The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-10-10

y
roughs," saucily.
"Miss American. you are trifing
with me-" Indignantly. "Kittie, will
you be my wife II promise you to
abandon tobaccop"
"Ye-s, when you have given it up
for good and ALL" she replies doubt
fully.
attempt to ratify our bargain with
a kiss. but she is too quick for me. and
up in arms in an instant. Well, l can;
afford to wait. We slowly wend our
way homeward, and l am feeling
Supremacy happy, for is not my Kittie.
as good as engaged to mep
/ think it wiscst to keep my heroic
resolution secret from both Basil and
Bessie. so leave my pipe and pouch
in their accustomed place.
"Fill up your old pipe and come out
on the porch, Dick; want to talk with
you about that last scribble of mine,"
Basil calls out to me after supper. .
But CURLY decline, greatly to his
surprise. and seek the seclusion of my
chamber, where l pace savagely up
and down. trying to get the better of
that insatiate appetite for the weed
nicotian. seek my couch early, but
Morpheus refuses to be wooed. l toss,
tumble, fret and fume. and finally,
about three o'clock in the morning. ar
rive at the conclusion that love my
pipe more fervently than 1 love Miss
Kittie American. l steal cautiously
down stairs, capture my meerschaum,
and returning to my chamber, / enjoy
long, lazy, delicious smoke.
"Oh, drug more potent to soothe my
fretful nerves than the far-famed mar
cotic of the Orient! l revol in one
long, continuous dream of delight, but
my appetite is no sooner satisfied than
am seized with terrible remorse. I
have broken my promise, and have
shown myself to be misorably weak
man. sit upon the edge of the bed
and calmly think the matter over;
finally arrive at the conclusion that
stimulant must be opposed by stimulant
and satisfied with this theory, 1 get
into bed and fall peacefully asleep.
In the morning after breakfast l
sally forth and procure II bottle of the
best brandy l can find. This stuff, l
agree, will drown my insatiate thirst
for tobacco, Us | am not in the habit of
using stimulants Of this character. l
can easily dispense with it when it has
accomplished my object. l take the
| liquor to my room and indulge in it
more or less during the day. l aston-
ish Bessie and Basil in the evening by
appearing Grabbed and sour and talk
in n boisterous, incoherent manner.
/ remain more or less under the in
fsence of brandy during tho whole
week. have so far realized my con-
dition that l remain away from Mrs.
Americans entirely. Finally. Basil
tells mo l am fast going to the bad,
and Bessie implores mo with tears in
her eyes to save myself from certain
ruin. l send for the doctor, who doses
me with bromide and ''iixes me up all
right" as he terms it, and I-return to
my pipe again.
/ 90 to SEQ Kittie and expostulate
with her; try to reason with her; but
it is all of no avail; she only replies to
whatever l have to say
II told you l did not believe you
could abandon it; you are too much its
slave"
1t is evident she despises me for
l.
hearted and despairing and seek solace
and sympathy in my old meerschaum.
One morning bright idea strikes
me. take my pipe and pouch and
walk about three miles to the summit
of high hill, vulgarly called "Goose
Hill" sit down on an old stump,
take farewell smoke, deposit my
pipe and tobacco on the stump, and
return home. l am sorely tempted
during the day and during the night
also, but l hold steadfast until the
next morning, when my feet bear me
against my will in the direction of
"Goose HILL" and 1 fall from grace
again.
Thrice in the space of three days !
take that absurd journey, and then /
| give up. l 60 to Kittie and tell her
candidly that l have over-rated my
strength, that it is impossible for me
to abandon the habit, that even the
physician, on account of my intensely
nervous organization, advised me not
to attempt it unless did so gradually
and that would be u matter of months,
perhaps years; but she remains i'm
prcgnable so far as argument is con-
cerned.
''Why will you not abjure that abb
surd vow, dearest Kittiep" l exclaim.
81 will not smoke in your presence any
more than do now, or not at all, II
you so desire it,"
''And why will you not abandon
that absurd habitp" she answered me.
"There is no earthly use in our arguing
this question:" she continued.
'lf you do not give up tobacco, you
must give me up"
''Kittie, do you not love mep" ask
as derater resort-a final appeal to
her heart and affections.
''You know | do, Dick" she con-
fesscs, the rosy color mantling her
cheeks; "but if you love your nasty old
pipe better than you love me, l can
never marry you. My resolution is I'M
alterable.
Before she is aware of il. / catch her
up quickly, kiss her passionately upon
the lips, and rush out of the house. |
reach my room, | know not how,
hurricdly pack my valise, rush down
stairs. tell my astonshed sister that
important business in connection with
| our ,,ronorty at tho North dor,a,,l ~, q,