Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1876-02-02
An Experiment that was Baked
by an interruptions.

man lin New Hampshire, who hat
been unable to speak for five years
went to sleep with quid Of tobacco
in his mouth and awokc the mex
morning with his voice perfectly
strong and smooth and steady. Ole
Mr.. Jarvis, who lives out on Pond
street, is sorcly afflicted with an i'm,
pediment in his speech, and often says
he would give a hundred dollars if he
could only ''t-ttt taw taw talk
tiff fast enough TT to TT tell g
gug-gug gug grocer what he WV
wants bUb. bub.bub before he gets il
measured out" He takes the Lcdger
and had taken it for twenty-three
years, and he firmly believed every.
thing he ever read i'll it; Sylvanus
Cobb's storieS, Mr.. Horizons Lives OF
eminent Americans, the answers to
correspondents-Mr. jarvis had taken
them all IN and believed every word
He thought that probably this quid.
of-tobacco treatment might nelp his
voice q little and he resolved to give it
n good trial anyhow. The first trouble
was that he didn't chew, and Mrs.
Jarvis would never allow bit of to-
hacco about the house. But he
begged a big "chaw" Of navy and
" hen he went to bed he tucked it
snusly away in his cheek and pre-
pared to sleep i'll hope. lie had his
mlsgivings, and they grew in number
and strength as the quid began to as
sert Itself and be scciable, and asslm,
ilate itself with its surroundings. Mrs,
} lrvi3 asked him if he fastened the
front gate.
Gum, said hlr. Jarvis, meaning that
he had.
Are you sure you locked the front
door?' queried his restless spouse.
"Um,' replied Mr.. Jarvis, meaning
that he had not, for he was by this
time in no condition to open his
mouth,
'ney :" o,'r Iepi,oa.
"Um,' persisted Mr.. Jarvis.
"What ?" she demanded.
"Um-m. mr. protested Mr. Jarvis.
"Well," said she, "you can't make
me believe you are that near asleep
this soon"
"Um M m! said Mr. Jarvis, mean
ing that he would get up and bounce
her out of the front door if she didn't
HOlu her clach.
Presently she sat up in bed. Sniff,
sniff. John Jarvis" she exclaimed,
"if I don't smell tobacco in this house
I'm q sinful woman. Don't you smell
it
IN" replied Mr.. Jarvis which by
Interpretation is that he didn't smell
and was going to sleep.
"It is in this very room, she per-
sisted, excitedN.
"Um," said Mr.. Jarvis, meaning
that she must be crazy.
"It's under the bed J" she screamed.
''There's a burglar under the bed !
Oh, help! fire! police! John Jarvis y
Aud she smote Mr.. Jarvis furious
pelt in the stomach to waken him up.
1t was u terrific thump and its first
effect was to knock all the atmosphere
out of Mr.. Jarvis lungs SO far that he
could only recover his breath by a vio-
ent gasp, which first carried the quid
Of tobacco and all the nicotine prspar-
alton that it had been steadily dlstill-
NC down his throat, and was immedi-
ately succeeded by tremendous cough,
Is he struggled to rise up in bed,
which shot the quid squarely in the
eye of the shrieEing Mrs. Jarvis.
"Murder! murder!" she screamed,
I'm stabbed ? I'm stabbed !"
And John Jarvis choked and
,oughed and spit and coughed and
,hoked and clutched Mrs. Jarvis by
he throat and tried to choke off her
loise, but he grew 50 sill" that he
couldn't hold his grip, and Mrs. JAR
us, the moment her throat rose from
he half-straugled gurgles to the sub
unity Of doube-eyed screams, and
nade Rome howl with melody. And
he neighbors broke into the house
md found bedroom that looked and |
meled like a jury room or street
ar, with the sickest man they ever
Jaw lying with his head over the side
If the bed groaning at the rate of a
nile minute, and the worst frightened
woman since the flood, sitting up be.
ide him screaming faster than he
,roaned, while one of her eyes was
'lastered up with black quid of to-