THE GIG AND THE FOUR-IN-HAND.

A BICYCLE FARMER Two vehicles were gradually approaching each other from opposite directions on a long, straight stretch of country road, which, at the first glance, appeared level.

The glare of the August sunshine reflected from the white dust, the intense heat that caused a flickering motion of the air like that which may be seen over a flue, the monotonous low cropped hedges, the scarcity of trees, and boundless plain of cornfields, all tended to deceive the eye.

The road was not really level, but rose and fell in narrow, steep valleys, that crossed it at right angles--the glance saw across these valleys without recognising their existence.

It was curious to observe how first one and then the other vehicle suddenly disappeared, as if they had sunk into the ground, and remained hidden for some time.