The herald., 1895-05-19
MANY TRICKS
WITH AND WAYS TO LIGHT
MATCHES

The other evening several men were
seated at tables in a restaurant on Spring
street where they serve beer with eat
ables. The tables were close together and
conversation at one could be overheard at
the next. At one of the round tables one
man seemed to be doing most of the talk
ing. while those about him listened, oc-
casionally asking a question. The con-
vcrsaton from the time when the report
er came within hearing ran rs follows:
Lighting matches may be an art and
again it may not. - said one.
well. | don't say it's an art, exactly,
but there's a whole lot to it, the other
man said. ''Supposing you had just one
match and it was damp and you wanted
light, what would you do ?'
That depends he answered thought
fully.
You're out fishing. for instance. and
there Is nobody else around. and you
want to light your pipe and all you've
got is a wet match to do it with. Now,
what'll you do -
The other looked absent minded and
kept turning "a small beer on the table
between his fingers. The first man settled
back in his chair with the air of a man
who was full of his subject. The man at
the next table on the right tried to seem
as If he was not listening. but he was
really paying more attention to the one
sided discussion on how to light matches
than to beefsteak that was getting cold
before him.
Finally the man who was turning the
"smal beer looked up.
"Well, wbat'd you do?''
"There's where the art comes in. I'd
rub the friction end OF the match in my
hair and then give it long, quick, light
rub ON my trousers leg and light my
pipe" ,a,
Hold it between my hands so the
wind couldn't get at it except from the
top. But if | didn't know just how to do
that I'd take an envelope upen at one
end. open it like pouch, and hold the
match in that. \ man who can't light
his pipe from wet match In the wind
ought to quit smoking.
"Can you light safety match without
the box?" said the man with the small
beer, trying to retrieve himself.
''On sanded glass? That's an old gag.
It's been worked on every sleeping car
this side OF Hoboken, n. J. Rub some
of the stuff off the box on the sole of your
shoe? That's very old.
''Did you ever notice." he said. still
cdging out of the range of controversy,
the places along the streets of Los An
geles where people scratch matches?'
Well, yes" the other man said airily
Every post. column. pillar store
front. in fact every place on the streets in
the business center, where match can
be scratched, has the marks OF thousand
scratches
They haven't any marks of my
matches. said the other man. clearly on
the aggressive now.
Don't you light matches in the
street, he asked patronizingly.
''Ies, but not on those little patches OF
places where every body else does; and |
don't light them on my trousers either. l
just give my match long swipe on big
plateglass window. | don't have to stop
to do it, never break match stick, or
break the sulphur off. A match burns
better. too, when it is lighted on win
dow glass. o. there are lots of ways to
light match and do it right. Scratch
ing them on the edge OF Il silver dollar.
or a half dollar will do. Some fellows
thumb nails. That $ bad. Ii 1T is a par
lor match a fellow is liable to burn his
fingers or somebody else's clothes. and if
it is slow match he is liable to poison
himself. Now, there is an art in scratch
ing match on the upper. portion OF
man S own trousers leg. I've known fell
lows to ruin a pair of good trousers with
that habit. Ii was their own fault. A
slow match works on the trousers all
right, but a parlor match is another
thing. With parlor match you must
give II short, sharp rub and get it away
!
blaze up quickly. You must hold the
match shcrt so as not to break the stick.
and look out that you don't tear your
trousers. Amateurs should not begin this
practice in summer. when trouserings, as
the sartoriai artists say, are rather
light"
He kept turning the small beer all the
time the other an was saying this. and
the small beer had gotten fiat. When the
other man finished he said:
"How many matches are given away,
carried off without leave from the hotels,
cafes saloons. cigar stores, and barber
shops of Los Angeles? What are the sta
tstics on that?''
! Pm no pantologist," the other man
said. as he took his coat and hat and
went up to the cashiers desk.
| "You done him up said the man with
/ the beefsteak. who couldn't refrain from
| putting in his oar. "Ile used some great
/ language, though. along about the last. :"
He made me tired, -, said the man
with the small beer. Then he broke
three match sticks trying to light cigar,
and going out the rear door, made a
short cut through to Broadway.