Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-27
A WILD RIDE.
THE TRUE STORY OF A THRILLING EXPE-
RIENCE.

BY w s. WALLACE.
Willis. the son of Mr. Boxer the station
| agent, had been given a new bob sled for
1 his birthday. and he was anxious to try 1t.
| So on a certain Saturday he gathered to-
gether few boon comrades who were glad
I of a ride or two and tried all the hills in
| town in succession. At length Forest street
! alone remained unconauered, and thither
Willis and company bent their steps. The
| Meteor as the boosled was called, proved
| so fast that the longest hills seemed too
| short to it's owner. Forest hill, however,
| could be coasted for a half mile-that Is,
| from the last turn by the Bell house cleaf
| down to the railroad tracks. where the sta
| ton stood.
| The Hill was crowded with merry coasters
| when Willis started up. He knew that
| above the bend the road continued to as
| cend the mountain side for two more miles,
| and it was suggested to him on the way
| up that one had ever yet dared to coast
| the whole distance.
Boys" cried Willis. eagerly, Il dare!
| There was shout OF -derisien.
Yes. l think III try it; who'll go with
me?" he cried defiantly. Volunteers want
| ed to ride the Meteor from the top of the
mountain"
| At first the boys SHE'D, but presently Will
i lis had chosen three other boys to ride with
| him, and after cautioning the coasters 10
| watch out for him. departed for the top
Ooh" cried little GIRL when they had
gone lit will go so fast we shan't see 1T at
all"
Yep" said another with vague notions of
| speed. ut will go five miles a second.
The boys trudsed silently up, up, up, until
| at last they came out on level space-she
| top of the hill. Willis put Fem Broker on
| the brakes in the rear, took the wheel
| himself, and the Meteor was ready for what
was to prove it's last performance as bob
sled. Now the coasters had cleared the
road and posted a boy at the railroad cross
| ing to warn sleighS, carriages and grocery
| wagons of the meteoric danger so that
! Willis felt quite safe as the Meteor dropped
| gently over the crest.
We're off, cried Willis. IF any one
wants to quit he better tumble off now
No one did. and the swift Meteor, true 10
| its name, began to gather way at once. The
| first turn was passed on the inside in good
style. and the snow began to whirl into
their eyes in earnest. But the deep snow
up on the mountain had drifted into the
| road preventing high speed. AT the second
| turn the Meteor fwung dangerously near
| the bank. and now the road became
| smoother. The boys saw the trees merely
| as long blurred shadowy things; the speed
| was increasing with each yard, and now the
| riders could see the last turn at the Bell
house with q crowd of delighted coasters
| on the banks. Willis felt that the worst
| was over and called for brakes, but the
| bobsled did not slow up at all. II was hard
| to steer ii at all now, and as the Meteor
| shot by the Bell house it ran far up on the
| bank, nearly going over a fifteen-foot wall.
| The boys merely saw two lines of black as
| they whizzed through the cheering crowd
and took the last turn.
| The Meteor took the last stretch with a
| bound that nearly left Fem behind. He
| applied the brakes. there was a slight jerk
| and the gear broke. With a straight run of
| half mile to the bottom before them, and
| the Meteor going so fast that its riders had
| to cling desperately. the brakes had
| broken. Willis did not know it. but they
were at that moment going faSter-much
| faster than the Limited Express that passed
| through the town daily at noon. 1t was
| no fun now-only terrible suspense, with
| the certain outlook of a crash against the
| station wall at the end.
| Willis felt queer. He could now see moth
ing but straight black and white lines like
ruled pencil lines. rushing upward between
| the front runners. Once for brief second
he lost control of the wheel and in that
second the Meteor crossed the road, tore
up on the bank swerved, and returned to
| its path. every boy on 1t was white as
| paper. Willis felt responsible, and he saw
too that the boy placed a&>the hill bottom
| was dancing about wildly. The last few
| yards of road slipped away as If jerked
| from under, and at that instant horse
and sleigh turned into Forest street. Ii
| was all over in a flash of red and white
| The Meteor. going faster than the man in
| the sleigh. faster than any one ever saw
anything going before wheeled out of a
| cloud of snow dust, struck the sleigh side
| ways passed under the horse and hurled
| itself empty. against the station wall
| where 1t was dashed into hundred pieces
The great ride was over. and four plucky
| foolish boys lay here and there in the snow
| But by a miracle there was little damage
| done, except to the Meteor itself. Mr. Bo.
| ker picked up his son and his comrades
and discovered thirty or forty bruises, some
| bad cuts and a broken arm. Willis had
| broken his arm in two places but 1t soon
| knitted. And since that time no one has
! coasted down Forest street, and a large
| sign on tree there reads: