Show dr DOMS 0 W G GOES S A W WHEELS J A 4 11 A alin I 1 uy by JL isbIt WAVE M INNING fc copyrighted fd by the author authors publishing company p early one morning when the crocus ea es tulip and daffodils were vie ng with cup another in their gauda ral ment a delivery wagon stopped before the garden gate at the gorham homestead A bright new bicycle was lifted out and taken to the side entrance doris gorham stood in the door mixing some teed feed for the chickens when she saw what was coming her heart thumped like a trip hammer her older sister lorinda who was sitting on o 0 the steps paring apples started as though she had received a blow when the wheel was placed beside her on the so doris she began sarcastically without looking up from her work youve thrown your money away on this device of the devil it if you d only taken it when other people aid there d be some excuse for it but from a child you ve always showed such perverseness rut then lorinda bicycles were too expensive began doris her sis te raid no attention 0 fo o the interrupt inter rup tion but exclaimed as she flounced into the house powers of mercy A woman of 0 your age with hair as speckled as the black and white spotted hen ben ridin such an instrument of torture and a real menace to morality and the slamming of the s reen door finished the sentence A drw w years before the opening of this story waverly had grown so rap idia idl after the building of the great steel plant that the three maiden sis living in the comfortable farm house on the ridge road awoke one morning to find their property was within the e ty limits this Is a pretty kettle of fish said lorinda the bluest reading the noti fl fi catlon cation how are we to pay the ing tax and improvement 9 she asked sharply with her little snapping black eyes on the serious faces of her younger sisters cut the meadow up into city lots fioke up eunice the second and ucal sister this suggestion seemed to meet with the older woman s approval doris remained silent but was as con of what lorinda would say next as though she herself was to voice the thought well well take our usual vote on it all in favor of sellin the meadow off in lota lots say yes eunice and lo 10 rinds fairly shouted the necessary word majority rules quickly said the th the wheel was placed bes de her on an the stoop eldest sister and with a satisfied look on her sharp features botin is the only way to keep peace in any family so parcel after parcel of the cor gor ham farm had been sold without a negative voice timid brown haired dons doris had loved and lost in her girlhood days al a though denied through all the years the tender solicitude of a kind bus bind and the glory of motherhood the verv fact of having loved and of hav ing been loved had softened the lines in her gentle face while the taint faint roseate dream of what might have been had helped smooth the rough edees edges of single life a feeling entire ly unknown to her older sisters who h had a d k kept e p t up their ei r ceol dally a i I 1 y rou routine t i n e yea year r a after f t er y year e a r unconsciously 1 i s 1 y h heartless a r t le ss un n consciously soulless they had never once asked why dor a s had given up seth watson it lf chev believed that he had marri married e d lydia par hert out of spite they made no sign before doris that his life bad had been uncongenial and turbulent without the blessing of little ones lo 10 rinda and eunice appeared quite in sensible poor loving doris in her In harmon lous fous atmosphere when fearful of some ones one s cheated us out of years and years of happiness hap breaking the tenth commandment bad had brayed hard for fortitude and grace but a phantom seth had been her con stant companioni companion 1 whether she would or not although when as neighbors they met occasionally they barely passed the time of day and since his bues death the old lovers had seen nothing of each other in the evening of the eventful day in the gorham house doris in a dress reduced in rank to a bicycle skirt parsed stealthily down the gravel alk ind noiselessly up to a quiet little street recently macadamized where she determined to learn to ride the unmanageable thing she was leading her method was indeed original with her left toot foot on the pedal and her right one on the curbstone curb stone she tion occasionally or as she put it limbering up one leg at a time the quaint little woman soon gained confidence and was able to wheel down the steep hill at the end of the street without any mishaps just before starting for home as she held the handle handlebar bar like a vise and rode slowly down the incline she was suddenly shoved in such a man ner that the wheel seemed to take the bit and have its way where re iou ou goinga yelled a hoarse voice as someone wheeled by her where you ve sent me I 1 reckon answered doris not daring to look up and following her leader at a ter rifle speed reaching the foot of the hill she overtook and ran down the wheelman As the rider extricated himself and assisted the little old maid to her feet he exclaimed overcome with as ment doris gorham be blamed if it aln aint t the lady finding she was still in tact standing in the gaslight on the pavement and not riding in a winged chariot looked up into the eyes of her old lover seth watson vatson for a second doris was more an noved than surprised at finding her idol of a quarter of a century riding a wheel at his time of life then she blushed as she remembered that there was only two years difference in their ages conscious of each other others s em barras they sat down on a near by pile of lumber while seth apparent ly looked over the damaged wheels well doris it its s nigh onto five live and nd twenty years since you and I 1 decided to pedal alone came timidly from the bowed gray head yes and our meetings at the cross croas roads haven t been any too pleasant snapped doris who relt felt a ble as she tried to pull her short skirt down over her old shoes but doris it wasn gasn it no fault at of mine returned seth trying to look nto hs his companions eyes nor mine answered the spinster a little more gently meeting his gaze if you d only answered my note that day instead of sending lorinda with your message it might have been different seth said in a husky voice I 1 never got your note and I 1 never sent lorinda to you returned doris n indignantly di g n a n tl y th then e n li like k e a fl flash as h s she h e r re e numbered e m b e r e d the q quarrel u arr e 1 v with it h h her er e eldest 1 de s t ister on that fatal day and how bow lorinda had declared shed fix her seth dropped the wrench be he wae was using and taking doris hand in his ills brawny one said tenderly some one a cheated us out of years and years of happiness little woman but it if you 11 sav the word now well wheel to parson woods and tomorrow to morrow 11 buy a tandem doris rose with a pink flush on her still rounded cheek looking at her bi cycle the unconscious means of her long deferred happiness and then in her old lover over a dark eyes said archly you can buy the tandem seth |