| Show ON A BROKEN WHEEL n IT IM WYATT the well known bicyclist bicy-clist told the following fol-lowing story to a iII mall party of un one evening after j a does sp nlhroilRh f JJ11 the mountain region j r re-gion of the Oranll I Stale Coasting I t these Kranconla hill reminds me of a Meriting experlenc I had lait year In the heart of the Mnhave dlalrlet la Western Anions began Will and though even Ita memory is I not pleasant I pleas-ant I shall not mind aplnnlnit you the nrn lo hip while away tho evening A chum had Mt out with me lo do the country but at Mokave City he fell III and I waa obliged to continue alone Wishing 10 remain with him as long se powlble I did not start out until nearly noon the Drat day but before auas t Iran I-ran glad lo begin to look for some sort III a shelter for th night I bad Vn climbing and matting hills mountalnamoro correctly speaking speak-ing err since starting and at auns t I saw no Indication of reaching a human hu-man habitation far toll I I had ben told of II amall town In one nt the valleys val-leys to the east but Ifore thin HIM I had a < ronsrloutnea of having related the haven by getting on the wrong I Kid Htlll l knew I was on a road traveled by a semiweekly sag and I pedaled ahead wlh boiler spirit than I should have felt had I reallteil the tnith and at last upon Ibo summit of one of the lung upgrades I was gladdened by the alghl of a dwelling It did not matter to me that the building was little better than n shanty II long as It waa Inhabited and prom teeI I mr protection during the night I was met 1 at 1 the door by a couple of roiighlroliing men and In answer ton to-n request lo 1101 over night waa told to walk In I left my bicycle In a tort of rude tan to but reardleil It the moment I had entered the dwelling I found a third man letting Iho evening meal and If I had thought 1tIs companions repullv appeared absolutely hideous hide-ous I felt too that he would think no mor ur rutting n mans throat than he would ol shooting n mountain sheep He end me closely but did not offer to speak The cihrr proved more sociable hon ebpr and atkeil IIB all aorta ot questions ques-tions until eomplately tired out 1 suggested that I would like a chance tu sleep NI was then escorted the loft making mak-ing the aMKiit by a land r r which waa pulled awa Immediately after the men lelurnwl below I had resolved not to sleep Mil throwing myself on a pllo of skin lu one corner ot my cramped r apartment I lay and listened lo the soumlinmltrneatb until In my dmwsl I hllol I tail like Willing myself a fool for my supletefli agnlnit Iho men hoI ho-I M So more honest than they up d Jet about rote > la tint conclusion I t u my attinllon was tailed back to I the tAtfn below Ly the opening ot Iho 1rr and his entrance ot three new f J J NV t t I yr fm I I h A I 11 II miin PAST HIM UKI A rimi eomrri At I quickly saw These last were fit iiuoclntrs ol the others and upon entering Iho room they dcponltrd I a heavy bundle I on the hoot saying rn something I In an undertone that I did not bear Irpm the contultJtlon that followed I I I caught enough to know that u robbery I bad keen committed by the men recently re-cently and that they bad brought with I them the plunder Tho talk grew I moro anytnled na they continued I and i three time ono ot my host Jerked hla thumb over hit shoulder In the direction direc-tion of my apartment rinally when I overheard them planning to overpower over-power and murder me I thought was time for me to look after my mfety At the farther end ot the long loom was n small aperture doing the atrtlco of a window and I quickly mado up my I mind that the bet thing for me to do war to escape by that way as soon as j convenient I I hadnt come to that con clutloB any loo toon either for nt that I rry moment the men were replacing the ladder to at to reach me Aa swiftly and literal aa posilblo I I sport Ibo length of the old building gaining the opentn Hist as the head ot limo foremost robber appeared abovo tho belch 01 the floor N A full moon made It nearly aa light at day llhoul and It must have shown my figure with great clearness In tho opening for I heard purmcr toy to those behind him NIICI climbing out ot the winder Qulckoulslde and catch him at ho MAIN down I was already awlnglug myaelt outward out-ward and rrgardtr ot tho distance to the ground let go my hold on the hoarding hoard-Ing to drop to the earth In a hAp While I Will regaining my fret somewhat stunned by my fall but not Injured seriously the door opennl l within let 1 than a dozen feet ot me and tho men rushed out pellmell I Here hx In I Don lot him r1 I sway Shoot him My Ant thought wa to reach mv bicycle and aa the report of tbe firearm fire-arm rang out with unuttml akarpnns I on the till night air I darted around the corner of the building In aeaaon to wipe their hullela The next moment I waa rxslde my blreln In the shed It won quite dark Inside the bulld Ing but I managed to get my hand = upon the machine Just aa my pursuers mme around the corner of the main how I was In decidedly clot quarters quar-ters but I itlil bettered that once In the saddle of my silent steed I could bid defiance lo my enemy ao I Ignored their hoar cries wirrender Then aa I pulled the machine out ot the ibM and prepared to mount I mad a discovery that fur fi moment dashed my hope to the earth The handle ot my bicycle had been removed You may Imagine that I had no lime for reflection aa to Ihe reason of Ihl condition of the machine Blioullng furiously one lo another the outlaws were rwhlng forward lo Intercept my Illghl IllghlDltableil Dltableil sail woo I felt that my bicycle bi-cycle wat my only I menna of escape and I vaulted Into Ihe Mat without slopping to consider what might follow The next Instant I woo wheollnn away far dear life In the exellement of the occasion with Ihe ahol of my anemia whttalng about my head I simply steered for Iho road guiding the machine aa beat I could by the artlon of my feet without slopping to think that It mattered tome to-me whether I kept on down Ito road ahead or returned by the way I hod tome Onto yet bosses anglvc hlmebate I I heard the leader of Ihe gang shout Dont Itt him get away alive Ilinrlng back I taw three horse hitched Ihe rllllr of the houte and as innny of the outlaw rushing toward them Then the clatter of hoof rang out with the report of flmrini at I turned to frail myself speeding with lightninglike velocity down the harp descent leading on farther than could tc < U was fortunate for roe Hut the moon rod high In the clear sky lightIng light-Ing my pathway to almost midday brll I iney far by that time I had begun to rentlie Hint my only danger did not lie behind me Under the fnrloua Impetus I had given It at the outset and gaining greater petal l at every revolution ot time wheels my bicycle Wilt already bo yond my control I no longer paid any heed lo my noisy pursuers but nave all ot my at teenllnn lo that wild night ot which I had barely Imgtin t to get n foretanf The descent was growing sharper every moment and expecting to bo flung headlong from my seat nt any Instant I waa carried on and on falter and fatter until I acenied loe my breath and I taw only n whir nnd glitter bo fore my elI el-I had boasted of swift riding before that eventful evening but all patod boo toro that startling experience I scorned to be flying I dont know how I kept my seat how the machine kept on Ha course Twice I found thyself borne around preotpltoua CUM w still sharper detecnU ttlll u Ir whole the course mint have been rv nnrkahly alralght and smooth Two or three lime 1 fancied I saw the outlines out-lines of n team approaching when my heart fairly came Into my mouth but each tlmo I wan happily deceived Then thero loomed up In Iho narrow road the R oho of a hortcman which prove o o-ho no Illusion of my Imagination fortunately the rider was hugging the Inutile ot the way while till animal was wearily climbing the tedloiu ascent as-cent sleeper her If potalble than at any place I had found before I was following In tho middle ot the road On my right hand yawned n deep gully I hate often wondered what that man thought at I sped post him like n Dash my leg actually brushing ngnlnit lilt horse which gnvo a snort ot terror and barely misled leaping agalnit me After that 1 had n clear course though continually iteiccndlng 1 until It seemed lo me It was without end I felt weak nail dluy and liable lo fall from my neat at any moment Then n darkncsa began to settle over tho scene ilghlnl nt Intervals by bAr ot silvery tight across whlcli I sped like specter I was entering n morn heatlly timbered district and whero tho gloom hung deepest over mo 1 suddenly found myself my-self being carried up n sharp ascent and I knew that the wortt ot my wild race Will ocr At the very top of this long rise carried i hllhrr by the momentum It bad previously gained the bicycle oamo to an abrupt slop I dropped upon the ground In a swoon unable lo bear up longer When I recovered my rontclouinoM I found l that 1 had barely escaped being borne down a second ilwwnt ot more than a mile In extent I wasso weak that I Will obliged 1 lo rest under the shadow of the form for half an hour or moro before I could muster aulHclent atrcngth to rexunie my Illtht I could near nothing of my pursuers and Judging that they had abandoned tho chase I motetl l leliurely away on foot not caring to remount my wheel Toward morning I onma to n mall town where I told time story ot my adventure ad-venture A party was at onto organized to visit Iho old house on Ibo heights which had long known nn unsavory reputation and Ita Inmate were sac pulsed and captured aa I afterward learned for I bad no desire to return OUT tho course whlcli had ben the scene ot n ride that yet haunts my mind One of this men found my buoy 00 liandlo and brought It safely back to me |
