The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-04-29
A WHEEL STORY.
DY D. X. SCHIMANSkY.

"No, this is not the story of her first
attempt to ride, but is my story of an
attempt to teach her to ride.
sShe was a sweet sister, was this
maiden, a sweet sister of John Jones'
when she came to me one evening just
as old Sol was hiding his fire-red visage
back of the trees in the far west, and
asked me in an enhancing, apologetic
way if | wouldn't assist her in her BIZ
cycle practice, 'as Brother John has a
pressing engagement, and can't be with
me, and. anyway, he says you know
more about bicycling than he does
Say, just then / could have hugged
John Jones, and his sister, too, for that
matter, but John was not there, and as
for his sister-well, did not dare.
Miss Jones had been the possessor of
bicycle about three days, and as we
wended our way side by side to her
home to get the steed of steel she in
formed me that she was doing Just
lovely And she also ventured the re-
mark that she actually believed she
could ride alone, only she got so terribly
frightened.
while we were walking slowly along
made up my mind that would show
her brother john just what few hours
otearnest application on the part of his
sister would do for her, especially under
the competent guidance of such b.
eyclist as l was. Then I thought it
would be most delightful to coach so
attractive a young lady, and it was
with great pleasure that 1 looked for
ward to the few hours that she would be
my pupil.
When we arrived at Miss Jones' home
she excused herself for a few minutes,
saying she wished to don IN appropriate
costume, and when she emerged from
the house little later, clad in a neat
htting garb of the bloomer type and
ieaolng diamond-frame machine, why,
u simply took my breath away. Oh,
out she looked clipper, chic and de-
bonair, and my heart was at once smit-
ten with her. though always had Pc
caiiarly sympathetic feeling for her.
one certainly was the most beautiful
snd sweet morsel of femininity it had
oeen my pleasure to gaze upon. There
was no doubt about this, this lesson
would be extremely interesting. There
would be no skirts to get entangled in
.he Wheels and chain and to bother her
IN ner awkward manipulations of the
,ame' and the time spent in teaching
nef 70 properly manage the steed would
surely be just so long a time of un-
elloyed pleasure.
Miss Jones and walked to a street
seldom travelled after sundown and the
.a'k over the intervening thorough
.aies was an exceedingly short one. We
arrived Mt our destination. The first
'aing was to show her how to mount
auu this was sumner. l had assisted
many young ladies in their efforts to
.lae'ef the bicycle but all of them rode
S.op frame machines and they all wore
- ssirts. This case was far different
11o"e'er, l got on and off the wheel
asing the step, 'man-fashion,' and ex-
p'ained to her in detail every succeed.
movement. Then Miss Jones tried
y FIRST firmly graspcd the handle
af with one hand, holding the frame
y 'front.' of the saddle with the other
MSS Jones reached over nv arm, took
nold OF the grips, put her right foot on
step, made lunge for the saddle
ana keraop, we both landed on the
1sio road. l was underneath, the
neei made up the second layer of the
PUG, while Miss Jones sat. not toe
seh'iy' on top of the whole. / though,
sae OF the handle bars had punctured
my side and that l was swallowing 8
asuogenous mass of bicycle spokes
sood solid clay and rubber tires. Mis-.
.oaes Old not get off the heap at all bu,
al there half sobbing. half laughing
.ad said she hoped was not injured
.aat she was so sorry, etc. With ar
..'nost herculanean effort l rolled from
ny position under the wheel and it,
.a'f' out heavy burden. and after pull
myself together. gave Miss Jope