The Bossier banner., 1882-04-06

ing just opposite that in the bowl itself
All being ready, the smoker places his lip
to the ivory mouth-piece at the end of til,
stem, turns the opium pill to the flame
and as it burns with bubbling sound
draws the smoke into his lungs. 1t take
about twenty seconds 20 consume a pill
and smoker can finish his pipe with ,
single inhalation. From twelve to fif
teen pills can be made from TWENTY-FIVE
cents worth of No. opium. =
The matted boards and the stuffed
cricket were not as hard as I had sup
posed, and | did not find the position un
comfortable. My companion worked
away like, a skilled tinker, twirling the
slender needle and deftly cooking and
molding the plastic pills. His face and
hands glowed in the clear yellow lamp.
light, the rest of his person merging un.
definably into the shadows. He chatted
as he worked, and when the pipe was
ready he swung the mouth-piece around
to me, and prepared to bring the pill
against the flame. I had nv doubts
about drawing a quantity OF opium smoke
into my lungs, and shrewdly -determ-
ined to do the work as would with q
/ pipe OF tobacco. He asked me if I was
ready and replied that I was. He tilt
ed the opium pill against the flame, and
performed rapidly with my lips the OPP
Grafton that Ihave always found. to sue
ceed so admirably in smoking tobacco
pipe. ! think it was about the most fu-
tile effort that ever made. 1t seemed
as If were sucking at all outdoors, and
IN a moment the pill took to flaming
and sputtering in most alarming way.
and my companion adjured me to sshoid
on" He proceeded to inform me that
1T was impossible to circumvent an opium
pipe IN that infantile manner, and, over
come with chagrin at my failure, per-
mitted myself to be betrayed from the
shrewd standpoint which I had taken.
and promised him that I would positive
ly g fetch the thing at the next trial" I
did succeed with it in three trials. Ifelt
smooth and oily warmth sliding, as it
seemed to me, into the very recesses of
my being, and when the pill had quite
disappeared I'lay and enjoyed the pride
consequent upon having mastered the
technique of avice that IS so odd.
We lay for two hours. Ismoked four
pills, and my companion smoked fifty
cents worth. do not know that the
opium produced in me any other effect
than a somewhat surprising but GER
tainly very willing acquiesence in my
surroundings. l felt well pleased. Tray
after tray was borne in by Wing, until
nearly everybody was smoking. The
smoke lay in thick strata. Its odor,
though heavy, was sweet and pleasing.
Under it., as under the moonlight, OBJ
jects seemed shorn of their ungainly fea-
lures, and appeared soft and charming.
ssW We went to another branch in Mott
Street. The rain was still falling, and
darkness had set in. Opium seems al
waysto be smoked in cellars, and it was
into a cellar that we went. The smoke
was SO thick that for several minutes /
could not see my hands as held them
at my waist. At length I became aware
OF room about twenty feet square. NV.
head, as | stood, came within an inch of
the ceiling. A platform, raised foot
and a half from the floor, extended about
three sides of the apartment. Ina cor
ner behind a stove, a pot of tea and a
small counter, lay Poppy. the proprietor.
A dozen OF the little peanut oil lamps
glowed round about like fire flies in a
fog. The place was packed with smokers,
and they were all Americans. I doubt
if, engaged at any other occupation, SO
many could be contained comfortably in
SO small an area They lay as Z have
already described, with their heads
against the walls and supported upon
crickets, and now, moreover, eaehgrou
contained third person, who reposed
transversely with the other two, making
a pillow. of onesof thems Five women
were among the smokers. Two of these
were the same as / have mentioned as
passing nae in the. afternoon. MY COM
panion got q place, after awhile. at 4
tray. | sat on a stool at his feet, and
leaned upon him. Everybody was chat
ting save the Chinese proprietor, Poppy.
He was busy in supplying opium. The
familiar cry of :. Poppy, gimme quar-
ter's WORTH" came at brief intervals, and
from all sides. He tried behind his coun-
ter and his jars Of tea to smoke d pipe
himself, but he had only indifferent sue
cess. The two young women who had
passed me in the afternoon, with the |
ulsters and the fur capes, were reposing |
close by me. They lay facing each other,
The little fame Of peanut Oil between
them clearly illdninating the faces of |
both. They had q companion, a young
man. They talked in q languid fashion |
among themselves, and with others in
the room. The, women were good |
boxing twenty-five years of age, per-
haps: They had made themselves quite /
comfortable. Their hats and wraps |
were laid aside. One of them at
attended to the 'schying'' or cooking of |
the opium, and the pipe was passed |
about among the trio in turn. She was |
very deft at the work. The slender
needle of steel was twirled in her fingers
more rapidly than the eve could follow
t, the while she lazily chatted and smiled.
The young man was listener. He lay
with his eyes half closed, and smoked q |
,igar between his pipes of opium. When
fresh opium was called for, as it was re-
oeatedly, an evenly divided pool was
made up among the three to pay for it.
Jne Of the young women had just re-
urned to the citv from a trim thronph a