A Bicycle
Romance
By Frank M. Bicknell
(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 it.
Numbers 39 and 41 Walnut street
termed a double nouse in a pleasant,
though unfashionable, quarter of the
suburban city of Whiterow. Number
39 was occupied by Mrs. Martha Hig
ginson and her small but select board
ing house. Number 41 had been va
cant. up to within a short time, but a
family had lately moved in, consisting
as far as the observation of the neigh
bors went, of a middle-aged man and
woman and a girl of 18—presumably
father, mother and daughter. It had
been learned that the name of the fam
ily was Mayhew and that the male
head of it, who appeared to be a con
firmed invalid, had served gallantly in
the war of the rebellion as a major of
volunteers. Alao that he was now in
receipt of a pension in supposed re
payment for the loss of the health he
had left behind him in the Virginia
swamps. To eke out this necessarily
rather scant Income the daughter dec
orated 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. Hig
ginson’s second floor for nearly a year.
By occupation he was a reviewer of
published books and a reader of un
published ones. Derricott longed to
make Miss Bell Mayhew's acquaint
ance. No doubt he would get to know
her eventually, for Mrs. Hlgginson
would make a 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 acquaint
anceship between the two households
would be paved. But all that form and
ceremony might take several weeks.
Derricott had been accustomed to
look upon himself as a hardened and
hard-hearted bachelor. Now. on a
sudden, he discovered that there was
a soft place somewhere about him, the i
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,
hut one morning, in consequence of
work neglected the day before, he got
up with the sun, and made a discov
ery which proved to be of some impor
tance to him. He had just finished his
preliminary toilet and seated himself
for doing a stint before he could be
disturbed by the breakfast bell when,
chancing to glance downward, he saw
in the street a figure which at once
arrested his attention. A young lady
in a becoming blue suit was in the act
of mounting a bicycle in front of No.
41. He thought he never had beheld
a more pleasing spectacle than Miss
Bell Mayhew—for of course it was she
—looked at that moment, and he gazed
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 it 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 a bicycle up
garret and he determined to give it,
and himself, much more exercise than
formerly. That very day he got the
machine downstairs and put it in or
der.
He did not always ride in the morn
T
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
if they could have taken their daily
‘ constitutionals" in company. He fre
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
j a manner, acquaintances?—only she
never gave him the chance, or seemed
I to show the slightest inclination to en
' courage such a familiarity.
One morning, very early, before sun
rise in fact, he went out for a ride.
"She’ll not be stirring for an hour
yet,” he thought, “and I 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 a familiar figure not very far
ahead. It was Bell Mayhew moving
along at a leisurely pace, when sud
denly her wheel struck a stone and
the next moment she was lying on the
ground. Derricott hurried to her as
sistance. She partly raised herself
from her reclining position as he ap
peared, and he saw that she was very
pale and evidently in much pain.
“Miss Mayhew,” he exclaimed, “are
you hurt—”
“I think I have sprained my ankle,”
she said.
“What can I do?” he asked, rather
awkwardly. “You must be got home
as soon as possible.”
He placed the injured girl on her
I bicycle and by pushing it and leading
his own wheel he managed to get her
home.
Derricott Hurried to Her Assistance.
During the ride home few words
were spoken.
He got her safely housed and deliv
ered over to her mother’s care.
A sprain is often worse than a frac
ture, from a physician's point of view.
It was not quite so in Bell Mayhew's
case, yet her ankle was found to be
hurt seriously enough to keep her
from using it for many days. All
through the long summer, much to^er
regret, she remained a prisoner with
in doors. Meanwhile she and Went
worth Derricott became good friends.
At first he only ventured to call daily
at the door to inquire after the pa
tient: then, being urged to enter, he
fell gradually in the way of doing so.
He easily made the acquaintance of
Mr. and Mrs. Mayhew, who naturally
were grateful to him for the service
he had rendered their daughter. The
daughter herself evidently appreciated
what he had done, although she was
more shy in expressing her feelings
than were her parents. As the sum
mer wore on Derricott became a more
and more frequent caller, until he
counted that day a blank when he
had not spent at least an hour in the
fair invalid's company. After a short
time she had resumed her china paint
ing, and he discovered that he could
be of use to her in taking her pieces
to and bringing them from the firing
establishment which, before the acci
dent, she had been in the habit of vis
iting on her bicycle.
He saw a great deal of her, but, as
it happened, whether by chance or de
sign, never alone, either Mr. or Mrs.
Mayhew being in the room with her
whenever he called.
Toward the last of October Bell’s
ankle had grown strong enough to be
used with care.
“I should so much like to have one
more ride before it turns cold,” the
young girl remarked one afternoon
when Derricott "happened” to be call
ing.
“Oh, my dear child!” protested her
cautious mother. “You know you
mustn't be imprudent. Suppose your
ankle were to give out when you were
five miles from home on a • lonely
road ?”
“I might go along with Miss Bell to
see that she doesn't ride too far or too
fast, and to be near in case of possi
ble mishap,” suggested Derricott, look
ing alternately at mother and daugh
ter, but finally allowing his eyes to
rest appealingly on the latter.
"I am sure I have no objection to
such an arrangement,” said the young
lady.
So it was arranged, and half an hour
later they were rolling leisurely along
the well-kept macadam of the Shelton
turnpike. It was the first time he had
been alone with her since the day of
the accident, and he determined to
seize the chance for saying something
very particular! intended solely for
her ears.
He rode yet a trifle nearer and
stretched out his right hand; she put
her left in it. They were upon the
forest-bordered road, and no one was
nigh to see them. His fingers closed
over the little gauntlet, and the two
riders continued their way, each eas
ily steering with the hand remaining
free.
"We ride very well together,” he re
marked, after a moment.
“Yes,” she assented.
“The road looks smooth ahead Sup
pose we ride together—always? What
do you say. Bell, dear?”
Her long lashes drooped, as they
had a trick of dofhg, and she turned
her head a little aside, in vain effort
to hide from him the soft color that
was mounting in her cheeks; and
meanwhile, in reply to his question,
she said—nothing whatever. Evident
ly her silence gave consent, however,
for they rode on, hand in hand, into
the beautiful vista that lay before
them, as no doubt they are doing,
metaphorically, even at the present
time.
Reached the Stage at Last.
At last one of the greatest of pres
ent-day domestic tragedies has been
actually put on the stage. It is that
of the ever-present question of the
buttoned-down-the-back frock. In one
of the new plays of the week a hus
band has to unbutton his wife’s even
ing dress while they are both on the
stage, and the spectacle is one of the
most human touches in a not very
human play. Of course, the little
scene goes off without any exhibition
of profanity on the part of the hus
band. If the scone had called upon
the actor to button that frock up he
would have sworn simply because be
couldn’t help it.
I
WARNING ORDER
Independence Chancery Court. Fall
term. 1!)07.
Wm. A. Dougherty, plaintiff, vs.
Eva .T. Dougherty, defendant.
The defendant, Eva .T. Dougherty,
is warned to appear in this court within
thirty (.Id) days and answer the com
plaint of the plaintiff tiled herein
against her.
Given under my hand as Clerk of
said Court on this the 4th day of
October, 1907.
Cul. L. Pierce, Clerk.
McCaleb & Reeder. Attorneys for
Plaintiff.
Ira J. Mathenv, Attorney Ad Litem.
4
A Boston schoolboy was tall, *
weak and sickly.
His arms were soft and flabby.
He didn’t have a strong muscle in his
entire body.
The physician who had attended
the family for thirty years prescribed
Scott's Emulsion.
NOW:
To feel that boy’s arm you
would think he was apprenticed to a
blacksmith.
ALL DRUGGISTS; BOc. AND $1.00.
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We have decided to leave Newark in a short time, an we
have a nice, new stock of Men’s, Boys’ and Children s
Clothing, Suits, Pants and a nice line of fine Rain oa s
and Overcoats; also a complete stock of Shoes for all c asses
of trade; a nice, new stock of hats, and, in fact, a . • •
A Complete Stock of
General Herchandise, Which
UST CLOSE OUT!
These goods must be turned into cash within the next sixty days, as we do
not want to have any of these goods moved. Come in and see us, and if price
is any inducement to you, we can certainly do business with you. We are
offering some great bargain in Men’s Overcoats and Pants. Come in and look
over our stock.
We thank the many good people of Newark and surrounding country who
have given us their trade for the past six years, and while we have many good
friends and customers whom we hate to leave, yet, under the circumstances,we
feel that it is to our best interest to do as we are doing.
Again thanking you, we are Your Friends,
GRIFFITH & MORROW
All parties who are indebted to us by note or account will please come in
and settle, as we want to wind up our business at once.
THINK ABOUT IT
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to you and yours. It means all the interest
ing news of the community, of your neigh
oors and friends, of the churches andschools,
">f everything in which you are directly
•nierested. Don't you think the Home
’aper is a good thing to have?
1 ADAMS BROS.
T
! CottOQ ar)d Corn Buyers
I And Dealers in General Merchandise.
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* you the highest market price in cash or trade.
$ Newark, ..... Arkansas
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