Bikey the Skicycle and Other Tales of Jimmieboy

as it was provided with a bag of tools and a nickel plated

," he said, when describing it

hat?" ask

of the wheel and when you fill 'em up with wind and screw 'em up tight so's

like sailing, maybe. The wind keeps blowing inside

's it," retur

hey call 'em rheumatic

mieboy, "unless it's because th

mmieboy tried to ride over the shaft of a lawn mower with his wheel, with disastrous results. The boy took a header, and while he himself was not hurt beyond a scratch or two and a slight shaking u

and mother had gone out to make some calls and the youngster was spending a few minutes of solitude over a very fine fairy book that had recently been sent to him. Wh

go to it, when the ringing sound came again, but from a part of

It isn't the telephone and it can't be

me a merry voice fr

cried J

on't you remember Bikey, who t

and sure enough there st

cycle standing up on its hind wheel and putting its treadles

was on apple pie day. It isn't pleasant to feel as if you couldn't eat a thing

eth out of joint, as you might easily have done. I knew a boy once who took a header just as you did, and aft

ose, don't you?"

very little of itself left. It's just a stub-that's all," explained the bicycle. "Another boy I knew fell so hard that he pushed his w

aid Jimmieboy. "I might have had

e had your whole personal appearance changed, is getting off very cheap. But, I say, why didn't you tur

I heard papa talking to mamma about the rheumatic tires on his bicycle, and he said they were

e bicycle, scratching its

d I asked him what that meant. He said boyant was a word meaning light and airy-like a bo

ey can't jump over a lawn mower-unless"--Here Bikey paused and glanced a

Jimmieboy, his curi

e, which you and I could try

ce sank int

filled with air, and it makes me seem light as air-but it's only seeming. I'm heavy, as you found out when you tried to get me to jump over

fly?" asked Jimmieboy

n buy a bird for two dollars; but a bicycle costs you anywhere from fifty to a hundred, which shows

?" asked

dy can float on the water, even an old cork; but when it comes to floating in the air, that's not only fun

d Jimmieboy, "but how are you

and fasten one end to the supply valve of my tires, the other to the gas fixture, fill the tires up

Jimmieboy wanted to know something more about i

l the gas do

cram the balloon as full of gas as they can get it and up she sails. That'

ng through the clouds, for to tell the truth clouds look a great deal softer than grocery c

"Skybicycling! Why don't you use your

boy la

ould be better than

e a sort of Christopher Columbus among bicycles, and perhaps I'll be called a skicycle inst

oy, "but let's hurry. Seems to

e rubber tube, fasten it to the gas pipe, and i

een used to carry the supply of gas to his little nursery stove in the winter, a

of his pneumatic tire, "hold the other

for five minutes watched his s

lighter?

the floor already. I think twenty feet more will be enough there, and when you

ires had taken in as much gas as they coul

rd or I'll be off withou

ter turning off the gas and screwing the caps firmly

ough that! Give the right pedal a go

h the parlor without touching the floor, and then sa

cried Bikey, tremb

d Jimmieboy. "But, hi! Take c

some sort had loo

py I wasn't looking where we were going. If you hadn't spok