Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-11-05

been near enough to hold me up but
once"
.Oh. well; if I'd understood IN the
first place that this bicycle business
was only a means to an END, OF
course
"I'n never let you give me another
lesson as long as l live! I'll go to a.
bicycle academy and learn.
."Tell me, which one and I'll send
around word to pad the walls in ad-
vance. "a pause) Why. Emma.
you're not really getting angry, are
YOU, l beg? Come, and We'll have
another try. Up you go! Now shall
hold on to you:'
mo; you shan't! I don't want you
| to touch me. Let me go alone"
"Of course. if you prefer it. There
are plenty of trees to keep you COM
pany, and you seem to have predi-
lection for that kind of companion
ship"
whatever makes you so perfectly
contemplate? You talk to me as If
were your sister. OH" (Whack-
bang)
Hello! Off again? Hurt youo"
Eyes, it did, and I'm glad of it. No;
go away. 1 won't let you help me
mount. I can do it myself" (Rattle,
crash. thump.)
LAS a tender-hearted man who can't
endure to see dumb wheel misused
feel bound to interfere. Come, Emma.
I'm sorry l jollied you, but l thought
you didn't mind that sort of thing
II don't except when I'm trying to
| ride a wheel. Anything CRATES on my
nerves then. Now put me on. please
Lean over to the other side. Hard!
Look out! Damn"
Charley" with deep reproach.)
BEG pardon; but you can't expect
! man TO lose the better part of one
shin without some mild observations. I"
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Did it hurt you
awfully?'
| mot a case for the ambulance.
That Internal pedal caught me
with all your weight on it. Try it
! again, now." "a considerable pause)
"Oh-h-h-h-h! What shall l do?
Here comes another bicycle. Take me
off. Charlie
There isn't anything coming Go
ahead"
"Yes, there is. see the light.
shall run into it; l know l shall if you
don't get me off, Charley, where are
you?"
"All right. I'm coming. Heavens
and earth. Don't swoop that way.
Look out! Turn to your right"
(Thumpety-thump. bang, rattle.
crash.)
"Oh. dear. Is that you l ran into,
Charley? How did l do it?'
Unusual ingenuity in the murder
Gus management of a wheel Will you
kindly explain what it was you were
dodging when you turned on your
own axis and made a wreck of me and
my trousers? 1 may possibly be of
some use again, but they never will.
Did you see a ghost?"
1T was a wheel. Didn't you see it?
The light was wabhling all over the
road. / never could have lodged it in
the world, even if my wheel didn't
always make straight for whatever l
want to avoid.
"All wheels do that, but all riders
don't see imaginary lights in the act
of running them down. Must be a
new bicycle ailment."
Look. look. Charley: there it is
now. Don't you see it? Oh. it's
gone. No; there it is again. Can't
you see it?'
Young woman, is that the thing
that terrified you into making an un-
provoked assault on an inoffensive
citizen whose only crime has been TO
IL
struction? Is it? Tell me without de-
lay
when you talk that way l never
know whether you're fooling or not.
OF course, that was it; that light.
Now l don't see it. Yes, there it is
again. How strange!"
| mot so strange to one who under
| stands the habits of the ponderous
| and bloodthirsty firefly. l shall take
you home at once before you collide
with one of them and are utterly des-
| troyed. Come: mount. I'll support
your tottering revolutions as far as the
night is the evil thereof" "a long
pause. Then. in the distance, the gen.
tie impact of one alighting from a
wheel)
Tomorrow night. then, if it's
| pleasant
| "Oh, it's bound to be pleasant. The
excitement assures that. Yes. I'll be
| around at the usual time"
And here endeth the 'steenth lesson,
with probabilities of 'steen more to
| follow While the neighbors listen
and wait and wonder if Emma will
ever reward the patience of her Char
ley by really learning to ride or the
forbearance Of themselves by changing
her practice ground to some other
| block.-New York Sun.