The Tales of Huckleberry Hound: Season 2

16. Huck's Wheel Deal

Huckleberry Hound was working in the front yard one fine morning, running his lawnmower over the grass, then trimming the bushes that sat alongside the border between his property and his neighbor's. He was humming happily, despite feeling quite hot from working under the bright sun. Soon he heard the sound of a bell jingling from somewhere nearby, and he looked up.

"Hm?" he muttered. "What's that?"

From down the street, he saw a small group of children riding by on their bikes, laughing and trying to race each other.

"Outta the way!" one boy hollered. "I'm comin' through!"

"Oh no you don't!" a girl laughed. "I'm catching up to you!"

Huck chuckled as he watched the kids ride by. "Gosh, I sure wish I could ride a bike too," he sighed. "If only my folks could've been able to afford one when I was a pup."

He soon saw Mr. Jinks coming towards his house on his bike.

"Did you say you wish you could ride a bike?" he asked.

"You heard me, Jinks? Golly, I didn't even know you were coming!"

"Hey, us cats have good hearing, you know!" he replied. "It's the best way to know when the meeces are scurrying about! But it's also good for knowing when my ol' chum has something on his mind! I think I might be able to help you."

"You can?"

"Sure! I've got an old bike that's been sitting around in my garage for a while. This one that I'm riding here is new. If you like, you can borrow the old one and we can teach you how to ride."

"Gee, thanks, Jinks!" Huck beamed.

"I'll take you to the garage! Hop on!"

Huck climbed onto the and held onto Jinks' shoulders. Jinks pedaled as fast as he could down the street and they soon arrived at his house. "WHEEEEEEE!!!" Huck squealed as Jinks rode through the gate of the house.

Jinks soon hit the brakes, and stopped the bike. They hopped off, and Jinks opened up the garage, soon pulling out a yellow bike. It had a bit of dust on it, and some scuffs and chips in the paint work, but it looked fine otherwise.

"Let me just tune this old thing up here, and then we'll get started," the cat said, as he pulled out a few tools and started to tinker with the bike.

He checked the brakes, the chain and the other important components, then stored his tools away.

"All done?" Huck finally asked.

"Okay, that should do it," Jinks replied. "Here, let's go and practice over here on the lawn. Remember when Yogi got his new bike for his birthday?"

"Yeah."

"Exactly. You're gonna take a lot of falls...believe me. But the grass is soft, so it beats falling down on the sidewalk and getting scraped up."

"Jinks, you're a smart one, you are!" Huck smiled. "I'm ready to get started!"

"Good. Now just remember. Pedal slowly, and keep your balance."

Huck got on the bike and tried to pedal, but he immediately wobbled, and fell into the grass. "Whoops!" he chuckled. "I see what you mean!"

"It's all about balance," Jinks explained. "You gotta like, keep adjusting yourself until you find the center of it."

"Okay, I'll try again."

Huck got back on the bike, and tried to balance, but just a few seconds later, down he went again, into the grass.

"Whoa! This is hard!" he cried. "How do folks do it, Jinks?"