Evening journal., 1897-08-12
LESSON IN RIDING.
Not Much Progress Made in the Arr
of Cycling.


Not Much Progress Made in the Art
OF Cycling.
The lady disentangled herself from
the wheel and looked at it mournfuliy,
lreproachfully, despairingly. The pa
tient instructor stood meekly by, hold
ing the machine. awaiting her pleas
ure.
what can be the matter?" the lady
asked.
Its certainly mighty curious" the
instructor replied, shaking his head.
I'm sure I don't ride half so well as
j did at the last lessson." proceeded the
lady.
That's So" admitted the candid in
structor.
Nor quarter SO well as at the one
before that"
'No, nm"
AT my second lesson rode half way
across the room without you holding
the wheel"
"You surely did"
"And at the fourth lesson almost
made mount by myself"
81 seen you do it," and the instructor
tapped his fingers on the saddle by way
of emphasis.
And now," pursued the lady in an
Indignant tone, II can't ride two feet
without falling Off"
The instructor lifted the bicycle up
so that it rested on the front wheel and
kicked the pedal around, but said moth
ing.
"What can the reason be?" persisted
the lady.
The instructor felt the tire Of the
rear wheel, but remained silent.
"Do you suppose it could be the fault
of the wheel?" asked the lady.
"Hay?" exclaimed the instructor, his
surprise overcoming his politenegs.
81 don't mean in that way" the lady
said hastily, with a blush. "Of course,
it's really my fault, in n way, because
i. 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
it2"
"Do you mean that it's out OF order?'
asked the instructor, beginning to poke
around among the joints and sprockets.
mo" said the lady, "only just sullS-
ing"
II never heard of n bicycle sullSing,
replied the instructor, unsympatheti-
lcally.
"Didn't you ?" returned the lady with
growing enthusiasm. well, then, per-
lhaps I've discovered something new
You know that sewing machine gets
Isullxy sometimes? No? o, of course
not, IL you've never used one. Well
1T does. Sometimes it simply won't
work right. Perhaps the weather af.
fects IT, Then it win take jump and
run along beautifully for days and
days. II Is simply mischief.
"Now, the first day rode this bicycle
II got along beautifully it, and wasn't
"a Bit afraid, and the second lesson was
the same. Then It began to be sullSy
and 1 began 10 be afraid of il, and I've
been getting more and more afraid Of il
ever since. Now, how do you account
for that. If It really isn't the faultof the
bicycle in getting sulky and frighten
ing me?"
"SoH got frightened because yoI
tumbled off," said the instructor IN 4
matter-of-faCt way.
eyes," said the lady, "and why did
tumble offP Because the bicycle was
sulky and began playing tricks on me
Otherwise / ought TO be making prog
iress instead OF falling back. as l an
doing. SO, don't you see, that it reall.
lis the Bicycles fault and not mine tha
i am doing so badly?"
swell, perhaps So" said the instructo
resignedly.
"The wheel has had rest" said tn
lady, perhaps it will be feeling bette
now. I will try it again. But keep
good hold of It,"
And then she made another nttemp
ito master the art Of riding alone.-N
~. Sun.