The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-09-04
THE BICYCLE WAS suLkX,
That Was the Excuse of n Beginner
for Her Slow I'm Riding.

Tnat Was the Excuse of n Beginner
for Her Slow Progress in Riding.
The lady d~isentangled herself from
the wheel and looked at it m~ournfuIIy,
~reprachfully, despairingly. The pa
uent instructor stood meekIy by. hold
ing the machine, awaiting her pleasure.
What can be the matter?" the lady
asked.
It's certainly mighty curious" the
instructor replied, shaking his head.
I'm sure l don't ride half so well as
did at the last lesson" proceeded the
lady.
That's So" admitted the candid in
~structor.
Nor quarter SO well as at the one
before that"
"No, MIN
AT my second lesson l rode half way
across the room without your holding
the wheel"
You surely did"
And at the fourth lesson l almost
made a mount by myself"
Il seen you do it." and the instructor
tapped his fingers on the saddle by way
Of emphasis.
land now pursued the lady, in an in
dignant tone, Il can't ride two feet
without falling off"
The instructor lifted the bicycle up
50 that it rested on the front wheel
and kicked the pedal around, out said
nothing.
What can be the reason?" persisted
the lady.
The instructor felt the tire of the real
wheel. but remained silent.
do you suppose il could be the fault
Of the wheel?" asked the lady.
"Hay?' exclaimed the instructor, his
surprise overcoming his pOliteness.
Il don't mean it that way" the lady
said, hastily. with a blush. of course,
it's really my fault, in 4 way. because
|, and not the wheel. am learning TO
ride. But don't YOU think that the
wheel may be misbehaving and that
that may have something to do with
it,"
do you mean that it's u of order?"
asked the instructor, beginning TO poke
around among the joints and sprockets.
No." said the lady; only just sulk-
ing"
Il never heard of a bicycle suIking."
replied the instructor, unsympathet-
ically.
Didn't you?" returned the lady. with
growing enthusiasm. We'll. then, per-
haps I've discovered something new.
You know that a sewing machine gets
sulky sometimes? No? Oh. of course
not, if you've never used one. Well, it
does. Sometimes it simply won't work
right. Perhaps the weather affects it.
Then it will take a jump and run along
beautifully for days and days. 1t is
simply mischief. Now the first day l
rode this bicycle l got along beautiful
ly on it, and wasn't a bit afraid, and the
second lesson was the same. Then it
began to be sulky, and l began to be
afraid of it, and I've been getting more
afraid of it ever since. Now, how do
you account for that, if it isn't the fault
of the bicycle in getting sulky and
frightening me?"
You got frightened because you
tumbled Off" said the instructor, in a
matter-of-fact way.
YES" said the lady, and why did l
tumble off? Because the bicycle was
sulky and began playing tricks or me.
Otherwise 1 ought to be making prog
ress instead of falling back. as l am do
ing. So, don't you see, that it really is
the bicycles fault and not mine that l
am doing so badly?"
well perhaps So" said the instruc-
tor, ~resignedly.
The wheel has had a rest" said the
lady. Perhaps it will be feeling bet
ter now. 1 will try it again. But keep
q good hold of it"
And then she made another attempt
TO master the art of riding alone.-N. Y.
Sun.