The herald., 1916-04-06
Aunt Sally S
Bike
BY NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

Things in and around the village OF
Poolsville had got into periIous state.
Not a tin peddler had entered the
town for six weeks. and half the pans
and cofTeepots were leaking
Business was 50 quiet that an order
for a whole gallon OF mOiasscs was
almost towns talk.
One Of the inhabitants Of POoiSYille
was Aunt Sarah Touker. She was wild
owed six years before and lived with
her daughter. Aunt Sally had always
been a hustler, and when Il dull time
came to PoOlsville she had always been
ready TO bestir herself to end it. She
was ready TO help end this. She went
to Deacon Thatcher and Indignantly
asked:
Are you men going TO let this town
fall into its mudhole and give last
gasp
Why. Aunt Sally, what can be
done?" he asked in reply. We are in
a rut here. and we've got TO stay lin
that rut till Providence boosts us out
Of It."
Aunt Sally went home to say 10 her
daughter:
Hammer. am going over to Gull
ford TO see sister Kate for two weeks"
1t was in the early days of the bike.
The machine had been adopted in al
most every other town around. but
PoolSville frowned upon it.
Aunt Sally TOOker knew just how
the bike was regarded in her home
town, and she knew that she was six
ty years old and was expected TO set n
good example for the younger folks.
Nevertheless. she had only reached
Guilford when she said TO her sister:
SISTER Kate, have they bikes for
sale in GuilfOrdT'
why, OF course" was the reply.
Then get on your bonnet and 60
with me to buy one"
For a nephew"
NO, sir; for yours truly. Aunt Sally
Tooker. have come over here TO
learn to ride the bike, and can't get
at it a minute too soon"
But you are not going to ride the
bike in Poolsville" gasped the sister.
Why, they will mob you over there"
Let them mob and be darned.
That's where I'm going TO ride the
bike. The old town is in n rut. and
I'm going to wake her up
In week she could ride up a hill
and down, and when the time she had
given herself to remain in GuilfOrd
had expired she started for Poolsville
on her bike.
The highway leading out of and into
Poolsville is a hill with a gentle slope
half mile long. and it was the hour
of noon one day when Aunt Sally
Tooker reached the brow OF this hill
There she rested and looked down
upon the village. 1t seemed asleep.
1t was after Aunt Sally had survey
ed this peaceful scene for five minutes
that she uttered three or four long
drawn screams and mounted her bike
and started down the hill Though hel
screams aroused the town as the re
port of 4 cannon would. all of a sud
den people appeared at their doors
and their gates and exclaimed to eact
other:
What in heavens name is that
Has the judgment day come at last?"
1t hadn't. but Aunt Sally Tooker ant
her bike had.
She was coming down that Ions
grade. holding her bike steady will
one hand and waving her bonnet will
the other She went through that vii
lage like cannon ball.
At the farthest outskirts of the vii
lage Aunt Sally turned about and came
whizzing back to dismOunt in front o
the postoffice. where the crowd wa
thickeSt.
Now, ma, you have done itr' wa
the greeting of her daughter as she en-
tered the house.
YES, | have woke up Poolsville, anC
you are going to see things hum" wa
the proud reply.
1t wasn't an hour later before tn,
+ hum was heard and seen. The min
lister of Aunt Sally's church appeared
/ to ask:
SISTER, is that your bikeT
Il paid $50 for it, parson."
"And are you going to ride it il
! POolsville?'
Morning, noon and night and some
times in the afternoon"
"Then. sister, you must take the con
sequences"
81 will, parson."
The consequences were that charge
were preferred against Aunt Sally.
The charges against Aunt Sally wer
for riding a bike in the public street
! and thereby injuring the cause Of re
! ligion. In five minutes her lawye
tore these charges to shreds. In fiv
more those who made them were mad
ashamed Of themselves. You can judg
| of this line of argument.
/ Aunt Sally was very promptly &C
| quilted. For few weeks most Of tn
! members Of the church turned q coli
shoulder upon her and the neighbor
kept aloof, but she went on riding he
bike until Deacon Dhurber said to tn