Woe to the tires of the unwary cycler who comes suddenly upon such a
mended road! There was one the other day, a lady, coming home hot and
tired after a long run. She slackened her speed, gazed in despair at the
wicked little sharp-pointed stones which lined her path for many yards
to come, and finally, hot and tired as she was, she dismounted and
carried her bicycle to a spot where the road was again worn to a
comfortable smoothness.

[Illustration]

All cyclists meet with the same experience, and it has set the clever
heads among tire-makers thinking how the inconvenience can be remedied.
There are several new kinds of tires suggested, and one seems to be
quite a good idea. It is to be composed of a series of inflated balls,
with an outer rim to protect them from the stones, nails, etc., which
are the nightmare of the bicycle-rider. In this way, should an accident
happen to one ball, the others need not be in any way injured, and the
horror of a punctured tire would be greatly lessened.


SEWING-MACHINE THAT WILL CUT AND MAKE BUTTON-HOLES.--Here is an
invention that will delight the girls.

Our sewing-machines do so much of the work for us nowadays that one
quite resents the idea, after a garment is otherwise completed, of
sitting patiently down to make button-holes, just as our grandmothers
used to do, and their grandmothers before them. Some one has come to the
help of busy workers with a machine that has a double action. It not
only sews button-holes but cuts them. It is provided with an appliance