Evening star., 1912-07-20
THE BICYCLE POLICEMAN
HAS NO EASY JOB

THE Avenue was like an oven. Even
beneath the big shade trees there
was little relief from the dazzling rays
of Old Sol. Out in the middle OF the
street tired horses and dejected-looking
drivers went listlessly TO and fSo. A
bicycle policeman ran his machine up
against the curb and dismounted at llth
street. He dragged his wheel 10 the
! shade Of one Of the trees and stood there.
mopping his hot forehead IL was plain
to be seen that he was in bad humor, for
when the fat man with the palm leaf
fan asked him X II was hot enough for
him the policeman looked around and
grunted out something about fool ques-
tions.
A Star man found him there mutter-
ing all kinds Of hard-luck wishes against
certain folks who owned automobiles and
motor cycles II only needed a. question.
and the man in blue was telling his trou-
bles with all OF the eoquence that sew
eral hours OF riding a wheel beneath the
hot sun on the Avenue had imbued in
him.
s'I'm thinking Of quitting this job and
getting something easy, like digging
bitches fourteen hours a day ne said.
Perhaps there are some people in Wash
ington who envy the nice, easy life OF
the bicycle cop. but YOU can take IL from
me that any one who rides that wheel
motor cycles, earns all that he gets.
Why. l just pushed those pedals about
five miles after a man and a woman IN.
big touring car.
town, and, after / reached there | found
seven cars all OF the same color standing
in front Of the door. i didn't see the
number on the car / was after but l.
knew my people. / looked In through
the dining room window. and there they.
were. eating and drinking as IL they had
never exceeded the speed limit.
Il waited outside until they had An
ished, and then told the man that he
would have 10 go to the station with me,
Well. believe me, that man was some
buffer He told me that I had made a
big mistake. Said he'd just run in from
the country and hadn't been on the Ave-
nue. for week. The woman backed him
up. and of course knew / was up agAinst
ii. and had TO let them go. Some Of these
folks who violate the traffic laws are sure,
tricky Why. there's one fellow I've been'
after for weeks. ! feel sure that he must,
have a dozen numbers inside Of his car
I'll get him yet, though. and when do.
I'll see that he gets what's coming tc
him.
the bicycle cop encounters his hardest
work. There are more automobiles and
motor cycles on the street now than thefe-
will be at any other time in the entire
year. This Is the season, too, when the
speed bug hits them the hardest. They
can't go fast enough 10 suit themselves
and the result is that the bicycle cop lays
awake at night and dreams Of the niiAs
he must ride In the rear OF some machine
going forty miles an hour, the next day,
Tricks? Well. no: the law II too strict to
let them have many ways OF foolinG us,
but they take advantage Of every means
in their power to get ahead OF us. The,
service will never fill the bill until We
have automobiles to chase them with
then we stand some chance. Just imagine
q man pushing that wheel on a day like,
this Well Ill-gosh: I'll get that feb
low."-
like a flash in pursuit Of q biz car that's
was disappearing up the Avenue at the
rate Of thirty miles an hour.