The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-03

Tffife's mother ard sisters worked all
day 70 pat his wheel in proper shape for
TIE Illuminated bicycle parade. They
fingered over the ribbons ard rosettes Ct
coior giving q touch here ard a touch
taeIe. Until q moving thing OF iranlr1ats
beauty haa grown beneath their eyes.
And y lilies father came home from bust
ness 70 give . few finishing touches. or
what nc considered finishing touches, be-
INT, really nothing but an attempted dis
play Of paternal superiority. During
dinner time " Lille was adlnonished BY the
family. collectively and severaiiy. as -
nouct during the parade. They had
no doubt that he woala Win me prize Iog
the most artisIicaliy furnished wheel,
aI.a the proud mother said:
'DO@'t put on airs Willie. just because
you have such handsome wheel Re-
ueraber the virtue OF humility"
Willie looked as angelic as an American
boy could. and promised TO remember all
the advice. The father was more prac-
teal and spoke warningly OF street cars.
stray dogs, careless riders ana other
things which might De expected 20 bring
disaster.
LAG wheel was really handsome. In
the SHINING spokes were twined stream
ers CT red. white and blue. On tho handle
bars small flags waved upright, and over
-.
o. lanterns When the young rider
mounted his steel stccG lac had TO GREEN
ia h The middle. ii WIS very uneosa-
Portable. but While was hal-py. lie start
60 for FIRST avenue IN bucyanr spir -.
Arriving there just at dusk ne saw lorg
hae Of wheelmea stretching IN single or
double fie, as The case might be. Fl rom
tlcneer place 70 Railroad avenue and DC-
ono. Willie 5oCn arrived a the cor clu-
sion that he was not such winner after
ell.
There we're wheels C all descriptions.
decorated In all degrees OF art or h.deous-
ness a young man came along. and, as
he gazed IN open-mouthed wonder at the
long line of wheelraen. yelled: Get In
line there, young fellow. Take your
place now and avoid confusion when the
parade starts" This was J. c. Allen,
and he worked eagerly to get things
ready for the start. New wheels were
constantly arriving swelling the number
already On the ground and making more
bewildering the moving pageant of bril-
liant steel. Cars passed constantly. their
bells clamoring for r.ght-of-way. and
EvheelTncn xeHmpered right ana left TO
avoid being run down
1t was about at this juncture that VII
Hes first accident came. He caught sight
OF a man made up as a negro female III
red boomers and while nc stopped 10
laugh a passing car raked off his illunin-
ated arch. Will!e's hope OF prize crashed
70 the ground with the arch. But he felt
relieved 10 know that the arch with its
tipsy inclination would bother him no
longer. He saw the one-legged tandem
riders Datton and puariea and Won
dersd dimly Il they were made for the
tandem or the tandem for them. A fellow
dressed in garb which might mean any
old thing but which was supposed TO be
Young America" next engaged Wilie's
wandering attention. 4 tandem which
stood near the head OF the procession lost
a highly decorated arch by fire. and Willie
thought with malicious JOY, "Oh, there
are others
Though the parade had not yet started.
the greatest excitement prevailed on all
sides Down First avenue south stretched