the
way IT Is quite certain that he would have
been pursued, knocked down and run over
But, as 1t happened, the genius missed him
by about foot, and, amid Poliys shrieks
made straight for the wall at the bottom OF
the field.
The Jumps were now about four feet high
and whenver the bicycle hit the ground it
seemed as thoughft would Jerk its rider off;
buthe managed to cling to the machine until
II landed against the wall, when the force
Of the conclusion threw him several yards.
Falling On the soft ground. however, he was
but little hurt He picked up the machine
which was not at Ill damaged. aud proc eeded
to explain to me that. II it had not been for
the boy he would bave done famousIy.
hf tbeH Sdlu he Womb try ~ on the road
though we begged him to desist He said
the bill was not long enough; he found that
what he wanted was not so much hill as a
good level run He also proposed that
should get on an ordinary bicy lie and accom-
pany him; So left Polly, and mounted my
machine.
/. Was now discovered that the jump
ing apparatus had a tendency to work
automatically, and that when once it
was in action no power ON earth could
stop 1t until all the compressed air was
exhausted. The genius started afresh with
out much trouble. going straight toward
the village Ito surprise the natives" he
remarked casually. He was feeling very
happy and contented, and tried to sing.
which he could not do with comfort, as
the concuSsion after each jump snapped
his teeth together Ike steel trap, aud
once W hen this occurred I noticed that his
tongue happened to he between them
AT this time the machine was acting
in a very Ieculiar manner, and seemed
TO have taken the bit in its teeth, so to
speak. 1t tegan to tear along the road
with the speed OF a runaway horse, shy
ing at every post, and making spasmOdic
jumps at the slightest obstacles. By the
most furious riding was able to get along.
side, and excitedly advised the genius