The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-11
NEWS FOR WHEELMEN
4 RIDERS EXPERIENCE ON 4
 COUNTRY ROAD.

A Park City Romsnce-Eddie Bald to
 be an Actor-Gear TaIk-VariOus
 Other Matters.
 The man who makes wheeling bus iness has In his journeys about the country more experiences and adVen- lures, perhaps. than the traveller who uses other and less modern means for locomotion. In the out-of -the-way sec- tions there is often the hard road to travel" but there is all the time some- thing amusing, when you are looking for 1t, and sometimes it comes when you are not looking. It may be the country farmer who comes out of the field to see you and your wheel, and who is very likely to have something original to offer in the way of comment and argument; it may be an experi- epce with an awkward or inexperienced rider; or perhaps it may be an uneX- pected spill on your own part All this gives color and variety to the wheelnan who lives on his wheel.
 
 found myself wheeling leisurely along among the Litchfield hills. The roads were bad but did not permit them to huffie my temper, which remained req sonably good. I was about to make a sharp turn at the foot of hill, and was seriously considering the advisability of dismounting in order to make the trip with a greater degree of comfort. when, with what seemed the combined speed of all the famous riders of histo- ry, a coasting wheelman came tearing down the hill just in front of me. I made a quick, and what seemed to me very artistic turn to the right; the coaster to the left. What was the re- suit? Is there need to tell? You who ride know only too well. There was a crash like the coming together of two battering rams, two prancing wheels and two badly spilled wheelmen. Then we sat down on our shattered wheels and talked over the situation. Did you ever sit on your shattered wheel after a collision, with shattered nerves and shattered temper and by to be calm? I am confident I was calm; my German friend-such was his nationality-wasn't. It was not the na- ture of Germans to be calm under such conditions. Yankees are not always; but was several miles from the near est hotel and mine was the calmness of despair.
 Wy vos you goning up dot hill?" asked the German, as he gesticulated wildly with one hand, while with the other he vigorously rubbed his bruised ahin.
 My only excuse" said I, very meek Iy, ''is I couldn't see my way to go round 1t. If have put you to any in convenience by riding on the right side of the road sincerely regret it, and here in this recumbent and humiliateG position humbly beg your pardon
 The German looked at me very hard for a few minutes and then at his wheel. T am glad to see," resumed that you carry out the precept which was probably taught you in your child hood. and which I see you have never forgotten, to keep to the left Continue to do so through life. It will make it real pleasant for yourself and those whom you meet. When you are going down the next hill on the wings of the wind, as it were, sing to yourself the refrain of that old song, which possibly you know by heart, Keep to the left boys, keep to the left" It will keer your courage up, and at the same time prepare you for any old-fashione6 wheelman that you may chance to meet who persists in keeping to the right side of the road"
 fi,,1x 1, !, grumbled the German, as he pushed his battered wheel to the shade of the nearest tree, under which he sat him. self down to mediate. Feeling that had done my duty I sought the nearest bicycle repair shop.
 Although it is quite impossible for a wheelman on the road to keep anythins else, it is very desirable that he keer his temper If he can at the same time train himself to be something of a phi lOsopher, so much the better. In cases where he may find little knowledge oi wheels and wheeling a dangerous thing he will find a grain of philosophy will go a good way toward helping him put of trying situations.
 Remember it never was intended that you should coast through life. There will be some steep and hard hills an6 you will have to climb them. There is where your philosophy should come into play The fellow who thought out the ancient toast, Here's hoping that when you are ascending the hill o1 prosperity, you may never meet z friend coming down." couldn't have been wheelman. Because if there is one thing more than another that vii exasperate a cyclist and turn him greer with envy, it is, when he is pushing UT a hard and steep hill on hot day, tc meet fellow wheelman coming airily down, without an effort, or the least ex. ertion on his part. If you can be philo. sophical in case like this, then you are proof against envy, and better fitted for being an angel than wheelman
 No one can realize the delights of ear 1y morning wheeling until he has tried 1t. With light breakfast and a light heart the early morning hours seen just suited to the road. There is z freshness and sweetness in the air, sucf as can be found at no other time in the day; the roads are damp, but not too heavy, from the dew of the night; the song birds give you a welcome witt their earliest and sweetest melodies the meadow and roadside blossoms noe and shake their heads as the fresT