The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-09-16
Widow SINNERS Bicycle.

ly to the bike, but when it first appeared
the town was agin it fur all she was
with. 1t wasn't fish net, a lobster pot,
pair of oyster tongs, or anything else
that could be made use of in our bizness,
and we set our faces agin it and deter
mined to keep EN- sot. Deacon Spooner's
son came up from Philadelphia ridin
bike, and the deacon met him at the gate.
and seq.
Jim, Pm powerful glad to see We, but
We are all agin the bike in Squan Creek
what the matter of the bike?n says
Jim.
''Tain't natural. 1t amt a wagin nor
it ain t wheelbarrer. It's jest an in
venshun of Satan's to captur' more souls.
Any pusson as will ride around on one O.
those things will gamble, boss race, chaw
terbacker and steal dead widder's grave
stun. If yen cast it aside and git a hand
sled IN kill the fatted calf; but if We
won't III hev to for bid We the house,
At that Jim got mad and rode off call
in his pop a lunatic and everybody else
fule, but Squan Creek was with the dea-
con. We called a public meetin' and
passed resolushuns in his praise, and SIGH
was the feelin' toward him that he could
hev borrowed a dollar of any man in
AONA NllIitAt XIV my HIS uOlt DIS security.
Two weeks later sunthin' more happen
ed-sunthin' that stil red up society clear
down TO the mud and kept things biln'
tur several weeks. The Wdder skinner,
who had all along been daring public
opinion by sittip' on the fence, skatin' on
rollers and playin billiards, sent to New
York fur bike. 1t got around town
that she was goin' to hev one, and we
talked it over and sent Silas Coddington
to her to lind out all about it. He found
her smokin' cigarette, and as soon as
he could choke his heart back down into
his chest, he seq:
''Widder skinner is it true that you
hev sent up to New York fur one of them
soul destroyers called bike?"
y "a bet your life hev!' replied the
wilder.
And ar We goin' to ride it?'
Il am, and don't ye forgit it."'
Silas had to wait till his knees got over
wobblia' before he could 90 on:
But mebbe you dom know that Squan
Creek is again the bike, even fur men?''
II don t know and | don't kerr" SAYS
the wilder, as she lighted another cigar
cite.
1T Il he the destruction of society, and
mebbe the town ITSELF seq Silas. Can t
We coax ye to give over on yer idea?"
Not a coax seq the wilder.
Then we might raise purse of $50 to
buy We off. Sodom and tomorrow was
destroyed fer being wicked, and we don
want Squan Creek to be sunk fifty feet in
the mud. viii ye gin up the bike and
attend prayer meetin' if we raise SOP"
NO. nor fur -, 000"' seq she. and she
pitched into him and into the town till
lie was glad to pick up his bat and skip.
Three OF four days later the bike arriv-
ed, and one evenin', jest as we had all got
through supper and turned out on the
street to smoke and tell lies and scanda-
lie everybody who was absent, the vid
der skinner brung out her wheel and be-
gun to perform. She had never taken any
lessons, but ment to learn right there and
then. She had on a short skirt, and a
shudder Of borrow went up and down
and across sQuan Creek. She had on leg
gins and cap. and when Silas Codding-
ton took notice of them he fell against
fence and smashed three rods of it as flat
as pancake.
All that didn't begin with the widder' S
performance, however. She got on and
she TELL off. She fell kersplash and she
fell kerpluEk. Children wept women
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