The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-21

volved operations with dress guard
and a gear case. IT'S an inductive
process" said Mr.. Champion, lightly
concealing a faint qualm Of doubt, and
setting to work on the gear case.
They're frightfully complicated
things" she said.
"These machinery people make them
rather stupidity" said Mr.. Champion.
Il shouldn't dare take the thing to
pieces as you are doing"
IT'S very simple, really"
II think men are always so much
thing"
Mr.. Champion did not answer for
second. you've blackened your fin
gers!" she said.
1t was very nice and friendly of her.
but little distracting. She kept step
ping about on the growing circle of
nuts, chain, screw-hammer, washers
and so forth about Mr.. Champion, and
made many bright, intelligent little re-
marks that required answering. And
she really was pretty. Mr.. Champion
still continued to enjoy the incident in
spite of his blackened hands and the
heat of the day ad the quite remark
able softness of the nuts on her ma
chine "If we are better at machine
mending and that sort of thing" he
said, you have your consultations"
II don't think so.'
But men have emotions"
"As girls have bicycles" said Mr.
Champion, with the air of a neat thing
mislayng the pin of the chain and
proceeding to pull out the wheel.
The removal of the tire was the
turning-point of the affair. 1t simply
would not come off the rim. "These
detachable" said Mr.. Champion. He
had to ask her to pull. and the struggle
was violent for a moment and a spoke
got bent, Then he pnched her finger
severely. He knew the operation de-
pended upon a knack. ad as he was
ashamed of not knowing the knack,
he pretended to be doing something
else when man cyclist went by.
Three little children came by. and
seemed profoundly interested until Mr..
Champion stopped and stared steadily
at them Then each began edging be-
hind the other, and so they receded.
And tramp offered ingenious but i'm
practicable suggestions, until Mr.
Champion gave him sixpence to take
them away. Then came the tandem
he had seen in the morning, going Lon
downward, and the old gentleman in
sisted on knowing what was the mat
ter. Beastly officious of him! I'VE
can't remove the tire" said the young
lady-a little needlessly, Champion
thought.
Simple enough" said the old gem
tleman, in abominable taste. 1t was
simple-in his hands In a minute the
tire lay detached.
Il can manage now, thanks" said
Mr.. Champion, rather stifly
quite sure?" said the old gentle
man.
Quite" said Mr.. Champion. with a
quiet stare, and the old gentleman
mounted his machine For of course
Mr. Champion trusted to the directions
on his repair outfit, as any one would.
Thank you very much indeed" said
the young lady.
mo trouble at ALL" said the old gem
tleman, and off he rode.
The next Misunderstanding was en-
tirely due to the silly, vague way in
which the directions on the box were
given. Really you had to stick the
round patch thing on to the puncture,
but Mr.. Champion read rather care
lessly, and first of all cut out a circu-
lar place in the air chamber, and see
ing it was not quite round, he cut it a
little larger, and so on, until it was a
| little too big for the patch thing. The
young lady had been silent for the last
ten minutes or so. watching Mr..
| Champions face, but now she asked
suddenly, "Are you sure that is the
right thing to do?'
1T says so on the box" said Ny
| Champion, looking up with a smile
But really I don't see how we are ia
! manage it quite"
"Do you know said the young lady
81 wanted to he in Crawley by four ~
1t was Il little rude of her, but Mr.
| Champion looked at his watch it was
| five minutes past four! Dear mel" he
| said, agreeably; the time has flown" "
And suddenly he remembered he was
| twenty-six miles from Brighton.
II think, do you know" said the
| young lady, ''if you don't mind I will
wheel my machine, after all. 1t seems
such a long job mending. And really
| in Crawley the mani
These local fellows aren't always
| quite reliable. I'm frightfully sorry
you know not to have got it right just
at once. but
1T was very kind of you to try" she
said.
do you know" said Mr., Champion
"eVen now For the thing really in.
terested him. His idea was to try q
! piece of paper smeared with solution;
| but it did not work, and at quarter
past he began putting the machine
together nothing but neat circular
opening cut in the air tube Of the tire
to show for his wasted hour His in.
terest was fading and the girls man.
ner was not so nice as IT had been
| And curiously enough, the whee
would not go on right, and there was
a difficulty about the chain. One ol
two of the little nut things may have
lost themselves in the grass, and
trivial though they were-this compli.
Gated the business. Mr.. Cramptor
was becoming painfully aware that hi.
hands were black and his suffs crum.
pied, He suddenly felt tired and dis.
| gusted at the whole absurd incident
and, seeing the growing impatience oi
the girl, he hurried the rebuilding in.
discreetly using his wrench as a ham.
I'm afraid not" said Mr.. Champion
rather red in the face, holding the ma
chine by saddle and handle and looking
at it in a speculative way. II was real
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES!