The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-10-02
THAT WICKED HABIT
A pRUMMER's VIEWS OF SMOKING
AND ONE OF HIS STORIES.

Way He smokes "a Cigar--A Banker Who
Escaped Ruin Because Of the sociabiiity
In the smoking Habit.
lyon can tell good deal about a
man by the way he smokes cigar,
said travelling man in philosophical
mood at one of the hotels the other day.
"And il goes without saying that you
can also tell something of his disposition
by the brand he generally smokes For
instance, you see him coming out from
the dining room after RECALLING the phys
ical man with the delicacies Of first
class menu. He sits on the cool side Of
the building, draws long black cigar
from his pocket and bites about half an
| inch off from one end, sets the other TO
blazing and is soon putting great clouds
of smoke that ring and curl all around
him. II he pulls at il furiously, al
ways think he doesn't know how to en-
| joy good cigar. He will probably
smoke two cigars while another man is
enjoying one. In that event. ii is gener-
ally mild weed that he prefers. At
any rate, it is an indication of his nerv-
GUS temperament. Such man is never
happy unless he is in the midst Of con.
slant change. He is impulsive and even
hot tempered. If you want TO sell him
any goods, it should be policy on your
part not to cross him if you can avoid it.
Then there is the other fellow who
methodically TAKES his knife out Of his
pocket while he continues talking TO his
companion and slowly trims the end Of
his favorite brand, returns his knife to
his pocket and settles back in his chair |
for quiet smoke. Putting the cigar
into his mouth, he generally chews the |
end of it for five minutes before the |
lighting operation is performed. And |
when he puffs, you would hardly know |
II. The delicate white ash hides the |
fire, and the thin line of smoke is hard |
ly visible as it curls lazily upward. Yet |
he never has TO relight his cigar. Such |
man is interpretive, cool in an emer-
gency, logical in his thinking and just
the opposite in temper to the one pre- |
viously described. If any thing star
Ting should turn up, he would never ap-
pear surprised. If he gets beat in
game Of high five, he never shows his
chagrin. And l venture to say that if |
his life purpose were thwarted-and he
has one-very few people would ever
know it. He would suffer like the Spar
tan boy with the fox concealed under
his coat and gnawing out his vitals.
Some would say this is all bosh. but
fancy there is something in it," And
the man relapsed into silence again for
a moment while he watched the blue
rings waited away by the cool breeze
that is SO graceful on hot August day.
Speaking of. the wicked habit Of
smoking. he continued after minute,
II know man who conscientiously de-
clares that it is not so. He SAYS that il
he didn't know how TO enjoy good
cigar he would have been poor man
today. That sounds little strange,
doesn't 1t? Well, this is how it hap
pened, as the story teller says. He was
seated i'll front of the Southern hotel,
st. Louis, one day. lie was a travelling
man and had lit his after dinner cigar.
A gruff looking gentleman was seated
next to him. He was smoking too. They
sat there in silence for several minutes,
perhaps half hour. Finally the drum.
mer was aroused from his reflections by
hearing an expression from his neigh.
boris lips which Noah Webster never
invented. He was going through his
pockets for match. The drummer DO
litely rendered him one from his neat
little matchbox and handed him a
cigar, too, adding that he had better
take fresh one From that they fell
to talking, first about cigars. The gruff
gent warmed up at once and wanted TO
know where the drummer got such a
choice cigar. 1t happened to be first
class brand which the latter had picked 4.
up in the south. From that the two fell .
into quite pleasant conversation. The
drummer left town that evening. But
they met by chance several times after
that, and gradually warm friendship
sprang up between them.
Years afterward the travelling man 7
was engaged in the banking business.
Of course the only way drummer ever G
becomes a banker is by the timely death :
)f rich relative. Well, he still retained 7
.he friendship of his st. Louis acquaint-
'nce ana often heard from him by let.
er. The drummer was prosperous until
MS bank, like many others in 1898, was
Trained with terrific run. 1t seemed
Is though he must fail unless he had a ,
ew thousand dollars to tide over the G
,ext day. AS he sat thinking the matter
'ver in the cool air of his front yard a
nan came strolling through the front
rate. 1t was his friend. OF course he
Isked the banker what made him look .
o pale, and the story came out little by
little. The next day the bank had un-
limited capital to back it and was soon \
IN solid footing. 1t was all through
hat cigar smoked several years before. O.
o the ex-drummer said. Now, my wife b
would say that was no argument for
UGH filthy habit, and that her husband 4
lad never had any such fabulous expert. :
nee. That's the way with people who ,
Ton't reason about these things, isn't |,
tT' And the travelling man pulled out
wo fresh cigars from his pocket and
EFT one behind as he went hurriedly TO
ettle up his bill in time to catch a +