The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-12-17
A MAN OF WILL


smikss made up his mind TO stop chew
Ing. He never was much OF ohewer,
ANYHOW, he said. He hadn't used to-
baocO but a few years, and rarely con-
sumed more than an ounce paper In
dsy. But h. feared the habit might get
hold OF him and become fixed, and II
there was anything that he abhoHed 1t
was TO see a man become q slave 10
bad habit. He had used the weed some
10 be sure, but there had never been q
time during the last ten years when he
could not stop at any moment But
so long as he did not become habit
uatud to its use he did not care to stop
He could break of at any minute, and II
was a great satisfaction to feel so. Thom.
son, he thought, was an abject slave 10
his pipe. He pltied Thomson, for he
had seen Thomson try 20 stop smokin
several times. and tail ignominiousll
every time he undertook Il, But Smikes
wanted TO show his wife how easily he
could quit.
SO Monday morning he remarked care
lessly to Samantha that he guessed hr
would stop using tobacco. Samauth'
said she was glad Of il, and added, i'm
petuously, what she had never said be
fore. that It was a vile habit Smikes
appeared a little nervous and confused
when Samantha said this, and mumbled
out something about being glad he had
never got into It himself. In his agta
ton he pulled out his tobscco-box, anC
was about to take a chew when he recol
lectel himself, and plunged out the from
loor, forgetting his umbrella Aboui
lal way to the Office he met Jones
with whom b. was having some busines
Transactions While they we're talkin
the thing over Smikes got a little erthu
siastlc, and he almost reached the Ollie
before he noticed that h. was rolling an
mcommonly plump guild around ms
mouth like 70 swe mOrsel How it got
there Smikes dill not know. He puzzle
over that little tfting all h rest Of h
forenoon, and a, last he took It out o.
his mouth and threw 1t away, satlsii'u
thq H. must have taken 1t while tlEini
with Jones.
lvlce thut aft rnOon Smikes took 0u
HI. tObaCcO-b0X and looked nt 10. One
he took oil the cover and smeled Ol III
tubaCco It smelt so good ihu SmiEe
felt impeled to remark TO himself tb,
1t was the easiest thing in the wOrl. {
stop chewing He congratulated him
self again and again that day that be ID
not become tnlanelud in the m,shes o
the filthy vice, and he alluded to ON
matter three or four times that evenin
at the tea.tlble, till Samantha marvel.
greatly at the frmness of Smikes. Sh'
had always heard, she said, that It was o
hard thing to leave off. But Smikes haU
told her, and kept telling her, that II wa,
lust as easy, ami her reverence for lhO
virile strength and independence OF chal
actpr OF Smlkes grew like gourd,
That night Smikes had the nightmare.
He thought that legion OF foul iend-
had got him up in a corner Of the back
yard, and had rolled upon him mon.
strous quid OF "hne cut, as large around
as cart-wheel, and that they were try
ing to force 1t into his mouth. Smik"s
struggled vigorously, and when Saman
tha shook him and asked what was the
matter his only reply was that any
body could stop chewing, II he only
made up his mind to-.
The next day Smikes was little nerv-
GUS. He told everybody who came in
what simple hing it was to stop chow.
ing. The third day be harped about h
ull day long He tolu one man about Il.
three different times, and when tha
much.informcd Individual ventured the
opinion that he would he chewing again
in less than week, Smikes Indignantly
calculated;
" Mr.. Jenkins. when / make up my
mind to a Thing That is the last OF it, "
The fourth day, Smikes heard that
camOmile blossoms were sometimes USED
us a substitute for tobacco, and just out
of curiosity he ievoured a couple OF
ounces of Them. He said to the drug.
!ist when he bought hem that it wa,
easy enough TO stop tn use Of tobacco
On the fifth day Smikes got sick. His
nerves gave out He snapped something
at Samantha at the breakfast table, upse
his inkslahd, burnt his fingers pokiIg
some cinders out Of the crate, and had
no appetite for dinner
Thnt day the devil whispered to
Smikes that tobacco was really beneficial
TO some temperaments. Smikes had Il
tmperament Of The kind. The sixth
lay, Smikes felt like murderer Hq
secueu 10 nlluseil 70 DeCOut lIduslOIluelY
into a Modoo. His mouth was dry and
parched
A stout, healthy-looking old gentleman
came into Smikes, and as he drew fortlI
his silver tobacco-box and daintily shook
out small morsel Of the pungent weed,
Smkes lelt his mouth water He rel
marked to Mr. johnson that he had not
hewed any for six days, and that h3
had rcfrained so long just to satisfy HIM
self that anybody could chew or leave
It alone He was fully satisfied that ID
could be done, but he rather though5
that his was one of those temperaments
hat are really acted upon in beneficial
way by The temperate use of tobacco
llr. johnson said he thought so, too,
lnd as he handed Smikes his box, re-
marked that he had chewed regularly for
thirty years, ana didn't know as It had
damaged him any. As Smikes rolled a
large quid back into his left cheek he
said he thought there was difference hr
men. He was satisfied that he coult
stop chewing ut anytime, but there were
some Compartments TO which a gentle mar
cotic or opiate was really blessing.