Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-01-12

forgave me and became enthusiastic
once more and said he would write
out an agreement giving me third
share in his invention before he went
to bed-which share represented, ae-
cording to some close and intricate cal
culations of his, capital sum OF
f24O,000. Then he borrowed half
sovereign from me for couple OF
days in the kindest possible manner
and said he didn't mind me at all, be-
cause he understood me and knew that
there was not bit of harm in me.
The next morning / met him as
agreed. The first trial of the machine
was to take place down the Chalk hill.
| as it is called This is a steep, grassy
incline. with brick wall about six
feet high running along the bottom.
He was going to leap the wall: though.
If | had been he, think / should have
| chosen something softer than brick TO
experiment on. | did the best / could.
though, by preparing the ground on the
other side of the wall with the garden
tools until the soil was beautifully
soft and loose-quite an ideal place to
fall on. L didn't tell the genius about
my foresight in this matter; he had
such wretched way of sitting on
| fellow.
| He said he would try it on the road,
though we begged him to desist. He
said the hill was not long enough; he
found that what he wanted was not so
much hill as good, long, level run.
| He also proposed that / should get on
an ordinary bicycle and accompany
him: so l left Polly and mounted my
machine.
AT this time the machine was act
ing in a very peculiar manner and
seemed to have taken the bit in it's
teeth. so to speak. 1t began to tear
along the road with the speed Of
runaway horse, shying at every post
and making spasmodic jumps at the
slightest obstacles. BY the most fu-
rious riding l was able to get along
side and excitedly advised the genius
to hurl himself from the demeniacal
machine and risk the consequences.
He didn't hear me, or IL he did he
paid no attention. He had an in
tense. far-away look in his eyes and
seemed to have no interest in mere
earthly matters. The machine. re-
joicing in its newly found power. put
on an extra squirt and drew well ahead
OF me, making the most extraordinary
leaps from time to time
We were now close to the village.
| and the few people still lingering
about commenced to take lively in
terest in the proceedings. especially
the constable, who is a very stubborn
| and offcious person and seems to think
| that If it were not for him the nation
and the law would fall to pieces. so
| | cannot say l feel very sorry for him
he should attend more to his own
| business When he saw the bicycle
coming he shouted to the rider to stop.
| To this the genius gave no heed, and
| tie constable prepared for action. He
J ran out into the middle of the road
and clutched at the genius as he flew
by. Unluckily for him, he missed com
pletely and the front wheel of the
machine smote him heavily in the
loose ribs, leaving him dusty and
disheveled wreck on the side of the
road. When I passed him he was
slowly recovering and I judged from
his expression that his emotions were
! violent and mingled. We fled along
the main street amid a horrible clat-
| ter. At the end of the village the road
makes sharp turn to the left and
| knew that this would be the decisive
| If he could but turn the corner he
would have a nearly straight road in
| front of him for three miles. If he
| could not, there was the ten-foot wall
of the ladies' seminary to be sur
| mounted. / confess | had no hopes
whatever, either of his turning the
corner or of his forcing the bicycle to
| take the jump. The machine now
| seemed to be pulling itself together
| for final struggle, which fact the
| genius seemed to grasp. and he
groaned audibly as he tried to pull the
| handles round In order to take the
turn. But the bicycle was too much
| for him.
| 1t was a splendid effort; indeed,
| never saw such tremendous jump so
calamity attempted. But. as II hap
| pened. the plucky bicycle just landed
on the top of the wall and with a hor-
rid crash both machine and rider fell
| at the feet of procession OF fourteen
young ladies who were about to take
their daily airing. The bicycle used
| the last of the compressed air in the
| cylinder to deliver several violent
kicks at the genius as he lay on the
| ground.
| He will be carried down from his
bedroom into the garden some time to-
morrow afternoon, and the doctor says
| that If his collar-bone sets well he will
be fairly sound in about another week.