Arizona silver belt., 1899-11-23
THE UNBRIBED REFoRMER.
0e Informs . Pretty Bicyclienne That she ls Riding PigcOn-Toed,
 and Gets Jayved.

the boulevard on bicycle quickcned his pace slightly and drew alongside a young woman attired in divided skirts and riding mans wheel.
 'If you will not think am taking too much liberty, miss" he said, rais- ing his hat, "l will venture to tell you that you ride pigeon-toed."
 "Sir!"
 70, 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"
 'I don't think you're much of gen tlemau, anyway"
 ''Yes, but 1 am. I'm a gentleman old enough to be your father, young lady. That is why l took it upon my self to speak to you. Wouldn't you rather"
 ''rd rather not have anyt.ing to say to you, sir"
 ''I 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"
 ''I beg your pardon, but l think there is. l couldn't be ungentlemanly enough to ieer at you behind your back, and from my point of view"
 "Besides, 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 l was about to say, lt wound De almost equally angentlemanly 10 see a young woman unconscously riding along m hign- k pigeon-tJcd manner anu give her no intlmaton that she Is making bewil. dering spectacle of herself"
 ''l uon believe it, either!"
 ''Be it lar from me to dispute with you, miss, but you will paruon me tor observing"
 "l won |, either"
 Tor observing that you are not riding the least bit pigeon-toed now"
 "Iiow dare you, sirY''
 'lt takes great deal of courage, that's fact. but it's sort of duty. 1 am always getting into scrapes, even when 1 am trying the hardest to be a public benefactor. Great Scott, young woman Do l look like man who would go around poking his nose into steel traps merely for the enjoyment ot the sensation?'
 ''l was going along here peaceably, nir and paying no attention to you, and it does seem to me"
 "I beg your pardon, my dear Miss Miss"
 Never mind, sir"
 Miss Nevermind-thank you--why will you persist in refusing to look at the case rom my point of view? Just because nobody has ever told you ol your pigeon-toed form of riding it doesn't follow that nobody ever ought to tell you, and who can do it so appro- priately as some old, withered-but still active, young woman, still active hunks like me? Pigeon toes generally accompany-steady, now-they gener. ally accompany bow legs"
 Sir. l think you are"
 ''They do, indeed, miss. They do, in. deed. l 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- casionally on her wheel, but do assure you that if she rode pigeon-toed, dr had dropped handle-bars and hump, or wore the Jenny Miller style of gear Il am not sure whether that's the proper name of it."
 Well, it isn't"
 Probably not. But if she did all that and rode q mans machine, besides, l should say 10 her: My dear, have position in society to maintain I owe something to my 9amily nanc. There is TO bl.t, | believe, on the na llC oi Gwil- hams. Therefore, my dear, if you in- sist on going out in that style shall hire some trusty policeman to go along fo take care of you, and will stay at home and pray for you.
 There arc machines made for wom- en to ride on. and there is no more need of their mounting mans wheel than there is of their riding in the smoking car of railway train because there happens to Ec smoking car. And short skirts look better than short skirts and the Jenny Miller style combined.'
 "Thats the way l should talk to my wife, and if you knew her as we'll as l do you would think l was taking fear full risk, young woman."
 ''I don't care what you would say to your wife, sir. l think you are the most impudent old"
 "l beg pour pardon, miss, but you are riding pigeon-toed again."
 Will you please go on ahead, sir?"
 ''I would to oblige you, miss, but this is about as fast as can ride. I'm no scorcher. However this is where I turn off. I wish you good afternoon, Miss Ncvermind. I have enjoyed our little conversation very much.' He lifted his hat. turned down n side street. and rode away with his head up But as be turned to glance at her. be- fore she passed entirely out of sight, he saw that she was not riding pigeon toed.-Chicago Tribune.
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