Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-06
DIR. TALMAG's FIRST CIGAR.
How 1t Tasted and How He Felt After SIN oil
ING

ing 1t.
The time had come IN our boyhood which
we thought demanded of us a capacity to
smoke. The old people of the household
could abide neither the sight not the smell
OF the Virginia weed When ministers
came there, not by positive injunction but
by a sort of instinct as to what would be
safest, they whitfield their pipe on the back
step. If the house could not stand
sanctifed smoke, you may know how lit
tie chance there was for adolescent cigar
putting.
By some rare good fortune which put in
our hands three cents, we found access to a
tobacco store. AS the lid of the long, mar
row, fragrant box opened and for the first
time we owned cigar, our feelings of
citation, manliness, superiority and an
tlclpatlon can scarcely be imagined, save
by those who have had the same sensation.
Our first ride on horseback, though we fell
off before we got to the barn, and our first
pair of new boots (real squeakers), we had
thought conld never be surpassed in in
terest; but when we put the cigar to our
lips and stuck the lucifer match to the end
OF the weed, and commenced to pull with
an energy that brought every facial muscle
to It's utmost tension, our satisfaction with
this world was so great our temptation was
never to want to leave it.
The cigar did not burn well; it required
an amount Of suction that tasked our de-
termination to the utmost Y gu see that
our worldly means had limited us to a
quality that cost only three cents. But we
had been taught that nothing great was ac
coElplished without effort and so we puff
ed away. Indeed, we had heard our older
brothers in their Latin lessons say, omnia
vincet labor; which translated means if
you want to make anything go, you must
scratch for it,
With these sentiments, we passed down
the village street and out toward our
country home. Our head did feel exactly
right, and the street began to rock from
side to side, so that it was uncertain to us
which side of the street we were on. So we
crossed over, but found ourself on the same
side that we were on before we crossed
over Indeed, we imagined that we were
on both sides at the same time, and
several fast teams driving between. We
met another boy who asked rs why we
looked SO pale, and we told him we did not
look pale but that he was pale himself.
We sat down under the bridge and began
to reflect on the prospect OF early decease,
and on the uncertainty of all earthly ex.
pectations. We had determined to moke
the cigar all up and thus get the worth of
our money, but we were obliged to throw
threefourths of it away, yet knew just
where we threw it in case we felt better the
next day.
Getting home, the old people were fright
cred, and demanded that we state what
KEEP US so late. and what was the matter
with us. Not feeling that we were called
to go into particulars, and not wishing to
increase our parents apprehension that
we were going TO turn out badly, we sum-
med up the case with the statement that
we felt miserable at the pit of the stomach.
We had mustard plasters administered,
and careful watching for some hours, " hen
we fell asleep and forgot our disappoint-
ment and humiliation in being obliged to
throw away three-fourths of our first cigar.
In Ladies' Home Journal.