The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Bicyclers and Three Other Farces, by John
Kendrick Bangs

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Title: The Bicyclers and Three Other Farces

Author: John Kendrick Bangs

Release Date: March 30, 2004 [eBook #11759]

Language: English

Character set encoding: US-ASCII

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BICYCLERS AND THREE OTHER FARCES***

Transcribed by David Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk

THE BICYCLERS AND THREE OTHER FARCES

Contents:
The Bicyclers
A Dramatic Evening
The Fatal Message
A Proposal Under Difficulties

THE BICYCLERS

CHARACTERS:

MR. ROBERT YARDSLEY, an expert.
MR. JACK BARLOW, another.
MR. THADDEUS PERKINS, a beginner.
MR. EDWARD BRADLEY, a scoffer.
MRS. THADDEUS PERKINS, a resistant.
MRS. EDWARD BRADLEY, an enthusiast.
JENNIE, a maid.

The scene is laid in the drawing-room of Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus
Perkins, at No. --- Gramercy Square. It is late October; the action
begins at 8.30 o'clock on a moonlight evening. The curtain rising
discloses Mr. and Mrs. Perkins sitting together. At right is large
window facing on square. At rear is entrance to drawing-room.
Leaning against doorway is a safety bicycle. Perkins is clad in
bicycle garb.

Perkins. Well, Bess, I'm in for it now, and no mistake. Bob and
Jack are coming to-night to give me my first lesson in biking.

Mrs. Perkins. I'm very glad of it, Thaddeus. I think it will do you
a world of good. You've been working too hard of late, and you need
relaxation.

Perkins (doubtfully). I know that--but--from what I can gather,
learning to ride a wheel isn't the most restful thing in the world.
There's a good deal of lying down about it; but it comes with too
great suddenness; that is, so Charlie Cheeseborough says. He learned
up at the Academy, and he told me that he spent most of his time
making dents in the floor with his head.

Mrs. Perkins. Well, I heard differently. Emma Bradley learned there
at the same time he did, and she said he spent most of his time
making dents in the floor with other people's heads. Why, really, he
drove all the ladies to wearing those odious Psyche knots. The time
he ran into Emma, if she ha