Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-14
MY FIRST CIGAR.

u -
Reasons That Determined Me To
Let It Be My Last
s'Go and buy cigar"
Mr.. Nimon was carpenter employed
in building a warehouse for grain-ship-
peers at Wyckles, a little station on the
Wabash railway, in Central Illinois, and,
as he spoke, he handed me fve-cent
piece.
My parents lived at Wyckles. I was
the youngest of four sons, and was ten
years old at the time-just the right age
to think it smart to step around with a
cigar between my teeth.
/ had always been favorite with Mr..
Nimon, and 1 suppose he thought he
was doing the right thing when he told
me to buy cigar, or, he may have
thought the attractions of ''gum-drops''
and ''taffy-on-a-stick" would be too much
for me and 1 would lay out the nickel in
those 1uxuries instead of buying cigar
with it. But, if such were his thoughts,
he was mistaken, for took the nickel.
and, marching into store near by, kept
by a cripple named Bradshaw, planked
it dewn upon the counter and asked for
cigar with as Indifferent an air as l
could assume, with the doubts of my
ability to conquer the weed already as
? sailing me.
The store-keeper gave me quizzical
look, reached for box, hesitated for a
moment, and then took down another.
Throwing the lid back, he set before
me some very dark and ominous-looking
cigars.
lo1 r L. \
q judge of cigars, / would have known
that the ones before me were particular
ly dangerous specimens, but 1 wasn't t,
and didn't, and SO, in blissful unconcious-
ness of what was before me, selected
one of the noisome weeds, bit off the end
las had seen men do), and then light
ing it, stuck it in my mouth and strutted
out Of the store with my head thrown
back and chest expanded, putting away
like one to the manner born.
Had / seen the amused smile upon
Bradshaw's face as 1 left his store, my
suspicious might have been aroused, but
didn't see it, and SO continued to step
round with the cigar between my teeth,
feeling, or rather, endeavOring to feel
for the cigar tasted horrible, and made
me have a queer sensation in the region
of my ston ach-that was every inch a
man.
But this state of affairs lasted but
short time. Had 1 taken the trouble to
look at myself in a mirror after Ave
minutes at that cigar, would have no
ticed an unusual pallOr to my face, and
whiteness about my lips foreign to them
in normal state. And my stomach!
from simple state of sickness it had
broken out in open rebellion, and the
war which was waged between the le-
ultimate contents of said stomach and
the poisonous saliva and bits of tobacco
which had unwittingly swallowed was
awful while it lasted, and it lasted quite
long enough to suit me, 1 assure you.
Needless to say, perhaps, the tobacco
conquered, and around behind some cars
which were standing on the sidetrack-
where had gone as quickly as a swim
ming head and staggering footsteps
would let me- was speedily relieved of
both contending forces.
But, oh! how weak, and sick and faint,
and wretched did feel!-not bit like
. man now-and thinking would keep
quiet for awhile, until 1 felt better, I
crawled under one of the cars and laid
down beside the rails. How it happened
that / went to sleep 1 do not know.
Perhaps it was induced by my particu-
lar weak state, both mentally and phys
ically, at that time; but, be that as it
may, certain it is that had not lain
there ten minutes before / was asleep.
sound as top.
How long slept do not know, but
was suddenly awakened by a queer,
grinding, gliding noise. accompanied by
regular click-click! click-click!
knew the sound only too well, and
even ii my eyes had not told me what
occasioned the queer noise, would have
known what made it:
The cars under which I was lying
were moving, and at a speed which
would have made it dangerous for me
to have attempted to spring out between
the wheels, even if l had been on my
feet, braced, ready for the leap.
But / wasn't. 1 was lying fiat upon
my back upon the thin. layer of earth
which covered the crossties, between
the rails, and to attempt to regain nv
feet would have been suicidal, for the
trucks of the cars would have knocked
me down and would have been run
over by the big iron wheels and killed.
What to do / did not know. Twas
frightened, almost paralyzed with fear,
and lay motionless, watching with a,
species of fascination the rapidly revolv-
Ing wheels and listening to their click
Click! click-click! as they crossed the
joints where the ends of the rails came
together.
Then a terrible thought struck me:
the cars could not move without motive
power, where was the engine?
fnere was about foot of space be-
tween my body and the trucks of the
cars, and cautiously raised nv head a
tridle and glanced down along nv BODY.
In the direction from which the cars
were coming.
Horror OF horrors! The engine was
on that end of the string of cars, push
ing them, and only two cars INTERVIEWED
Between it and my trembling self!