Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-16


Its JUST AS EASY AS SHINING A
CAT"
himself. Thereupon, we promptly &C.
cused each other of cowardice, desire
to back out, and all that. And, in less
time than is required to tell it, the
good resolutions were disSipated and
we had tainted each other into en-
phatic denial of any intent to desert
and a proclamation that nothing should
prevent our pressing onward to the end.
The afternoon proved hot one, and
by the time that Sim and set out for
the COWS a storm threatened. The
sky was patched with clouds and
wall of ''thunder-heads'' was rolling
up from the south. We met Herk ac-
cording to appointment about half way
up the lane which led to the woods
pasture. He was nonchalantly smok-
ing sinking old pipe, and when we
saw how manly he looked we were
both glad that we had not backed out.
We stopped in the shade of sprawly
old oak. 1t was our intention to
smoke there awhile and then proceed
after the cows, smoking as we went.
1t requires some practice to hold pipe
artistically, you know. The thunder
heads had rolled nearly half way up
the sky by the time we began to
smoke, the sun was hidden and the
distant thunder muttered growlingly.
Herk produced a sack of villainous
tobacco and two new cOrncOb pipes of
his own manufacture. 1 have Won
dered since why he did not provide
us with two old and nicotine-soaked
pipes and thus do up the matter thor
oughly while he was about it. But
perhaps he did not desire to have us die
outright before his eyes.
We watched the loading of the
pipes with interest. A remem brance
of something he had heard returned to
Sim.
''Wil they make us sick?" he ques-
toned.
NAH sneered Herla ''Gettin'
afraid, are you? Huh. It's jest as easy
as SHINING cat!''
Never having skinned cat. am not
even now prepared to disprove this as
sertion, though it is my belief that
Hercules deceived US.
He lighted one pipe, gave it a few
preparatory puffs with his own mouth
and handed it to Sim. In like manner
the other pipe came to me. For little
time we were hugely elated. The
smoke was not nearly SO sharp and
biting as that of the sections of grape
vine that we had several times sur
| reptitiously smoked. After Herk had
shown us how to keep the smoke from
getting into our threats and choking
US, we were delighted to find that we
could puff out clouds of it in a most
| manly fashion.
All! That was something like it, to
be sure! We felt very large and rapid
| ly growing. At the time, it did not oc-
cur to me to wonder why Herk grinned
| when we made few rather grandilo-
quent remarks. He sat braced COM
fortably back against the trunk Of the
| tree and sucked his nasty. old pipe and
| smiled slyly while we strobe up and
down before him, smoking like men.
why, it's nothing at all to do
quoth 1, airily.
Just as easy as skinning cat" an
nounced Sim.
The thunder rum bled louder, but we
| were too much elated to pay more at
tention to it than to think that We
could scud home ont of the way of the
storm if there arose any necessity for it.
Something began to affect me queer
ly. The perspiration ooZed out be-
tween my shoulder blades, though at
the same time l began to feel chilly.
| pulled on, and these unusual symp-
toms increased. My head felt strange
| ly light, and ! flushed hot and cold
alternately, and the perspiration started
out all over me. / looked at Sim. He
| was very grave and seemed distressed
about something. A strange dizziness
| came over me and / began to entertain
| internal qualms- Sim looked at me
with feeble suspicion.
''You are getting SICK" he taunted,
! without animation.
mo such stuffr' retorted. weakly.
"You are getting sick yourself"
And, to prove that we were indeed
| men and not to be conquered by a
| little tobacco we both smoked fiercely
| for a few moments.
'.Mebby its the weather" suggested
| Herk, cheerfully.
Thus encouraged, we persisted for
little time, and the work was done
| Five minutes later 1 had Topped over
| on the grass and Sim was also down. It
is beyond my powerslof description to
| tell half of what we felt It has been
| said that tobacco illness, while it
| lasts. is the most distressing of all sick
ness, and we had thorough attack
| We could scarcely have stood erect if it
had been to save our lives 1 am salts
| fed that there were never two more
| thoroughly sick boys than Simeon Sim
1 coe Sims and Thomas Perkins Morgan