The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-18
AWHEEL IN SIBERIA.
The Village Boys Have Never Before
Seen a Bicycle.

Thomas G. Allen jr4., one Of the authors
of Across Asia on a Bicycle, has written
an article on THE Boys of Siberia for the
December st. Nicholas. Mr.. Allen says:
During a bicycle journey through Siberia
one summer, l had occasion to travel sew
eral hundred miles along what is called the
Great Siberian Highway. You will see, by
glancing at the map. that this road con-
meets the Siberian capital, Irkutsk, with
three thousand miles, and along its course
have been built nearly all the towns and
villages of old Siberia
Through these towns and villages made
my daily runs. and usually with a clamor-
ing multitude of shouting boys and yelping
dogs as my escort; for a bicycle was, as
yet, novelty in that part of the world,
and in some of the more remote districts
even thing unknown. / remember, on en-
tering a certain village just at dusk. when
the streets were quite deserted, came sud-
denly upon two village boys walking in the
street. They did not see me until / flashed
abruptly past them. They threw up their
hands in bewilderment, Shrieked out 'chort
eediott." CThe devils comingD and fed in
terror to their homes. l rode on to the reg
and prepared to pass the night in the "trav-
eler's ROOM
In the meantime the news of the "devil's''
arrival mad spread like wildfire through the
village, and the post yard was soon swarm
ing with village boys Fostering the station
master to let them have peep at the mar
permission the carriage was finally taken
out to exhibit TO the wondering crowd
w men L nau IlnSneQ my meal i stole out
unnotdced to observe the group of eager
urchins gathered round the object of their
curiosity. One OF their number more pre-
sun ptuous than the rest, had taken hold
of the wheel, and was endeavoring to en-
tighten his young congregation on bicycle
philosophy i'm general. and this wheel in
particular. The handle bars, he knew. were
TO catch hold of, and the seat was to sit
on, but he did not exactly know how it was
propelled
An inquisitive chap raised the question of
balancing-how the bicycle could stand up
without being held. This question was i'm
sembly, and put the self-elected teacher on
his mettle. He asserted at once that that
feat was easy enough to perform; but the
more he tried to show them how the more
he realized its difficulty, until finally the
bicycle got tangled up with his legs, and
both went sprawling on the ground. This
was the signal for shout of derisive laugh
ter from the crowd; but the little fellow
was not to be defeated so ANONYMOUSLY
He picked himself LIP. rubbed his head for
a moment and medltated. Finally happy
isl, he exclaimed, as he picked up the BIZ
cycle. You see, when it falls over this
way he puts down this prop (pointing to
the right pedaD and when it falls that
way he puts down the other Then the
self-appointed lecturer upon bicycles looked
proudly around for approval.
Why OF course they all murmured and
IN tone of self-reproof that they had not
thought of il before.
And so the little village wiseacre at once
maintained his reputation and impressed
upon his associates how stupid they were
not TO have solved the problem for them-
selves.