cling jacket. The great square was thronged with
spectators to see us start; the police made a lane through their midst
for the riders. My backer had advised me to come to the post as late as
possible, 'For I have entered your name,' he said, 'simply as Lois
Cayley. These Deutschers don't think but what you're a man and a
brother. But I am apprehensive of con-tingencies. When you put in a show
they'll try to raise objections to you on account of your being a
female. There won't be much time, though, and I shall rush the
objections. Once they let you run and win, it don't matter to me whether
I get the twenty thousand marks or not. It's the adver_tize_ment that
tells. Jest you mark my words, miss, and don't you make no mistake about
it--the world to-day is governed by adver_tize_ment.'

So I turned up at the last moment, and cast a timid glance at my
competitors. They were all men, of course, and two of them were German
officers in a sort of undress cycling uniform. They eyed me
superciliously. One of them went up and spoke to the Herr
Over-Superintendent who had charge of the contest. I understood him to
be lodging an objection against a mere woman taking part in the race.
The Herr Over-Superintendent, a bulky official, came up beside me and
perpended visibly. He bent his big brows to it. 'Twas appalling to
observe the measurable amount of Teutonic cerebration going on under
cover of his round, green glasses. He was perpending for some minutes.
Time was almost up. Then he turned to Mr. Hitchcock, having finally made
up his colossal mind, and murmured rudely, 'The woman cannot compete.'

'Why not?' I inquired, in my very sweetest German, with an angelic
smile, though my heart trembled.

'Warum nicht? Because the word "rider" in the Kaiserly and Kingly
for-this-contest-provided decree is distinctly in the masculine gender
stated.'

'Pardon me, Herr Over-Superintendent,' I replied, pulling out a copy of
Law 97 on the subject, with which I had duly provided myself, 'if you
will to Section 45 of the Bicycles-Circulation-Regulation-Act your
attention turn, you will find it therein expressly enacted that unless
any clause be anywhere to the contrary inserted, the word "rider," in
the masculine gender put, shall here the word "rideress" in the feminine
to embrace be considered.'

For, anticipating this objection, I had taken the precaution to look the
legal question up beforehand.

'That is true,' the Herr Over-Superinte