Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-12-05
DIR. rALMAoE's FIRST c,cAe
How it Tastod and How DO Felt After
Smoking 1t.

Smoking 1t.
The time had come IL. our boyhood
which we thought demanded Of us
capacity to smoke. The old people of
the household could aoide neither the
sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed
When ministers came there, not bv
positive injunction but by sort of in
stinct as to what would be safest. thew
whitfield their pipe on the back step.
If the house could not stand sanctifed
smoke, you may know how little chance
there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
By some rare good fortune which mt
in our hands three cents, we found ac-
cess to q tobacco store. As the lid of
the long, narrow, fragrant box opened
and for the first time we owned q cigar.
our feelings of citation, manliness. an.
periority and anticipation 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 could never be surpassed in
interest; 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 its utmost ten
sion, our satisfaction with this world
was so great our temptation was never
to want to leave it.
The cigar did not burn we'll: il re-
quired an amount of suction that tasked
our determination to the utmost. Yon
see that our worldly means had limited
us to quality that cost only three
cents. But we had been taught that
nothing great was accomplished with
out effort, and so we pulled away. In.
deed, we had heard our older brothers
in their Latin lessons say, o,n,eia vi,,cet
labor; which translated means. if Won
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 not
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 came side that we
were on before we crossed over. In
deed, we imagined that we were on both
oAucS ~ uuo oeLAo GAm0, auU several last
teams driving between. We met an
other boy who asked us 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 be-
gan to reflect on the prospect of early
decease, and on the uncertainty of all
earthly expectations. We had deter
mined to smoke the cigar all up and
thus get the worth of our money, but
were obliged to throw three-fourths OF
it away yet knew just where we threw
it in case we felt better the next day.
Getting home, the old people were
frightened. and demanded that we state
|. what kept us so late, and what was the
matter with us. Not feeling that we
were called to 60 into particulars, and
not wishing to increase our parents APP
prehension that we were going to turn
out badly, we summed up the case with
the statement that we felt miserable at
the pit of the stomach. We had(mus-
tard plasters administered. and dTefnl
Watching Tor some hours, when Vi fell
asleep and forgot our disappointment
and humiliation in being obliged to
throw away three-fourths of our first
cigar.-T. De Witt Taln1age, i7s Ladies'
Home Journal.