Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-08
A MODERN ROMEO.

She had coasted down a steep hill which
turned two sharp corners. She had al
escort, but he vas a young man with dis
erection and II brake, and while he would
do a good deal to save her he couldn't ia.
the pleasure in perishing with her. s.
when she whirled round the first cornel
he resigned himself to losing her and won
dered how he would take the body home
The thought came to him that the situa
tion would be less complicated if sh,
should be dead than if she should be seri
ously wounded, but he put that idea aside
hastily and hoped that she wouldn't SUITE,
much before he could get aid.
When he cautiously turned the SECOND
corner, he saw the victim sitting on 8
stump beside the road and tapping tn,
ground with her foot.
Come by freight" she asked s~cornful
ly. Her protector ~dismounted and looked
her over.
"You aren't hurt?'' he said anxiously.
"Of course not! What could hurt me?'i
"You really oughtn't to do that sort Of
thing, you know" he protested. Nobody
has any business coasting that sort of a
hill"
II hope you don't think that a bad
hill"
He did, and he registered a mental oath
that the next time he should take q girl
wheeling she wouldn't be able to ride bet
ter than he; but he smiled feebly, and then
the girl relented.
II guess it is a nasty hill" she said
sweetly. But I'm never afraid of coast.
ing. They say the best way to teach a boy
to swim is to throw him into deep water
and let him scramble for life. If he finds
he can take care of himself, then he'll
never be afraid again. I learned to coast
something after that fashion. I don't be-
lieve l could ever have screwed up courage
enough to try it deliberately, the way you
men do"
The young man looked less exasperated,
and pre-empted part of the stump.
GLOW did it happen?" he asked. Her
hand was a nice, soft little one, and he con-
cluded it made little difference if a girl did
ride we'll. There were other things to be
considered. On the whole, he thought he
wouldn't change girls for his next ride.
"We We're up at Magnolia" she said,
"and I had been riding all summer, but I
used a brake and back pedaled down hill,
and if the place was a bad one l got off
and walked. People said l didn't have
proper pride about wheeling, but l wasn't
taking any risks, and the very thought Of
coasting made my blood run cold. One
day we started for Annisquam, and about
half way there we struck an awful hill.
1t was frightfully steep and long and was
full Of gravel. Then there were springs in
the woods, SO that little streams ran across
the road diagonally and had washed out
deep hollows. At the bottom the road
turned a sharp corner in sand and ran
down almost to the beach, but it finally
divided, n path going IN to the beach
and the other turning along the shore.
81 thought at first that I'd get off, but
Tom went ahead" Then some difficulties
with regard to staying on the stump were
arranged, and she went on with her story:
"Several swell carriages were coming up
the hill, and l didn't want to look like a
'fraid cat, so I pedaled ahead and started
down. I tried to use my brake, but the
wretched thing wouldn't work, and by the
time I found that out I had struck the
first washout. My wheel gave a jump
you know how-my feet flew off the ped
ais, l flew off the seat, but I came down
on tho saddle, and away we went. My,
how we did fly! I didn't know what to
do with my feet, SO 1 tried to curl them
up out of harms wsy and gripped the
handle bars and wondered who would feel
worst about my death. What? Oh, but
you see you didn't know me then, so you
wouldn't have known what you were los
"The people leaned out of the carriages
watch me go by, and l heard n old
gentleman say, Crazy fool! She deserves
But I was too far away by that time to
hear the rest of it. l suppose he thought I
doing my little stint for fun. Tom
ahead of me, and I couldn't urn out
for anything, SO I screamed, Look out,
Tom, I'm coastingl' He said, Jerusalem!
and scrambled to the side of the road, look
ing as scared rs I felt. He thought l was
doing it all on purpose too.
my wheel made flying leaps over every
stream, and l staid on. but l knew
about that sand at the bottom of the hill
and thought could see my finish. 1t took
0OAAOuA1u8 l1O4o Ulllu otbuu W oGOD luO IL
my mad career. / flew around the corner
md on down the road, but l didn't have
'ense enough to turn the second corner.
"The wheel tore along down the path,
the pebbles and stones and into the
When we met the surf, we went
Town. I was surprised at that. 1t seemed
% me nothing but the end Of the world
would stop that wheel. I grabbed the BIZ
'ycle and waded out. BY that time Tom
vas on the beach waiting for me-"
Wasn't he relievedP" asked the young
nan tenderly.
She looked indignant.
Relieved He howled! He said when
10 took a girl bicycling he was prepared to
ave her from some kinds Of death, but
hat he wouldn't swim to her rescue. He
couldn't afford to shrink his bicycle toys.
"Now, when I'm going riding with a
nan Tom always advises him to wear his
suit. Exchange.
Grants Dream.
Only two men knew Grants dream
Bishop John P. Newman and Senator
Jhaffee of ColOrado-and they kent 1t q