Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-26
MADE FOR TWO.

n me Tor n long wheel into the
ur hi country.
o cycled along narrow country
"a ghfare he heard behind him the
ing of bicycle bell. Something
L sedmperative ring, or else the fact
, was on a lonely road, caused
Re look over his shoulder, and he
. Ar tumbled off his machine with
lhment and surprise.
IRE was Cissie ON the top of a silver
w machine, with the very newest
M latty cut of an advanced woman's
re costume, clipping over the dis
r. at tremendous rate of speed.
FL passed him with a whir, giving
~ saucy nod and a salutation as
vent by.
Is top a minute, Cissie. Iwant to tell
aoolomething."
It the young woman never paid the
/ ot test attention. She bent over the
i oele bars and raced down that lane i'll
9h y to make pedestrians head swim.
y, ,ssie disappeared round corner,
S S when Jack came to. it she was not
" seen down the long avenue.
r. tex went on leisurely for a mile or
ruh then he jumped lightly off his ma
: re and trundled it along beside him.
tlroad had suddenly become very bad
be Jack thought it safer to wheel the
De Gle along by hand rather than risk
lpvlncture on the sharp flint stones scat
Md with such profusion along the way.
lie Near a little rustic bridge over a
jar stream at the bottom of dell he
= nd what he expected to find-a very
girl, with a most woebegone,
@consolate look on her face, sitting on
- grassy bank, looking forlornly at a
btycle that lay on the road with the
re of the hind wheel collapsed.
III Hello, Cissie" said Jack breezily.
ndad a tumble?"
ar No." snapped Cissie. II am not in
sln habit of tumbling"
u 'Ah" said Jack. Il see what is the
bitter. The tire is punctured. 1 knew
Hat would happen. l shouted after you
tell you of this bit of road, but you
puld not listen.
,f''I did not hear you," said Cissie, at
Szich assertion Jack raised his eye
.Dws with incredulity, which made
ssssie all the more angry, especially as
. knew she was telling a thing which
ras not true.
"Well, l don't want any help from
Iou," she said CURLY.
"Why, of course not" returned
ack, sitting down on the opposite bank
nd leaning his bicycle against the
edge. "a person who comes out on a
yheel and doesn't know how to mend
nything that goes wrong is simply a
lily fool. One can see you understand
IL about cycling, because you have left
our machine lying on the ground and
he oil is running out of your lamp"
at isn't your lamp, and can surely
10 what l like with my own. l don't
ee what right you have to interfere.
"Bless you, Cissie," said Jack, 81
I'm not interfering. 1 am not even Of
ering advice. have never yet had the
pleasure of seeing a woman take off a
tire and mend the inner
ube. This. of course, you have to do be-
ore you can move on, for you are miles
way from any place, and even if you
eft your machine here you would not
lare to walk home i'll that idiotic Co.'S
ume.
Cissie blushed deeply, and the tears
,ame into her usually bright eyes. She
ugged nervously at the skirts Of her
,oat, and then, seeing what she was do
ng and finding that they but scantily
covered her knees, she looked for a mo-
nent as if she were going to burst out
,rying, for it had taken some bravery
% come out for the first time in knick-
erbockers.
"What business is it Of yours, she
,ried, chow l am dressed? You are
nothing to me, and l am sure l don't
care penny for your opinion one way
or another.
81 don't suppose you do, said Jack.
a match and lighting his pipe.
Il used to be under the impression that
you knew how to dress. 1 am not any
longer. I used to think that you could
not put on anything that would be un.
becoming. Now hold no such opinion.
Still, l must say that l admire YOU
in coming out in the daylight,
where people can see you in such rig
The hard things you have said to mt
when you had ON a pretty lawn tennis
costume, for instance, do not affect mt
q bit when they are said by one WHIT
merely looks like q saucy, impuden
boy.
"Well, Ciss, when are you going tt
get at mending that tire?'
"I-I-I-don' t know anything abou
tires" sobbed Cissie.
Cissie had bent her head upon he
hands, which rested on the saddle of he
cycle. 1t was quite evident that she wa
in tears, and Jack, waiting for reply
smoked ON i'll silence. At last he said
in a gentle voice:
"Look here, Cissie, if you ask mi
very nicely will take off that pneu
matte tire and mend it in five minute
by the watch. "
Cissie looked up again with somethin
like her former indignation in her eyes
"I'll throw the machine into tn
stream" she said, "before l will as
you to mend it,.
"Just as you please, Cissie, " reptile
Jack, clasping his hands behind hi
head and leaning back in luxurious ell
joyment of his pipe. "Just as 20
please. The day is my own, and SUI
pose you will wait here till night befoI
you venture back home again.
"Out of the kindness of my heart
will stay here with you, not to look {
you, for l shall gaze at the tops of I'll
trees as much as possible, and not
talk to you, for if there is anything