The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-29
SHE RODE PIGEON-TOED.
Imagine the Audacity of the Man Who
Told Her of It.

|
vidual who was riding along the boue
ward on bicycle quickened his pac,
slightly and drew alongside a youns
woman attired in divided skirts ant
riding mans Wheel
IF you will not think l am taking toe
great liberty, miss" he said raising
his hat, Il will venture to tell you thai
you ride pigeon toed."
"Sir"
"Oh, most decidedly. Pigeon-toed
Nobody, perhaps, has done you the
kindness to call your attention to it
The effect as one may say viewed from
the rear"
II don't think you're much of a gen
tleman, anyway"
Yes, but | am. I'm gentleman, old
enough to be your father, young lady
That is why I took it upon myself to
speak to you. Wouldn't you rather
I'D rather not have anything to say
to you, sir"'
II was going to ask if you wouldn't
rather l spoke to you about it than to
wink at somebody on the sidewalk and
point at you, and let you ride on in ig-
norance-"
There isn't any need of your doing
either, sir"
| Il beg your pardon, but l think there
is. I couldn't be ungentlemanly enough
| to jeer at you behind your back, and
| from my point Of view"
Besides, l have never been intro
| duced to you, sir.
Then allow me to introduce myself
My name is Civilians Have wife,
but no children. Hence, | have plenty
of time to go about doing good"
Sir, l."
And from my point of view. as was
about to say, it would be almost equally
ungentlemanly to see young woman
unconsciously riding along in highly
pigeon toed manner and give her no in
timation that she is making a bewilder-
ing spectacle of herself"
II don't believe it, either!''
"Be it far from me to dispute with
you, miss, but you will pardon me for
observing"
Il won't, either,"
For observing that you are not
riding the least bit pigeon toed now"
How dare you. sir?''
1T does take a good deal of courage;
that's fact. But it's a sort of duty I
am always getting into scrapes even
when l am trying the hardest to be
public benefactor. Great Scott. young
woman! DO look like a man who
would go around poking his nose into
steel traps merely for the enjoyment of
the sensation?"
Il was going along here peaceably, sir.
seem to me"
Il beg your pardon, my dear Miss
Miss
Never mind, sir"
Miss observation-disclosures you-why
will you persist in refusing to look at
the case from my point of view? Just
because nobody has ever told you of
your pigeon-toed form of riding it
doesn't follow that nobody ever ought to
tell you, and who can do it so appropri-
ately as some old withered-but still
active, young woman, still active
hunks like me? Pigeon toes generally
accompany-steady, now-they general
ly accompany bowlegs-"
'Sir, | think you are"
They do indeed, miss. They do, in
deed. | wouldn't deceive you in mat
ter like that. They don't always go to-
gether, of course, but the presumption
is strong. Now, my wife rides out oc-
casionaly on her wheel, but do assure
you that if she rode pigeon-toed, or had
dropped handle-bars and hump, or
wore the Jenny Miller style of gear-I
am not sure whether that's the proper
name for it"
"Well, it isn't"
"Probly not. But If she did all that
and rode mans machine besides, !
should say to her: My dear, have a
position in society to maintain. | owe
something to my family name. There is
no blot believe, on the name of
Civilians Therefore, my dear, if you
insist on going out in that style l shall
hire some trusty policeman to go along
to take care of you, and / will stay al
home and pray for you. There are ma
chimes made for women to ride on, and
there is no more need of their mounting
a mans wheel than there is for their |
riding in the smoking car of a railway |
train because there happens to be a
smoking car, And short skirts look bet |
ter than short skirts and the Jenny Mil |
Ter style combined. That's the way / |
should talk to my wife, and if you knew |
her as well as | do you would know | |
was taking a fearful risk, young wo-
man."
Il won't care what you say to your
wife, sir. think you are the most i'm
pudent old"
II beg your pardon, miss, but you are
riding peeon-toed again"
will you please go on ahead sir?"
Il would like to oblige you, miss, but
this is about as fast as l can ride I'm
no scorcher. However, this is where |
turn off. l wish you good afternoon,
Miss Nevermind / have enjoyed our
little conversation very much
He lifted his hat, turned down a side
street, and rode away with his head up.
But as he turned to glance at her, be-
'ore she passed entirely out of sight, he
saw that she was not riding pigeon
Tribune.
q a . TO R "a.
Bears the The Kind You Have Always Bought