Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-09-02

matters by pedaling; to put my feet
upon the whizzing pedals would only
have hindered their revolution. 7
slackened the sheets little and
clutched the handles desperately-all
I could do. The 1.-the mast creaked;
so did the boom. The wind grew
more violent, but now seemed mingled
with so many cross-currents that the
sail tapped and we began to lose
speed. The crossroads were not
more than quarter of mile distant.
1t would have been impossible to
turn the corner at SO high speed, so l
allowed the dangerous slackening to
go on. We still seemed to fly like a
fash OF light. But the tornado was
fearfully close and could no longer be
kept at arms length. I saw the dust
of my wheels sucked into the eddy
and my hat suddenly went whirling
after it.
The turning point was very near
now. and l began to hope that we
might yet make it. Whiz! whirr!
we went, but could almost feel the
grip of the whirlwind upon my hair.
At last! The corner was reached; we
rounded it with terrific swing and
dashed down the de-road-across
the route of the sweeping destruction.
But to lose at the very moment of
victory. Boards and shingles began
to rain around us. A stick struck
me on the head and disconnected me
so that we struck stone and wob-
bled. At that crisis large piece Of
plank dropped with tremendous
thump upon the front wheel.
The shock was too violent to be re-
sisted. 1 executed wild plunge
sideways from tho saddle, alighting
on my face in bed OF thistles. Ethel
and the bicycle tumbled together be-
side me, and at that moment the
hurricane arrived with n roar like an
express train and gathered us in. I
have a confused recollection of being
mixed up with the wheel, of endeavor-
ing to save Ethel of being banged
about and whirled into the air, and
then l lost consciousness.
I was brought to myself by cold
rain falling in my face. I awoke in
dazed state and discovered myself
lying on my back in muddy field,
surrounded by all sorts of agricultural
wreckage. got up stifiy. feeling as
if every bone in my body were broken,
but with the exception of a bleeding
cut on my head no particular damage
seemed to have been incurred, after
all. The cyclone had passed on, and
/ could see it gyrating and swirliug
in the distance. but it already seemed
to be growing smaller and less violent
A chill drizzle of rain was falling in
its wake, and it's track could be traced
for miles by roofess barns, demol-
ished trees and scattered fences.
When my senses bad fully returned
my first act was to look about anx-
iously fer Ethel. She was sitting in
puddle of dirty water fifty yards
away, and was wiping the mud from
her face with so bewildered and lugu-
brious an expression that burst into
u fit of nervous laughter. Dirt for
tuuately proved to be almost the only
harm she had received, aside from a
few unimpol tant bruises and general
shaking up. My wheel had not Jared
so we'll as it's riders. found it
among number of fence posts, with
the upper tube broken squarely across,
the handle bars bent and several
spokcs smashed. OF the mast and
sail only stump remained.
However, considered 1T most for
tunate that we had come off so cheap
ly, and we made our painful way homo
on foot. The New Voice.