The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-09-03
THE BICYCLE WAS SULKY.
That Was the Excuse of n BeEinne
for Her Slow Progress in Riding.

J
The lady disentangied herself from
the wheel and looked at it mournfully
Teprachfully, despairingly. The pa
tent instructor stood meelily by. hold
ing the machine, awaiting her pleasure.
What can be the matterY' the lady
asked.
Its certainly mighty curious" the
instructor replied, shaking his head,
I'm sure | don't ride half so well a
l did at the last lesson" proceeded the
lady.
That's so, admitted the candid in
structor.
Nor quarter so well as at the one
before that"
mo. m'm."
AT my second lesson l rode half way
| across the room without your 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 in
dignant tone. Il 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
nothing.
What can be the reason?" 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 politeness.
Il don't mean it that way" the lady
said, hastily, with blush. "Of course,
it's really my fault, in way, because
l, 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
it?'
do you mean that it's out of order?"
asked the instructor, beginning to poke
around among the joints and sprockets.
NO" taid the lady; only just sulk-
ing"
Il never heard of bicycle sulking,"
replied the instructor, unsympathet-
ically.
Didn't you?" returned the lady, with
growing enthusiasm. We'll, then, per-
haps I've discovered something new
You know that sewing machine gets
sully sometimes? No? Oh, of course
not, if you've never used one. Well. il
does. Sometimes it simply won't work
right. Perhaps the weather affects ii.
Then it will take jump and run along
beautifully for days and days. 1t is
simply mischief. Now the first day |
rode this bicycle 1 got along beautiful
ly on it, and wasn't bit afraid, and the
second lesson was the same. Then II
began to be sulky, and began to be
afraid of it, and I've been getting more
afraid of it ever since. Now, how do
/ you account for that, if it isn't the fault
of the bicycle in getting sulky and
frightening me?"
You got frightened because you
tumbled off," said the instructor, in a
matter-of-fact way.
yes" said the lady, "and why did !
tumble off? Because the bicycle was
sulky and began playing tricks on me-
! Otherwise l ought TO be making prog
ress instead of falling back, as am do
ing. So, don't you see, that it really is
the bicycles fault and not mine that
I am doing so badly?"
"Well, perhaps So" said the instruc-
tor, resignedly.
"rhe wheel has had a rest" said the
lady. perhaps it will be feeling bet
ter now. | will try it again. But keep
q good hold of it."
And then she made another attempt
to master the art of riding alone.-N. Y.
Sun.