The news & observer., 1897-07-18

know, and get up all kinds of gags to
get talking with you, to see if they can
ride with you. Well, I've been against
nearly all the games that ever come off
in that line, l guess, but | had fresh
one sprung on me this afternoon, and
say! 1t nearly fattened my tires"
What was itY' asked the other bicy-
Gle girl beginning to show a little inter
est
well, you know, usually Mr.. Good
player will ride up beside you and say,
Excuse me, miss, but would you mind
telling me what kind of wheel you
ride. l think that's a beauty, and 1
want to get one for my sister," said the
bloomer girl. 'Then, if you tell him
what wheel you ride, he will ask you
something else about it, and the first
thing you know old Mr.. Wisenstein is
riding along with you all good and easy
for himself, and talking about stopping
up the road aways to get little lemon
ade or something. I'm dead next to
those boys, though, and l don't stand for
them a minute. When they get too
chummy with their wheels i scorch a
little and give them the shake"
The other bicycle girl lifted her eye
brows just an imperceptible trife, and
IHe SlII W6HL on.
'Well, this afternoon | was pumping
along the boulevard, just the other side
of the hill beyond Kenmore, you know,
when | heard a wheel come up behind
me, and when looked around Mr. Mann
was smiling in good shape. l looked
back at the road and began to pedal as
though wheel cop was after me for not
having a bell, but the fellow wasn't so
worse at riding himself, and he kept
pretty close to me, and he says: Excuse
me, miss, but will you tell me wherh
you had your skirt made. l wanted to
have my sister get one like that, and
her dressmaker doesn't seem able to
make it
'Your skirt?' interrupted the other BIZ
cycle girl. "Why, you don't wear any,"
"Of course l don't" rejoined the
bloomer girl, "and l won't wear one all
summer if this weather keeps up. That's
what knocked me cold when the fellow
sprung it. | was expecting the same
old jolly about what kind of a wheel
/ was riding, but when he sprung the
skirt it made a hit with me. | nearly
fell off my wheel with laughter, and l
says: Wei, l thought I'd heard all of
them, but that's Il new one l says.
You're all right says, but you don't
GO And then I got scared and COM
menced to pedal like a siX-day race, and
he didn't chase me because l guess he
thought | was on to myself"
''Well,' of all thingsw CALCULATED the
landlady as the bloomer girl paused to
tackle the beefsteak. "He couldn't have
been much to speak to q lady he hadn't
met before"
'Oh, didn't mind it," said the bloom
ri I'm 70 crai in
"'Those Holsters don't worry me for a
minute. If they begin to think they're
in the family | can ride away from
them or turn down some street and stop
at a house to put up a horrible bluff
that / live there. It's easy enough to
pass them along if you don't want
them. / thought l had a puncture
this afternoon when l was about four
miles from Tonawanda, and I was scared
half to DEATH for I'd left my tool bag at
the house and there wasn't repair shop
within a mile that I knew of. All the air
went out of the rear tire and
the first thing l knew it was
fiat. Well, I got off and l was look
ing for the puncture when a fellow rode
up, perfectly lovely young fellow with
a green sweater and stockings to match,
and took of his cap and asked if he could
assist me. Maybe was dead slow then.
l just wanted to stay there monkeying
with that old tire for an nour or two all
n by myself, don't think. So I told him
there was something the matter, and he
found that the valve was ON the bum and
. he fixed 1t in no time. We rode part way
= home together and he showed me where
( he lives. It's perfectly elegant house
e up in Central Park, with big green
q lawn and big stable and everything.
: guess he's some rich guy. He's perfect
+ ly elegant. He asked me if went rid-
b ing often, and said rode nearly every
day, and he asked me if he might ride
= with me some day, and said sure. And
d he's an elegant rider, too, with a swell
a wheel"
G $50 you don't always sco-ch away from
: those Holsters, thenT' put in the other
bicycle girl with a queer little smile.
. But the bloomer girl had finished her hec-
G Ond cup of tea and hustled away to fix
: her lantern without deigning TO notice
e the other bicycle girls insinuation.
t -
t On the giddy safety's saddle
!, A girl may ride straddle
Without injuring her modest reputation,
: But if that way she rides her boss
: Her good name will suffer loss,
And the people rise and rage with indig-
nation!
E a