The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-05-02

A distinguished man came in te
see us yesterday. That of itself wasn't
anything, for there is great run OF
that sort on this office But this man
was different from most of them. He
wanted puff merely, not in the paper
but of a cigar in good company.
"Have light?"
"Not any of that" he replied
winking like man who knows several
tricks all by himself
"Have a match, then," drawing
back our blazing cigar stump and
| bo ding out our best silver match
safe. :,
ed the distius aished man. favoring us
with one of those Irritating smiles a
man wears when he is just on the
point of telling a secret or GROWING
over some piece of good Luck: NOV
see here" he continue, "ive the
| neatest thing you ever saw by way OF
| a cigar lighter Just the thing when
no matches or another fellows cigar is
handy" and he drew out of his pocket
something that looked like a section
of tin pipe, closed at both ends.
"Now you'll observe" he said,
shaking it up and down and swapping
up the top, chow quickly I'll have a
| blaze. No soggy or headless matches,
or matches that choke, either" and
he pressed little spring that worked
| strip of tinder in a groove on one
| side. But the spring wouldn't work,
the tinder didn't catch, and there was
no blaze.
Something's caught he said,
grabbing the shears and whacking
the spring on the he'd. There she
goes" and SO she did, but she didn't
work the tinder out, for there wasn't
any there. .
"Well, now, that's stupid of me, +"
uttered the distinguished msn. feeling
| in his vest pocket. "Ah. there, /
| knew l had 'em,' and he selected a
| new strip of tinder from the bunch
and slid it into the groove. "Now
she'll CO. and the spring shot the
tinder close up to the top of the WICK
| which run through the center.
But she didn't go now any more
than she did before.
The great man eyed j: critically q
moment, theE laughed in uhc"ntfoila
BILE glee. "Well, here's a go. No
wonder, no wonder; there's no alcohol
in the receiver" And he went down
into the depths of his pistol pocket
and produced bottle of alcohol, from
which he proceeded to fill up the re-
ceiver Then he screwed the receiver
in Place, wedged in the wick and
sprung the srring, holding the nozzle
of his tin lantern close to his cigar
30 blaze. The little black tuft of
wick grinned like az evil picaninny.
swell, do declare r lnow anEious
Iy), "this is peculiar. 1t generally
works like charm. Oh! pshaw !
| / say" and he proceeded to jerk out
the vital organs Of this selflighting,
self-extinguishing, trouble and ting
saving patent. "Qf course, forgot
the new wick. Been carrying it In
my pocket for week." and he brought
forth ball of twine and a jackknite
and prepared to put wick in the in
fernal machine.
"Goc tape peedle-no, tooth
pick will do; anything Co draw this
cord through this aperture" and when
| we had sent out for a toothpick he
| tied his wick to it.
Then began long and painful Dat
tie, which left the distinguished man
very red, and his fingers very grimy,
| and our temper very gritty. But he
got the new wick in, and slid the tin
der into place, which made the blaze,
from which he lighted his cigar.
"Neat, isn't it p he said. triumphant
ly looking at the hideous little ma
chine with admiration. "rhe fellow
that invented this made me present
of it; will get you one. Eh?" and he
enjoy his cigar and the idea that be
had saved time in lighting it.