Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-11-10
MUCH TO HER DISGUST
She Thought to Overawe the Smok-
ers, But They Had the Adj
vantage.


The motorman adjusted the trolley
and moved the fender TO the front OF
the outward-bound Brightwood car,
and all was in readiness for the jour-
ney. The first pair of passengers was
a young girl and her mother. The
mother had a very square countenance
and she wore common-sense shoes and
ringlets. She looked as if she might
be able to make a home peaceful by
force of arms. She stepped pondercus-
ly into the next to the last seat. Her
young daughter remained on the run
ming board, and said:
Mamma, those are the smoking seats
There are plenty of vacant seats up in
front, aren't there?"
"Never mind the vacant seats up in
front. We sit here" was the reply. Il
guess they won't smoke. They wouldn't
dare. Smoking seats, indeed" And so
the young daughter obediently stepped
into the car and sat beside her mother.
As the militant-loohng mother made
her last remark about smoking seats,
four old soldiers, bound for the home,
climbed into the rear seat. They heard
the remark. They winked at each 9TH
er. None OF them was smoking, Du'
their clothessmelt tobaccoey. Theyoung
girl noticed this, and said she to her
mother:
Mamma, 1 told you these were the
smoking seats. These men Will smoke.
Hush, you forward child. They shall
not smoke. They would not have the
.mpudence to smoke"
Three brawny working men climbed
into the same seat with the defiant
mother and her young daughter in time
to hear this declaration They smiled
at each other significantly, and then
they caught the eyes of the four old
soldiers in the rear seat ana smiled at
them, too. The car rapidly filled up
from this time on, and when the start
was made every seat was filed
When the conductor pulled the bell
rope the four old soldiers in the rear
seat and the three workingmen in the
next to the last seat pulled out their
pipes, as if at prearranged signal, filled
them altogether, and then seven
---.eh4s fr--isbad fame tn the bowls
of seven pipes at once. They weren't
meerschaum and briar pipes, either
Five of them were short clay pipes, and
the other two were corn cobs. The ef'
fusion of smoke was something to
make even a tobacco-seasoned man
catch at his breath. Probably no seven
-&,-sfN II n
blindly before. They puffed and puffed
until their faces were hardly distin-
guishable in the clouds they created.
The militant-looking woman got red
in the face with wrath when she saw
the men in her seat pull out their pipes
When they lit them she was in tenn
pest.
"Ker-choo, poof! Oh, the nasty
brutesI How dare they? Whoo! The
impertinent wretchesl Ker-chiff! Did
you ever see the like in your life? H'nist'
st-st! The filthy stuff! I've good
mind to have the conductor stop the
carand put them off Ker-choo! Kerst.
st-st-st!"
The four soldiers and three working
men were enjoying the scenery great
deal. but not enough to cause them to
relax their industry on their pipes,
They all smoked like men trying to
color pipes rich, dark bronze on one
car ride. Their eyes met occasionally,
and they smiled with beautiful con-
fidence at each other, but none of them
spake any word.
"Ker-snfft-ft-ft! Conductor, you
come here this minute. Don't you see
these filthy animals making groggery
of this car? H'mst-st-stl How dare
you permit such a thing in the presence
of ladies?"
"Smokin' seats, ma am" said the con-
ductcr, calmly. PLENTY of room up
front when you got on, ma'am. Three
last seats reserved for smokers"
"Stop the car-ker-choo.-this in
stant, sayi Lena, We'll get off! We
shan't stay another minute in the COM
pany-ker-choo!-ofs such animals! But
I'll report this to the"
And she and her obedient daughter
were off, standing on the dusty road
waiting for the next car along.
The car from which they alighted
was no sooner under way than the four
soldiers and the three workingmen, as
if by common impulse knocked the
ashes out of their pipes and replaced
them in their pockets.
Didn't want to smoke, anyhow, did
you?"-Washington Star.