The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-12-19
A Bicycle
Romance
BY Frank NJ. BickneH
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.,

BELL.
Yes, mother"
And the young girl, who had been
sitting In one of the bay windows, laid
down her work and disappeared from
the view of the young man who had
been watching her from the other bay
window, and who now took up his
work and tried to go on with 1t.
Numbers 80 and Al Walnut street
formed a double house in pleasant,
though Questionable. quarter OF the
suburban city of Whiterow. Number
80 was occupied by Mrs. Martha Hig-
ginson and her small but select board.
ing house. Number Al had been va
cant up to within short time, but
family had lately moved in, consisting
as far as the observation of the neigh
bors went, of middle-aged man and
woman and girl OF 1S-presumably
father, mother and daughter. 1t had
been learned that the name OF the ram
lily was Mayhem and that the male
head of 1t. who appeared to be con-
firmed invalid, had served CALAMITY In
the war of the rebellion as major OF
volunteers. Also that he was now In
receipt of pension in supposed re-
payment for the loss of the health he
had left behind him in the Virginia
swamps To exc out this necessarily
rather scant income the daughter dec
GRATED china-or at least It was In
ferred that such might be the case
from the fact Of her being seen dur
ing a part of every day industriously
painting pottery in the front bay win
dow.
Wentworth Derricott, bachelor, aged
26, had been in possession OF Mrs. Hlg-
ginson's second floor for nearly year.
By occupation he was reviewer OF
published books and reader OF I'M
published ones. Derricott longed to
make Miss Bell Mayhew's acquaint-
ance. No doubt he would get to know
her eventually, for Mrs. Higginson
would make neighborly call. In the
course of time, and, in the course OF
time that call would be returned, and
thus gradually a way to an acqua1nt-
anceship between the two households
would be paved. But all that form and
ceremony might take several weeks.
look upon himself as hardened and
hard-hearted bachelor Now. on a
sudden he discovered that there was
a soft place somewhere about him, the
presence OF which he had not suspect
ed. The joys of single-blessedness.
which he knew, began to grow dim
before dreams OF the delights of mar
ried bliss, which, as yet he knew not.
He was not habitually An early riser,
but one morning, in consequence Of
work neglected the day before, he got
up with the sun, and made diScov-
cry which proved to be Of some impor-
lance to him. He had Just finished his
preliminary toilet and seated himself
for doing stint before he could be
disturbed by the breakfast bell when,
CHANGING to glance downward, he saw
in the street figure which at once
arrested his attention. A young lady
in a becoming blue suit was In the act
OF mounting bicycle In front OF No.
Al. He thought he never had beheld
more pleasing spectacle than Miss
Bell Mayhew-for of course 1t was she
looked at that moment, and he ga2ed
at her with all his eyes so long as he
was vouchsafed the privilege. After
she had ridden away out of sight he
resumed his work, or tried to do so.
but 1t is to be feared that the much
he had hoped to accomplish proved In
the end to be lamentably little. He
remembered that he had bicycle up
garnet and he determined to give 1t,
= fhor
formerly. That very day he got the
machine downstairs and put 1t in or
der.
He did not always ride in the morn
ing, and he never ventured to start
out at the same time that she did. He
carefully refrained from doing any
thing which might even remotely
cause her annoyance, or lead her to
suspect how glad he would have been
II they could have taken their daily
Constitutional in company. He fire.
quently met her, though-he did not
feel that duty called upon him to
avoid that-sometimes going, some
times returning, twice or thrice far
from home. On the last-named occas-
ions he would have bowed slightly had
he dared, for since they saw each
other so often, why were they not, in
manner, cquaintances?-only she
never gave him the chance. or seemed
to show the slightest inclination to en-
courage such familiarity.
One morning, very early, before SUM-
rise In fact, he went out for a ride.
She'll not be stirring for an hour
yet he thought, land can get home
again before she starts"
What was his surprise. however,
while traversing a favorite bit of road
known as the Sheldon turnpike, to
espy familiar figure not very far
ahead. 1t was Bell Mayhem moving