The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-09-03

Hes a man who doesn't talk much.
but thinks a good deal, and he has for
gotten himself for the nom Int"
But just as this man was speaking q
red glow came round the end of the ci-
gar. a puff Of smoke came out Of the
Boston1an's mouth and he f, rthwith sat
quietly down as if he hal done the
ordinary thing in the world:
opened his book and went on reading.
paying no attention to the buzz OF ex-
carnations that rose up around him.
The jaw of the president of the cleo
trio lighting company dropped, and he
stared at the unconscious Rostonian
as it the man had unexpectedly come
aboard in midocean. The Boston man
was a frigid, unsociable person, who
never addressed a remark to a fellow
passenger. so no one in the smoking
room had the courage to ask him
what kind of cigars he smoked, or
how he succeeded in lighting an or
binary cigar at an electric light. Even
the New Yorker seemed afraid to
tackle the man from Massachusetts,
IN spite of the merciless comments Of
the others on the heat-giving qualities
Of electricity which began to make his
lie a burden. Many tried to light
their cigars at the lamp, but none sue
teeded except the impressive Bostonian,
who never took the slightest notice
or the curiosity which his cigar light
ing accomplishment invariably
aroused.
On the last night of the voyage when
alter dinner the Boston nan came in
TO the smoking room and lit his cigar
as usual, the New Yorker could stand
it no longer.
Il beg your pardon, sir he said.
but III give you a hundred dollars to
know how yol 60 that
How | do what?' asked the Bos-
tonian, coldly.
How you light your cigar"
i light my cigar, sir" replied the
bostonian, calmly, Gin any way that
seems to me handiest. If l have a
match in my pocket I strike it and
light my cigar. if there is an electric
globe handy l light it there. Why do
you ask"
Would you mind lighting one of
my cigars at that globe?" asked the
electrician.
Thank you; I never smoke any CT
gars but my own"
We'll, what I want to know u.s." said
the other, chow you manage to light it
at the electric globe?"
"0h Ahot Sc VOW, :~.-1 - ~
man from Boston. GAS is we'll known
by every intelligent person, electricity
gives out a great deal of heat, and
added to that vitiates the atmosphere
in a way that a gas jet would never
condescend to do. Electricity has
many Objectionable qualities. but has
one good point; you can always light
your cigar at it."
"Oh, that's all very well,,'' replied the
other, but you've had your fun, and
now if you'll let us have the secret
OF it I'll stand the champagne for the
crowd"
Done said the Bostonian, so TAX
ing a cigar from his case, he, with a
penknife, made a deep cavity in the
business end OF it. preserving the pow
dered tobacco hat came out of the
ole. Then he struck one of those
fuses which smokers use out of doors
in windy weather and after it famed
out and left a red hot globe he insert
ed this burning cinder in the cavity in
the end of the cigar, and broke off the
stem, covering it up with the powdered
tobacco SO that the cigar looked to all
intents and purposes like any other
cigar.
There" he said, that vii keep fire
in the II Of it for ten or fifteen min
utes. If during that period you draw
on the end Of the cigar it will shortly
light up completely. I never per-
formed this fuse operation in the
smoking room because the fumes are
obnoxious except out of doors. And
now, as dry champagne has many
points more interesting to discuss than
dry electricity, you may order up a
few bottles if everybody is ready for
a drink. And I may add for the benefit
Of you unsoDhisticated New Workers
that [ have always succeeded in get
ting the champagne out of this trick
whenever | have crossed the ocean al
though, alas. nearly everybody outside
New York knows how it is done"