The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1876-10-21
Nv First Cigar.

forty years since | set aside money that,
In an ordinary way, would have been 1e-
voted to the succulent coffee, the crisp
hardcake, the acldulated lemon rock, or
the ginger bread parliament, to the pur-
chase of my first cigar,
I'm afraid that my moral feelings
must have been at a very low ebb just
then, for / went to the shop quite pre-
pared to say that it was for an uncle; but
a. l was not asked any questions by the
dealer, who contented himself with
wrapping the roll of leaf most carefully
in paper, was spared the untruth,sp
three. pence for the coarsely made dark
hued Bengal chproOt, and smuggled 1t
to the school, feeling all the while as If
| had committed some awful crime for
the sake of attaining an unknown joy,
which was to be all beautiful ecStacy,
delight, and dreamy, delicious delirium.
il was.
That half holiday went about with
my jacket tightly buttOned up, stealing
one hand inside every now and then to
feel the end of the roll of paper, deep,
down in its secusion, and make sure
that 1t was still there. Not schootel-
low approached me whom | did not
mentally accuse of knowing OF its exist
ence, and harboring designs to obtain It,
Lend up your knife, Jones ~ said
Tompkin Primus, about three clock.
Haven't got one," said, shortly.
Yes you have" said Tompkins-
there, in your jacket pu'ket."
lie made snatch at it-a horrible
onatnI, h,,f I 81 I,l ltOly N Hny2n
under his arm, and running to the 9TH
er end of the playground. But it was
an awful escape, aud he had nearly
broken my brittle treasure right in half.
/ think it must have been about six
O'Clock, when it was growing dusk, that
slipped away, got over the fence into
Barnby's field, and down behind the hig
elns, where, after listening for few
minutes lest | should have been seen or
heard, | pulled out the cheroOt, and
skinned it by taking off the paper
Then had to pause for few mo-
ments, in doubt as to whether ! ought
to put the thin or the thick end into my
mouth, deciding at last in favor Of the
thin, and popping it between my lips.
Ugh ! But it was nasty-simply hor-
rlble to my fresh young palate.
But it was manly to smoke, and il it
had been ten times as unsatisfactory Of
flavor, | should not have flincbed 80 l
took out my Uox Of matches, and struck
several, blowing them out in turn as
tried to puff at the cigar, and feeling all
the time as If IL was the fifth of Noyem-
Der, and | were about to start a squib.
managed it, though, at last, and
had the end well alight, the smoke dra W.
ing through freely. so that l obtained
good mOuthluls, AMI worked away.
1t was rather hot and strong certain
| ly, puff-draw puff-draW
-pugh, how old and mani did feel.
How drew myself up, and leaned my
| shoulder against the fence, glOrying in
the pungent incense, which would make
me choke little now and then and get
into my nose in rather awkward man
neT.
But then l was smoking, and the Ella
ton felt delightful.
| i have since come to the conclus sion
that the elatiOn was due to my natural
excitement, consequent upon this glOri.
Gus step out of bounds, moral and phys
ical, and not from any great potency in
the tobacco leaf.
The cigar kept we'll alight, and l was
dark, aud there was sort of furious
joy in the whole transaction. felt like
one of the old heroes of historical 70
mance-a Sir Francis Draks-a Capt
Kidd-a Paul Jones-s jolly free boot.
er and, in imagination, clothed myself
in buskins and tights, wore secret ar
NOR, and was ready to do any deed OF
daiing.
Iquailed once had my name been
called in the schoOl-rOom, where the
boys we're learning to- mOrrow's lessonsf
Had / been missed or asked for by any
of my schOolfeIlows hoped not.
could see their shadow on the blinds, as
they went to and fro in tho room, and
could see the light in the doctors study
where | believed he smoked /: and here
was l smoking too-as good man a:
he, and
Ugh /
That was curious shudder that
passed through me, accompanied by q
strange sensation,as If some one had
suddenly lifted of the top of my skull
and poured in cold water. All, yes
there it all was, plain enough, mixing
with and thinning down my brains, Sc
that my head felt--felt 30 light, so eth
ereal. Yes, IL was water, certainly; but
the water had suddenly vapOred. as In
the experiments not from heat, but from
cold and my head was now, as it were
filled with gas, aud fast becoming bal
loon, swelling out rapidly, and raising
raising.
Yes, there was no doubt about t,and
l was slightly alarmed, but perfectly
helpless. My feet had certainly left the
ground, aud | was going up.up, up. till
found that 1t was only in imagination
for though my heels had left the ground
1t was only for u few secoLds, and l was
lying fat, with my head resting on one
OF the gnarled roots of an elm tree ONE
OF the halfdozen In the clump, which
had evidently fallen into high state OF
delight, and were waltzing around mt
In the most ludicrOus fashion.
The fence over which l had Chamber
ed began its tricks now rising, now fall
ing, as If to crush me, until the pail
iDgs nearly t0uahed any nose and ther