The Bicyclers and Three Other Farces

In Short

This volume gathers four one-act farces—The Bicyclers, A Dramatic Evening, The Fatal Message, and A Proposal Under Difficulties—that chronicle the absurd entanglements of a tight-knit social circle in New York. The characters move from the novelty of the bicycle to the frustrations of amateur theatricals and the perils of courtship, constantly colliding with their own vanity. Through rapid-fire dialogue and escalating misunderstandings, the plays capture a specific moment of transition in American life, remaining relevant today as a sharp, affectionate study of human behavior under the pressure of social expectations.

The Story

The collection opens with The Bicyclers, where Thaddeus Perkins attempts to master the "wheel," a daunting task that leaves him physically broken and prone to hilariously exaggerated claims of athletic success. His friends, Yardsley and Barlow, offer unsolicited, conflicting advice that turns a simple lesson into a chaotic ordeal, eventually involving their wives in a series of farcical misfortunes. By the end, the men are left stiff and sore, trading bottles of "Pond’s Extract" for their injuries while comically lamenting their inability to maintain the "bird-like" grace they pretended to possess.

In A Dramatic Evening, the same group attempts to produce an amateur play. The drawing-room is dismantled to serve as a stage, with pianos moved to corners and dining-room curtains hung as scenery. The rehearsal process becomes a battlefield of egos, as the men, particularly the pompous Yardsley, bicker over cues and interpretations, while their long-suffering wives attempt to manage both the furniture and the tempers of their husbands. The chaos culminates in a scene of total domestic disarray, where the characters find themselves more occupied with the logistics of the stage than with the substance of the art, eventually collapsing into exhaustion as the time for the actual performance looms.

The Fatal Message follows, building on the theme of miscommunication, while the final play, A Proposal Under Difficulties, centers on a romantic rivalry. Robert Yardsley and Jack Barlow are both intent on proposing to Dorothy Andrews. The drawing-room becomes a theater of strategy where each man tries to sabotage the other. In a moment of frantic desperation, Yardsley accidentally proposes to the housemaid, Jennie, while rehearsing his lines. When Dorothy discovers this, the comedy of errors reaches a fever pitch. Yardsley must scramble to explain away the misunderstanding, while Barlow looks on with competitive glee. Eventually, Dorothy sees through the confusion, accepts Yardsley’s genuine proposal, and invites a humbled Barlow to serve as their best man. The curtain falls on the realization that, despite the posturing, their shared social bonds are stronger than their individual vanities.

How It Unfolds

The cycling trial Thaddeus Perkins prepares for his inaugural bicycle lesson, dreading the physical tolls described by his friends. He is met with conflicting technical advice that mocks his investment and highlights his lack of experience.

The theatrical takeover The characters decide to mount a play, leading to the systematic destruction of the Perkins home for the sake of art. The men struggle to move heavy furniture while the women attempt to maintain some semblance of order amid the falling bric-a-brac.

The rehearsal collapse As the performance time nears, the players become hopelessly tangled in their own dialogue and cues. The curtain itself becomes a weapon of frustration, dropped and raised at the slightest provocation to mask unseemly squabbles.

The competitive courtship Two suitors, Yardsley and Barlow, descend upon Dorothy Andrews’s home to secure her hand in marriage. They engage in a series of verbal gymnastics, each trying to drive the other out of the room to achieve their romantic goal.

The misunderstanding resolved A secret proposal to a housemaid is revealed, throwing the romantic race into turmoil. Dorothy eventually navigates the confusion, dismisses the farce, and accepts the suitor she truly prefers.

The People

Thaddeus Perkins is the well-meaning, if somewhat timid, head of his household whose desire to be "modern" leads him into painful athletic and theatrical traps. His wife, Mrs. Perkins, acts as the patient, often exasperated anchor, trying to steer her husband and his friends through their self-inflicted crises. Robert Yardsley is the self-appointed expert and manager; his confidence is matched only by his frequent errors in judgment. His counterpart, Jack Barlow, is equally competitive and prone to meddling, providing a constant foil to Yardsley’s vanity. Dorothy Andrews is the discerning object of affection who possesses the clarity to see through the men’s elaborate, often ridiculous, maneuvers. Finally, the housemaid, Jennie, unexpectedly finds herself at the center of the romantic intrigue, forcing the gentlemen to abandon their pretensions and confront the reality of their impulsive actions.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the physical toll of his very first bicycle lesson, Perkins reveals the gap between his ambition and his reality:

"Next time I ride a wheel it'll be four wheels, with a horse fastened in front."

While struggling to manage the chaotic rehearsal of their amateur play, Yardsley loses his patience with the group’s inability to grasp the script:

"Walls have ears--even that oaken chest by yinder wonder--I should say, yonder window is correct."

When the romantic rivalry reaches its peak, Yardsley tries to dismiss his accidental proposal to the housemaid as a mistake:

"I’ve loved you very long; and then he recited some pottery, mum, and said would I be his wife."

What It's Really About

These plays explore the tension between social performance and private reality. The characters are obsessed with appearing fashionable, athletic, or cultured, yet their efforts consistently reveal their fundamental inadequacies. The central argument is that the desire to curate an impressive public image often leads to a loss of genuine connection. The plays humorously suggest that "keeping up" with the latest fads—whether it be bicycling or the dramatic arts—serves as a distraction from the simpler, more authentic human interactions that the characters ultimately crave. The comedy arises from the friction between the personas they wish to project and the messy, unpredictable nature of the lives they actually lead.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the brisk, witty banter of Oscar Wilde or the domestic chaos of classic screwball comedies will find much to admire here. The dialogue is snappy and relentlessly clever, moving at a pace that keeps the reader fully engaged. However, modern readers should be prepared for the specific cultural milieu of the 1890s; the gender roles and class dynamics are firmly rooted in their era, often relying on the "servant" as a catalyst for plot twists. The plays are short and easily digestible, though the rapid shifting between dialects and theatrical jargon can occasionally demand a bit of patience. What lingers after reading is the warmth with which the author depicts these flawed characters. While he pokes fun at their vanities, he never suggests they are malicious; rather, he presents them as essentially well-meaning people caught in the machinery of their own social aspirations. It is a light, observational read that highlights how little human pride—and the desire to save face—has changed in over a century.