The morning times., 1897-03-07

1
one knows where and when and how e
! go. 1t may be laid down as general rule
that dividing the fun mui uitipIies the enjoy
ment, aud il you can divide it with youI
wife or husband you will also get an ad
| Justment OF your mental gear very valuable
to both. You Will know each other better
| after your souls have been tried, side by
side, in the fiery furnace OF a country road
| on hot day in midsummer. You NAV
discover points in your character that need
| repairing when it is put 20 this strain
You will find that itis easier to control the
machine than your temper under some
circumstances, but the first hundred miles
will give you complete mastery of both
l propose describing trip which my wife
and | made last summer on unique plan.
Possibly it Will be found worthy OF iuli-
tation.
Our income is small, and we had but
$50 which we felt able to spend ON the
whole trip OF $50 miles We, therefore
decided that, weather permitting, we
would camp where night overlook US.
and depend largely upon such provisions
as we were able To carry. | had tri-
angular box made of leather 50 as To
exactly fit in the frame of my wheel
A unSnIith made to my order a coffee
pot with bail and cover, which was shaped
like an oyster can, and several small
square cups, with covers, for condensed
milk, sugar, salt, pepper, and other neces-
sartes. / had taken careful account Of
my space, and these Were so shaped that
they could he packed snugiy in the large,
triangular box. Two tin plates, two
spoons, and two knives and forks, loops
being provided in one corner Of the box for
the latter, completed our dinner service
Before we started we filled the coffee not
with fresh ground coffee, wO cans with
condensed milk and two with sugar, eacr
OF the latter containing about a pound
When the box was packed with these we
found we had room for a can OF soused
mackerei, another of Saratoga chips, d
small pot OF cheese, and box OF SaTCiiueS
small pot Of cheese, and a box of sarCiinrs
We carried with US thick coats and warm
sweaters, andI had a package on my handle
bar containing a double blanket, a small
LOAF OF bread and pound OF crackers, the
whole wrapped "a a light piece Of canvas
by : n size 4 fishing rod tied against
the bar that runs from the saddle post 60
the handles and a small revolver completed
our outfit. The cost of our provisions
and the boxes that held them was 81 so.
on fine evening in August we took the
nj ght boat for Troy at New York, and at Z
in the morning we were on the road to
Lake George 1t was a deli ghtful summer
morning, and the road was as smooth as
a house floor We rode very fast for ten
miles. passing thrifty villages and some
fine rustic scenery, but as the sun got
higher we siackened our pace and began
to walk the hills. When we got well warmed
up we stopped to rest and bathe our faces
where the clear cascades OF icy water
pour into the troughs along the wayside.
just before neon we turned into the shady
dooTyard OF a neat farmhouse A woman
stood over her churn rinsing d great lump
or butter at the bottom OF it. asked her
i we could buy some buttermnk
No. she said curtly without turning
from her task.
Not speck," she added, as We We're
about going, ''but We can nave all ye
want and welcome"
She hurried into the house and re-
turned iii moment with a great glass
pitcher full or buttermik and two tum-
hlers. We sat on the steps and ate our
lunch of souSed maCkerel and crackers.
washed dow with delightfully."- cold
butteruilk and supplemented with de-
licious plate Of cheese, which the good
woman insisted upon bTin ging TO us.
Before we had finished the man Of the
house came and sat near us. He had an
odd grin on his face that was part kind
ness and part curiosity, and it never
faded away.
How fur hev We come?'' he asked as
he eyed us over. We told him that we
had come from Troy since O'Clock.
''Goshr' said he, and not another word
for fun five minutes
Flow fur dye ever ride in a day?' he
asked as we were about going. / told him.
'Goshi" said he again and put long
exclamation point on the stone steps as
charge of tobacco juice fell short of
its goal. He was a kindly as we'll as q
silent man and invited US in to dinner.
We mounted our wheels, however, and
were soon making ten miles an hour on
smooth road with a slishc breeze at
our backs. We struck a hard hill now
and then, bot we had a delightful coast
of nearly two miles on the down side of
them. The sun was wen down in the
West when we halted to pitch our camp
for the night near a small spring brook
about two miles south of Fort Edward.
On the top Of the last hin we could see
the roofs and spires of the village gIeam-
i,tr in ba Hobt -,P
water of the creek looked promising, and
1 got my rod and flies ready. Leaving
our bicycles, we made our way along the
bushy shore for perhaps twenty rods,
where we stopped at broad foamy pool
below a noisy flood of rapids. Here
inside of ten minutes had caught three
handsome trout and a large horn dace.
We dressed them at once, and hurried back
to make our camp. l Sharpened some
stakes with my large hunting knife, and
my wife supported one of the cycles while
l drovethe stakes on either side of the front
and rear wheels. The other cycle was
set about six feet away, parallel with the
first and supported with stakes. / then
cut several aTmfuls of bOughS in a grove
of spruce and hernlock nearby, and the
ground between the two cycles was Hber-
ally covered with them Then we stretched
canvas over the two machines, fastening
it with strings on the four sides. The rear
of our camp was a large rock, overhauging g
little, so that we were well protected
on that side.
About six feet in front of this improvised
shelter l made the fire, and within an hour
the air was filled with the Odor of frying
fish and the grateful aroma Of coffee. Our
dinner was a success We had fish, Sara
toga potatoes, sardine sandwiches. and an