The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-07-03
FRANKIE'S LESSON IN SMOKING
BY JULIA COLMAN.

smoke grapevine and paper cigars,
and so he did that. l suppose if any
one had asked him why it was nice
to burn stick or a piece of paper
under his nose, he could not have
told, only that it was like what the
men did.
His mother saw it all. She was
one of those dear, wise mothers,
that just look right into their little
boys hearts, and lure and love them
away from everything bad, and so
one Saturday morning, when he was
lighting bit of grapevine, she said
to him, pleasantly. "Frankie, you
would like to smoke, wouldn't you ?"
frankie looked shyly up in his
mothers face, but he saw there only
the kindness that always made his
heart open right out to her like a
boys confidence. "Why, yes, mo:
Their, l think SO sometimes when /
see the other boys smoking"
wish to-"
"What, mother, really smoke TO-
bacco?"
eyes, frankie isn't that what
you would like to smoke }? Why
not?"
81 don't know. l didn't suppose
you would like to have me do that.
Then, after little pause, "But when
can I heoin mother ?'
"Begin to-day, If you like. wish
you to help me this morning about
my baking; to bring in wood, and
pick up chips, and go of errands ;
but this afternoon when we get the
work all done up, we will try il"
frankie was delighted. He pick,
ed up the chips with unusually
alacrity.
"But, MOTHER" he said, when he
came in, "where will you get the
tobacco?"
60, there is some on the shelf in
the cellar-way; some that grandpa
left last winter, and his pipe, too
We will get them out to see that
they are dry"
The afternoon came at last; just
such a quiet afternoon as frankie
had often spent in his little chair
reading to his mother while she sew.
ed. He was rather glad that his
sister Jennie and his father were both
away and he watched with the
greatest interest while his mother
shaved up the tobacco, and filled
the pipe and lighted it, and then
seated him in the chimney-corner,
and placed it in his hands.
Could he draw the smoke?
o, yes, just as easy as could be
He had practiced on the grape-vines.
So he drew it in and pulled 1t out
with sublime satisfaction. This
world seemed perfect, Everybody
was as good as could be, and his mo-
ther was the best of all.
He had not taken more than half
a.dozen whiffs before neighbor
came in, and down went the pipe
ont of sight, though still in Frankie's
hand. Why he should be ashamed
of it he did not know, especially as
his mother had given him permission
to smoke. He supposed when he
grew up he should smoke right along
before anybody. AS the man sat
there talking, frankie wondered if
the fire in his pipe would go out
and finally he did not care if it did.
lie did not feel very well.
When at last the man went away,
and his mother told him that now he
might smoke again, he could only
gasp that he did not want to smoke
any more; and then he was sick, o,
so sick and he grew worse and
worse, till he thought he should die.
He vomited, and retched, and groan-
ed, till he felt so weak he could
hardly stir.
His mother watched over him, and
waited on him, as only such a mo-
Their can, and finally got him into
bed. He did not sit up any more
that day.
The Eext morning he was better,
though he had miserable, wretched
headache. He could not go to
church nor to Sunday-school, and
his mother remained at home with
him, read to him, and amused him.
Three or four days after that,
when he began to feel like himself
again, his mother took down he
pipe from the mantel.piece, and
asked, "What shall ] do with this,
frankie? When will you want it
again ?"
81 guess never" he said, with a
little SILVER "Wasn't it that made
me 80 sick, mother p
'Very likely it was. There is
poison enough left in the pipe now
to Kill you if you should swallow
it,
'What made you let me take it
then p he asked dolefully.
Because, my son, saw that you
would surely try it at some time, and
/ knew that it would make you sick,
and l wanted you where could take
care of you. More than that, |
wanted you to try it for yourself, so
that you could know just what it
would DO to YOU.
But it doesn't do 80 to everybody,
does it?'
1t does, unless they have inherit.
ed an unnatural taste for it. 1t is
terrible poison, and it hurts every.
body that takes it, though after a
while they do not feel it in the same
way that they do at first, and so they
fancy that it does not hurt them. l
wanted you to try it by yourself,
when there we've no bad boys
around to tell you any lies about it.
well I've had enough Of it mo.
Their. YOn needn't be afraid for me
now. / meyer shall touch it again.
frankie is a man grown now, as
fine looking man as you will see in
days walk. He has never used to.
bacco since that one pipeful, and it
is not very likely that he ever will.
He says he can never be thankful
enough to his mother for taking the
trouble to give him his first lesson in