The rustler. (Cerrillos, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1891-07-24

selves then enviou& and presently
natter went on from bad % worse I'll
we resolved b. - far - acquiring the
vile tobacco habit went make men Of
ourselves Neither Sims father or
mine smoked hui We kne w many men
who did. and ere long. owing % nerk's
rascally reasoning. we began % feel
sncakingly that our fathers were old
fashioned and behind the times In alb
staining from tobacco
Herk. having tempted uS made our
fall sure by volunteering 10 supertn-
tend our degradation. When this point
was reached. one DAY. II vas decided
that Sim and I should meet Herk when
we went 10 drive mp the cows. toward
the close q the following afternoon,
nj which time we were To take our first
lesson In smoking. Tie promised gen
.rously TO supply the materials and
give Ms the benefit of his experience.
That night In bed alone with my
sober senses. I heartily wished that !
had refused 10 nave any thing 10 do
with Herk and his temptation. and !
resolved 70 rebel upon the morrow, or
at least keep out Of his reach and per-
suade Sim 20 do likewise.
Sim must have made the same noe
turnal resolve. for, when we met next
day. he preached the subject Of rebel
lion in just about the same cautious
fashion that I had intended 20 open to
him. And this very coincidence de-
feated the good purposes Of us both.
There seemed a vast difference between
a fellows declaring for the right Of his
own choice and having IL thrust upon
him by another fellow rs II he was n
baby who didn't know anything for
himself. Thereupon, we promptly nc
cused each other of cowardice, n desire
TO back out and all that And, in less
time than Is required 10 tell IL, the
good resolutions were dissipated and
we had tainted each other into EN-
phatic denial of any intent 10 desert
and a proclamation hat nothing should
prevent our pressing onward TO the end.
The afternoon proved a hot one, and
by the time that Sim and | set out for
the COWS a storm threatened. The
sky was patched with clouds and n
wall Of ''thunder-heads" was rolling
up from the south. We met Herk ne
cording 10 appointment about half way
up the lane which led 10 the woods
pasture. He was nonchalantly smok.
ing n sinking old pipe. and when we
/, saw how manly he looked we were
|, both glad hat we had not backed out.
, We stopped in the shade Of a sprawly
old oak. IL was n intention u
smoke there awhile and then proceed
) after the cows. smoking rs we went
, 1t requires some practice 10 hold a pipe
artistically, You know. The thunder
r heads had rolled nearly half way nj
the sky by the time we began q
. smoke, the sun was hidden and tn,
= distant thunder muttered growlingly.
Herk produced a sack of villainou
tobacco and two new corncob pipes o
o his own manufacture. | have won
4 dercd since why he did not provid
c us with two old and nicotinc-soakc
u pipes and thus do up the matter thor
oughly while he was about 1t. Bu
c perhaps he did not desire to have u IS di
e outright before his eyes.
l. We watched the loading" of tn
q pipes with interest. A remembrance
r of something he had heard returned I
Sim.
e ''Will they make Us sick?" he que'
T. toned.
It NAH sneered Herk. 'Gettir
e afraid, are you? Huh! It's jest rs cas-
S as skinning a cat.'
Never having skinned n cat, ] am nc
even now prepared to disprove this n
Ie s%ertion, though it is my belief tina
Hercules deceived us.
a lie lighted one pipe, gave 1t a fe'
preparatory puffs with his W mout
n and handed II to Sim. In like mannC