The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-06-03

VILE; put CarrOty DODDln Aau lue HeA'
one.
The night Bert rode his wheel home
all the boys and most of the men gath
cred in front of the store to see the gilt
tering, new-fangled machine.
Among the spectators was Benjamin
Franklin Dobbin-Carroty, for short,
out of Difference to his hair. Every
body laughed when Carroty elbowed
his way forward to look at the bicycle.
| The lad had the name of being a
queer stick" and his neighbors had
fallen into the habit of being amused
by everything he did. He was figure
to provoke laughter. He had out
grown his clothes to such an extent
that it was asserted in the village he
dared not take them off for fear of never
being able to get them on again. OF
course this was an exaggerated state
ment, but they undoubtedly were
close fit, and below the skin-tight jeans
trousers stretched an astonishing length
of bare, mud-stained, brier-scratched
leg. with a corresponding length of
wrist and arm on the other side of the
zone of clothing.
AS he stopped over the wheel his thin,
freckled face had rapt look and his
eyes cleaned with pleasure. He stood
off and studied the machine with his
head to one side, he touched it tender
ly and reverently, he moved the handle
bars, he lifted the whole thing and held
| it while he made first one wheel then
the other revolve.
"Size it up, Carroty, and take the pat
tern. Maybe you can make one like
it'll" laughed the loungers on the store
porch.
Carroty was too absorbed to notice
their chatting. Its out and out the
prettiest thing I've ever seen" he said,
earnestly, as Bert stepped forward and
prepared to modnt.
| Somehow the honest admiration of
the ragged little fellow pleased Bert
more than the half envious comments
of his associates.
| perhaps some time l will let you
try it, Carroty," he said, pleasantly.
Pm going to have one Of my owR,'
the boy returned, calmly.
| Bert raised his eyebrows doubtingly,
for he knew the Dobbins were much
too poor for such luxury as bicycle.
On the morning following his view
of Bert's wheel Carroty remarked to
his younger brother, Jakey, that he be-
lieved he would make a bicycle, and
Jakey said: do, Carroty."
Back of the Dobbins' house stood a
small vine-covered building where Car
roty's grandmother spun and wove long
| ago. The "loom-house," like every
thing else about the place, was falling
to pieces. Carroty had propped up the
sunken roof, nailed few boards across
the perilous floor and built work
bench at one side. Here the boy, who
was remarkably handy with tools, car
ried on his occupation of making
things;" and here, with some odds and
ends of boards, nails and screws and
bits of leather and wire, he started in
to make bicycle.
Day after day Carroty sawed and
hammered and measured and expert
mented, while Jakey sat in the window
and watched him. There was no one
but Jakey to take an interest in the
great work. The mother had been dead
for three years and the father was car
penter with a job down the valley which
took him away at daybrealS, and from
which he did not return until dark.
But Jakey's interest never tagged. In
the moments of weariness and depres-
sion that came to the young mechanic
in his difficult task Jakey was always
ready with words of encouragement.
"Other folks make 'em. You can do
anything anybody else can," he would
say. with inspiring. confidence.
81 am going to do it! l will do It'll"
Carroty would answer through
clenched teeth.
Such a spirit, so encouraged, was
bound to succeed. In course of time
the bicycle was finished and christened
the Through by Daylight" 1t was not
handsome, but it looked strong. 1t
was a diamond frame wheel, about the
height of Bert Shepherds, which Car
roty had so carefully examined. The
frame and the wheels were built of
inch-and-a-half pine boards neatly
! joined; the seat was the leg of one of
Mr.. Dobbn's wedding boots laced over
frame and furnished with a spring
borrowed from the old haircloth sofa
in the parlor. At first it was without
sprocket wheel or pedals, and could be
used only for coasting down hills.
There are plenty of hills about Zoans-
Vile. and Carroty said it would be bet
ter to ride part of the way than not to
ride at all.
The trial trip was free from the
bitches that so often mar trial trips.
The wheel could be mounted, and it
would run. Carroty's great namesake
battling the lightning, Robert Fulton
when that first steamboat stirred the
at moments when success has crowned
long and arduous labor, may have ex-
perienced such ecstasy, such triumph,
such exultation as thrilled the boy with
his bare feet braced on the clothes
pin coasters, his hands grasping the un-
planed handle bars, wobbling downhill
on bicycle of his own construction.
The Dobbins lived at the top of hill
three-quarters of mile long. About
half way down stood the big yellow
house and bigger yellow barn of Squire
Yorke, a parsonage of Importance,
whom Carroty regarded with great awe.
The squire was leaning over his gate
his first ride; he demanded an explana-
e n