A Bicycle Chase

Milo Warren was making a cali on a girl to whoni he was fondly attached, although he had never told her so. But this was a case where actions speak londer than words, and - leave a girl alone for finding out if a young man regards her with favor. Every girl is clairvoyant where affairs of the heart are concerned. They were talking about their birtbdays and the picasant custom of giving presents at such a time. "Let me see," said Milo thoughtfully, "did you say your birthday carne in September, Miss Ñellie?" "I did not say," remarked Miss Nellie demurely. "Then it was December, wasu't it? Sorue lucky fcllow will be giving yon a iíamond, perliaps. " "Ora souvenir spoon, " laughed Nellie. "You kuow they made jewel spoons for birthday gifts, but all the girls changed their birthdays to December, and the young men could not stand the expense, and they sent a petition to the manufacturers, asking them to discontinue the custom ; so no more spoons are in the market. " "I - I - I- really wishyou would teil me when your natal day arrivés. I might at least seud you a bunch of roses, in remembrance of all the - the - happy days we have spent together. Is it this nionth, Miss Nellie?" "You reinind me of the par lor game, 'Is it this: Is it that?' " said Miss Nellie, aud then fearing that the young man was befcoming sentimental she turned the conversation to other subjects. But the next day Milo Warren dropped casually into the store where Miss Nellie Newton 's best brother was engaged as bookkeeper and inquired soleniiily at the grated window which permitted a segment of nis countenance to appear if that young man would take lunch with him. "Certainly," was the brnsque reply from a ínouth full of peus. "I'll meet thee at Philippi - I mean at Htmger & Co. 's - in an hour. " He was there, and at the pleasant spread of good things provided Milo Warren propounded this contmdrum : "If yon like a girl awfully, bnt haven 't told her so, and yon think she maybe likes you awfully - no, I don 't mean that - bnt if that girl has a birthday and you want to make her a present, and she won 't teil you when it is the birthday, yon know - oh, hang it all, I'm everlastingly mixed up. Can't you help a fellow out?" Lyman Newton laid aside his knife and fork and looking Milo in the face, asked seriously : "Any insuiiity inyourfamily, Milo?" "None that I ever heard of outside of my own case, "was the depressed answer. "JRedncing your heroics to a plain statement, then, yon wanttogive a girl of your acquaintance a birthday present?" "Exactly." "Is she an 'old woman?' " "Whatdoyou mean?" roared Warren, turning red. 'Til thank you to speak with respect of rny friends - besidesl"- "Oh, noharmdone; don't get riled so easily. I wanted to know if she belonged to the past age or the present. I take it, then, that she 's a 'new woman?' ' ' "I understand now. Yes, I believe she has ad vaneed opinions, but she isn't orie of those dreadful creatures that advocate the wearing of bloomers. Nellie is the soul of womanly modesty and"- "Nellie? Do I know this bright particular star?" "Why, of course you do - I quite forgot - she's your own sister!" "Well, I like that ! And you want to rnake her a birthday present and don't know the day. Sorry, old fellow, trat I can't help you out. Nelliewould take my head off if I told. " That ended the lunch, but an unforeseen thing happened. Just asMilo Warren left his company at the corner he saw an urchin he kuew. It was the infliction known as Nellie's youngest brother, aged 7, capacity for mischief seven times seven, precocity unlimited by auy period of tima Milo, with malice prepense, engaged the dear child in a surfeit of sweets, and then asked, as if the idea was not of the least consequence and had just occurred to him : "Whendoes sister Nellie have a birthday?" The dear child looked at him for a moment, drew his mouth round under his ear, elevated both eyebrows and said in a confiding, infantile voice: "What'll you give ter know?" Advantageous terms being made, the boy puckered his mouth for a whistle, thought better of it and gave the following Saturday as his sister's birthday. "An if yer want to make yerself solid - see, just send her a real stuuner of a bike. " "What! A bicycle? Does she ride?" "How kin she? I reckon she kin learn, mister. Yer just send that bike - there ain't nothin Nell wants wuss nor that. " With this advice and beiug sworn to Becrecy, the small terror bowled himself off. It gave Milo Warren something to do to parchase that bicycle and have it delivered to Miss Nellie on her birthday iu an nivonymonfi ruanner. He expected it bact every for about a week, but it tlid not come, and he feit eafe. The small brother had not betrayed him after all. But after a little he began to wish he had, for Miss Nellie had evidently mouuted thut bicycle and ridden out of his life. He called, but she was out on her bicycle, no matter what the hour was, uoou or night, and he got himself run over on the street and knocked down daily by dashing out from sidewalk corners to see who the rider was and gotting hurt for his pains. Wheu he i coukl stand it no longer, he carne to a sudden resolve - he would buy a bicycle lor niinselt and perhaps be able to find Nellie. And now began an exciting chase for life and hberty, for at one moment the amateur bicyclist was under the f eet of a trampling horse, the uext he was running over a wrathy pedestrian, and he usually ended his experiences by picking up his frisky steed and carrying it to the shop for repairs. And all this time he never caught a glirnpse of Nellie, but he was inclined to think he divined the cause. Judging from his own experience in learning to a bicycle, Nellie might be exercising her own fractious acquisition on soine remote roadway outside the city limits - or, dreadful thought, might even be laid up herself for repairs. He called on the bookkeeper brother, but found him busy and noncommittal. So he waited and tried to possess his soul with patience and learn to ride a bicycle without the zigzag ruotion that had endangered the lives of the populace and nearly caused his arrest by the pólice. Then he made the discovery that if he gave his wheel its head it would behave rnuch better than when he guided it carefully, to the end that it traversed botli sides of the street at once. After acting like a thing poseessed it learned to behave, and he found himself skimming along like a bird on the wing, with an exultant seuse of froedom and delight, and he longed to see Nellie and teil her what he had been tryiug to say for months - that he loved her ! And at that moment there whizzed past him a visión in bloomers, one of those dreadful new women of whora he had Jieard and now was to see. He almost feit that it was disloyalty to gentle little Nellie to even at such an apparition, but somehow she looked .so qaaint in her saucy jacket and baggy tronsers, her neatly gaitered feet were so pert and independent, that Milo looked and looked again. Then he gave a great whoop and took after the flying wheel like a streak of lightning. His confldence stood hiin instead of skill. He went spinning along in fine style until he reached a parallel with the girl in bloomers, then he leaned over to speak to lier, toppled and feil in a heap, but not before he had gasped, ; "Nellie!" i That young lady skillfully eluded the ; wreek, made a fancy run and turn, and as Milo gathered hiinself np, said pleasantly : "Why, Mr. Warren, I didn't know that you rode a wheel. ' ' "I don't, " said the yonng man ruefully, feeling of his elbow to determine whether it was dislocated or raerely abraded, "but you, Miss Nellie, are quite an expert. ' ' Miss Nellie murmured something about the wheel being a present frora her brother, and that ie had not cared to ride, but did just to please him. "But youought tosee my little brother ride," she said, with enthusiasm. "He rides the wheel when I ain not using it, and he makes it spin. Why, he rides standing up, and I'm afraid something will happen to him. " Milo was walking along, leading his wheel, as if he preferred that way, and Miss Nellie gave him severa] exhibí - tions of her skill, and each moment made a stronger and more lasting impression on the poor fellow'sheart. But even bicycle oourtship comes to an end, and they were at Nellie's home, and he must leave tor, unless - he asked for a glass of water, and before it was brought he sat down with the wheel on the sidewalk. It was asudden and most effective stroke of art. Nellie cried and asked if he was killed anywhere. Mrs. Newton brought camphor. They got him into the house, and then he was able to speak, and said what was true enough - that he had lost his head for a moment. The two most expert cyolists on the avenue are Milo and Nellie. You will recognize her by her brown bloomer snit, which is much adruired, and him by the glad smile which mantles his expressive countenance. Nellie knows now who gave hfr the wheel, and Milo has had another exainple of the total depravity of the sniall brother. Nellie's birthday comes in January, but toexpe dite matters the iinp changed it to July. However, all's well that ends well. -