The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-08-15
A BICYCLE PUZZLE.

Win perfect cOinpoSuIe
mo, my dear; / have not been riding |
your wheel, said Mr.. Harris. calmly. Il |
have enough trouble with my own, ana |
have no ambition to become familiar with |
any other. Why do you ask?'
well, it's curious" remarked that
good woman, still somewhat suspicious |
''If you have not been using it / am sure
l don't know who has"
whats the matter with your precious
wheel?' asked Mr.. Harris. Busted again,
l suppose? You have more trouble with
that bike than l do with my money
THE last time / went riding my CYCLIC
meter registered 237 miles" said Mrs.
Harris. q" Look at it now! The cyclone
ter says 261 miles. Someone has ridden
that wheel "a miles. Why, John, you were
with me the last time. GU remember
that we rode 10 miles, and that you looked
at the cyclometer when we arrived
home"
That's right" said Mr. Harris, after a
moments thought. Il remember that it
showed 237. and remarked that you had
to ride only Is miles to reach the go
mark. Probably one of the children has
been amusing himself by revolving that
front wheel"
But Mrs Harris dismissed that theory
with scorn The children knew better
| than to touch the wheel Mr.. Harris
| smoked in silence for few minutes, and
| was deep in thought.
How about that new nired girl of
| yous?" asked Mr.. Harris do you know
| whether she rides a wheel or not?'
what a question:" exclaimed Mrs.
| Harris. you don't suppose for a moment
that May would dare to ride my wheel?"
May was the new servant girl. Mr.. Har-
ris had no opinion to offer on that propo-
sition, and closed the incident for the day
! by remarking that he knew nothing about
the mysterious record of the cyclometer,
and suggested that perhaps the ghost Of
a former tenant, now dead might have
taken night spin.
The mystery deepened the following
day When Mrs. Harris looked at her
wheel the cyclometer registered 27S niles,
an in crease of II miles over the proceed
ing day. More than that, Mr. Harris's
bicycle lamp was the mysterious
wheel Upon Investigation it was found
that Mrs. Harris lamp had been trans
ferred to the other wheel, and that it was
in badly damaged condition.
This beats anything 1 ever heard Of
said Mrs. Harris do you suppose May
, would dare to take this wheel out after
we have retired? She told me today thai
she was afraid to go out on the streets
after dark. She asked me to go out or
: the back porch with her, as she wat
afraid to go alone"
THAT looks suspicious" unused Mr.
Harris.
!: Miss Olive contributes clue. Mis-
j Olive is about years old and has but on
d ambition-to own bicycle.
: May said to me today" said Miss Olive
d that she wished it would stop raining
+ as she wanted to go out on her wheel
), Then she laughed and laughed as har
= as she could
I'm make her laugh if 1 catch her wit
! my wheel"
A 1T is easy enough to catch her" sal
It Mr.. Harris. I'VE will try tonight. DO no
e say a word. and we will solve this bicycl
d puzzle"
If The erratic wheel occupied room ad
y joining that of Mrs. Harris, and the cor
d Meeting door was always open. All tina
d afternoon the lady of the house was in
n frenzy of excitement. May went demurt
lie ly about her work. There was never
1t more bashful retiring servant girl tina
May, with her timid blue eyes and abasf
ed manners. The more Mrs. Harris stuC
\ led the girl the more she became COZ
WINGED that the suspicious of her husban
4 were unfounded. When John came hon
Mrs. Harris told him it was a shame
suspect he poor girl
That's all right" said the heartle.
man of the house. This bicycle mani
a. does queer things. Let me alone, and
IT, will straighten this thing out"
re About 8 o'clock that night Mr.. Harr
is fastened a black silk thread to the fran
Of the wheel, unfastened about 30 feet
r it, and tied the other end TO a large {
O. pail which he balanced carefully on Il
upper edge of a picture frame. He su
al veyed this trap with great satisfaction.
re Il have given her enough rope, so tn
he she will be half way down the hall befo
as the pail falls" exclaimed Mr. Harri
ry 1--WE will turn down the gas, pretend
retire, and await developments
sh Mrs Harris was in tremble of e
" element, but remained puiet. The IN
ry ments passed slowly and John dropp
m into a doze when crash in the adJoi
he, ing room sounded through the fiat.
he ''You stay right here" commanded Nj
is Harris. you would scare the poor g
lat to death. Let me attend to her"
no And Mrs Harris attended" to h
pm The guilty May was discovered half W
a through the dining room, with the VIII
sx- in her possession
For girl who is afraid of the da
an YOU have considerable nerve" said Nj
fy. Harris. "You march right back w
err that wheel. OF all the things 1 e'
MS heard of in my life! How dare you
-ay such a thing May? Don't you KIN
let what a cyclometer is? Did you not KIN
ion that you would be discovered? The il
of your stealing out at night and rid
my wheel!'
1t took Mrs. Harris 10 minutes to
The press her feelings properly, during VIII
res time May said nothing. She had moth
do | to saw The next day the following q
,itv appeared in a morning paper:
IRE | WANTED-A SERVANT GIRL, w
lge does not ride bicycle, at 426 Sixty-f
Place, Woodlawn.