After Supper, Part 2

And, now, for the chilling conclusion . . .  

After Supper, Part One (A Cycling Ghost Story)

With Halloween approaching, I was reminded of this story I came across a while back in J.W. Allen's wonderfully eccentric Wheel Magic, Or Revolutions of an Impressionist (1909). This chapter is, indeed, a cycling ghost story, perfect for this time of year. Here's the first half. I'll post the thrilling conclusion on October 31. 

Hero's Welcome

Parking your bicycle in front of Hero’s Welcome, a classic Vermont general store on North Hero Island, is a tricky business. Two long benches, perfect for leaning one’s bike against, sit out front, one labelled Democrat, the other Republican. These two benches are kind of famous, and meant at least partly as a joke, I think.

People think of Vermont as a solidly blue state, famously progressive and liberal minded, the home of Bernie Sanders, for God’s sake. But it’s not all blue. There are pockets of Trump support in parts of the state, mostly the rural, less affluent, un-solar-paneled areas. So you never really know, even in Vermont, who sits where.