Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-20
FROM FIFTY.CENTERs TO CIGAR.
ETTES.
The Decline and Fail Of an Omce.Seek or
In the Matter Of Sm0k ing Materials.

ETTES.
I'm the Matter Of Smoking Materials.
"Gimme q nickel's worth OF caporals," he said
to the man at the cigar stand, as he unsteadily
run his hand down in the depths of his trow-
sers pocket. "Hold up, though" he inter.
jected, as an expression OF mingled disgust and
annoyance replaced the look of settled dejee-
ton on his untidy face. "Gimme four. I've
just got four cents in change, and won't bother
you to break q five-dollar bill,'' and he hur-
riedly threw down his four coppers, gathered
up the cigarettes, and lighting one of them with
q sorry assumption of jaunty air, sauntered
of to the other side Of the hotel rotunda.
The cigar man looked at the STAR reporter
who bad witnessed this scene, with just the
ghost OF q smile showing under his mustache.
aoa %s IL s ts is snHash s
seller said. "Poor old cuss! Why, it amt more
than six weeks since he came here, and see
where he'sg + to already"
"Who is he ?" the STAR reporter asked.
"Odice seeker. Nice old man, too; that is, al.
though he's dead broke, he don't try to ring in
that If he hangs around here long enough. of
course; but he hasn't yet. He's had quite a
drop aiready-from fifty -centers to cigarettes
and there's no telling how much further he
How do you mean from flity-centers to ciga-
rettese" the reporter asked:
N,N
the colonel came here, nothing was too good for
him in the smoking line; in fact hardy any
thing ing sell was g good enough for orb HIM He had
OF all the leading democrats in his section
recommending him for some nice fat office.
His Congressman asked him to dinner, and in
troduced him to some Senators and a member
of the Cabinet or two. This made the colonel
feel tremendously good, and his face always
wore smile of easy good nature and content
ment. In those days-there were about three
OF them-the colonel would come over here
purring sweetly to himself. He would look all
through the cigar case with the air OF mild
but confirmed connoisseur of tobacco. He
would ask if the twenty-five centers were the
best l had, and when l brought out an un-
marked box OF nfty-centers he would take two
OF them Without saying word, hand me a
twenty-dollar bill and shove the change into
his pocket without counting it,"
This lasted for a few days. the cigar man
continued, land then the colonel asked me ii
the 20 centers weren t a pretty good cigar.
told him they were fair, and then he wanted 10
know If they were straight or five for a dollar
told him they were straight, and he said ue
guessed he'd take four OF them, although he
seemed to feel a little brighter and said the 20
centers were splendid cigars. He inquired VIVA,
gOod-sized house could be rented for in Wash
tngton In q nice quarter OF the city, and thought
he would like the town very much. He said mis-
Congressman had been to see the Presiden MT
again the night before and the President had
lntlInated that a change was TO be made right
1.-The colonel stood by the 25 centcrs for a full
week He had been running around good
oeai-QOwn TO Mt. Vernon, out to Manassas and
around the suburbs Then one mornin, he said
he rode so much he found the wind got more
OF his cigars than he did, and though; ne Nigh t
As well try one not quite dear. He under
stood he could get az good a cigar as any man
wanted six for a dollar-a pure Havana cigar,
II told him yes" the cigar man resumed after
pc had waited on customer, "and he took a
collars collars , worth: He gave me $50 bill, and
notlced that when he put the change away he
did it very carefully, counting it and folding
the bills nice and even before putting them into
his pocketbook. That dollar'sworth lasted him
again he said he had found that all-Havana
cigars were rather too strong for him. He
thought they might have something TO do with
MS being sleepleSs at night. Didn't l have a
Connecticut wrapper and Havana filler that
was milder-and-and cheaper?
me Connecticut wrappers filled the bill for a
good while. The colonel said he slept much
better, and darned ii he didn't think that ten
cent cigar good enough for any man. For his
part, he found them Just as sweet and pleasant
and wholesome as 25-center-or a 5u-center
for that matter. He meant to smoke them right
along for the future Men We're fools to pay
such such fancy prices for cigars. 1t was shame,
exad-A shame, when there were millions of
people who had to live on dollar a day.
up to this time the old gentleman had
His hat and clothes were always brushed as
neat as neat could be- his shoes always polished
and bis shirt, collar and cutf. immaculate.
NOW ne began to come around occasionally
looking just the least bit seedy. Once in awhile
his collar would look sOiled and his shirt front
unused, and there would be spots on mis- coat
and his shoes gave evidence OF a secondhand
domestic shine.
"One morning he came around acting rather
peculiar. There was look of geniai despera-
ton on his face, as If he had given himself a
good, long talking to, and had finally seen the
error OF his ways and had resolved TO mend
them, and to do 1t gracefully. He talked a
little, looked at the newspapers and then drilted
over towards the cigar case. He asked me
what Kind OF cigar could possibly be got to-
gether for five cents. l told him had some
quite decent cigars for that prlce. Then he
wanted to know if had one could recom-
mend as tolerably certain not to prove fatal:
he wanted to try one, just to see what they
really were, any way. trotted him out this
cigar I'm smoking. and he lit one aud puffed
away on 1t. When told him lie could have
Six of them for quarter he said il was a mag
nincent cigar-magnificent-and went the half
Dozen"
The cigar man paused, blew a big cloud of
smoke half way up to the ceiling, Knocked the
ashes from his cigar and sighed. IL knew that
settled the colonel, - he resumed. Il knew he
would never get anything. They never do
when they get down as far as that The colonel
smoked t1ve-centers until few days ago Then
he attempted to tackle those threc-for-ten cents
over thero, but he couldn't stand them, and as
q last resort, took to cigarettes. He lief, the
hotel long ago. and. understand, is now trying
to get money enough together to buy a ticket
home. It's tough, I tell you"