The Bold Bad Bicycle. 227

when he came out of the house, stared in aston-
ishment to find him gone.

“T really did n't know the fellow could run,”
he said, but then Ze had n’t seen the riderless
bicycle.

On and on sped the machine. He now kept
meeting people, and they acted very much as the
horse and dog had done, being greatly alarmed
at the strange sight. The Bicycle finding that no
one could possibly catch him, had a fine time. He
would go up slowly till he was quite near some-
body, and then, just as he put out his hand to
catch him, wHigz, he was a block away, leaving
the man behind gasping with surprise. People
shouted, horses shied, dogs barked, and the police
were at their wit’s end. Accidents were reported
in all parts of the city, from runaway horses who
had caught sight of our friend.

“Arrest that bicycle,’ demanded the people ;
“it is dangerous.”

“ Willingly,” said the police, “but how? No
train, horse, nor bicycle can catch it.”

But fortunately for the city, the Bicycle, after