The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-02-11
HIS DOCTORS ADVICE.

eyes, my DEAR" said Mr.. Vazzalean, ''the
time has arrived when I've simply got to
quit smoking. There's no further use in my
trying to convince myself that tobacco isn't
| hurting me. 1t is. It's knocking me out,
| that's what it's doing. I'm having all kinds
| Of queer tiutterings of the heart lately, and
my memory's getting poor and my dys-
pepsia worse, and I'm as nervous as a cat
that's been fshed out of a cistern. There's
only one thing for me to do, and that to
quit smoking, and I'm going to quit
But" my dear, inquired his wife, do
you think you can stop!' with the accent
on the can
| well, l can make the biggest stab at
quitting you ever saw" he replied, hero
ically. There oughtn't to be any such
word as can't in the dictionary of
! grown-up man. 1t won't be any picnic,
quitting smoking, of course, after the years
I've been fooling with cigars and pipes;
but fellow can do any old thing that he
puts his mind to. It'll probably bother me
a little at first, but I'll get used to the
deprivation, and then I'll get my nerve and
memory and digestion back where they
ought to be. Did you ever stop to think,
anyhow, what foolishness smoking is? It's
the most lunatical habit imaginable when
you begin to reflect upon it, isn't it? Eel
low just jabs cigar or pipe into his face,
and draws lot of bitter smoke into his
lungs, and then exhales it, and when the
smokes about finished he feels heap
meaner than when he started, and that s
all there is to it. just habit, that's all.
It's pure cussedness on the part of us men
to smoke-we just do it because we know
] that it's sort O. under the ban. Well. no
more of it for me. | know when I've got
enough, and now that I've got my mind
thoroughly made up to stop it wouldn't
smoke gift cigars that cost two dollars
apiece after I've had my final smoke
Vazzalean stopped smoking all right. He
found it pretty rough travelling, and he
was pretty hard to get along with, but he
stayed with his determination for several
days before he began to feel internal indi-
cations that he was weakening. The men
at his Office made it pretty hard for him,
as mans office mates and other asso-
ciates invariably do in such circumstances.
they'd malcously lean over his desk and
blow rich fragrant wreaths Of tobacco in his
direction from their pipes. and then he'd
have to grip his chair and grin wanly and try
to think of how they were wantonly de-
stroyng their health. When they'd return
from their luncheons they'd unostentatious-
| ly, but Intentionally for all that, circle
around Vazzalean, blowing the smoke from
their nice, long, black cigars toward his
| countenance, and one of them would call
| NaZzalean's attention to n new cigar he'd
| discovered, and hold it under Vazzaleans
nose so that he could inhale the smoke d.
rectly from the ash; and then Vazzalean's
face would look drawn and haggard, and
he'd find himself wondering why, after all,
man of "A, who'd been smoking pretty
steadily since his eighteenth year, should
hastily abandon such a source of compare
lively harmless pleasure.
Gust as likely as not" he found himself
thinking call those ailments that thought
proceeded from smoking cigars came from
lack of exercise and overeating, maybe,
and sedentary life. 1 certainly feel a
burned sight more miserable since stopped
than l did when was smoking like chin.
ney."
However, the recollection of the elo
quence he had employed in swearing off in
the hearing of his wife restrained him from
beginning again.
Don't you feel much better since you
stopped smoling?" his wife would ask him
every night as he tried to get his mind on
the news of the day.
Wees" he would reply, unconvincingly,
but she thought that he meant it.
cts so nice not to have any old cigar
and pipe ashes to clean up, and not to have
the curtains smelly with tobacco smoke, y
she would go on.
"Uh-huh," he would reply, scratching his
head rehectively.
When Vazzalean got home one evening
he found awaiting him neatly done-up
package containing five boxes of cigars, each
of them holding 100 smokes. They had been
sent to him by his uncle from Havana, where
the old gentleman had made a stop in the
progress of winter tour. The cigars were
fine big perfectos, beautifully made, tantaliz
ingly fragrant, and very choice goods.
"Gee" said Nazzalean to himself
"If you'd only got them few months
ago." his wife said. "Then you could have
smoked them. What shall you do with
them, my dear?"
ooh, put EN- away, and III have 'em fol-
my friends when they CALI said Nazzalean
in an offhand tone
The receipt of those 500 cigars settled ii
with the wavering Nazzalean, but he had
to think up ways and means. The next
morning he called upon the Vazzalean
family physician, an old friend, and had a
ten-minute conference with him.
That evening there was ring at the dool
bell, which Vazzalean himself answered
The family physician stepped in.
How are you, Nazzaean!" he said, cheer
lily. Just been visiting patient down tn,
street, and thought I'd drum you and thu
good lady up and say howdy. Hows tn,
Nazzalean health?" seating himself in tn.
sitting-room.
"Oh, we're all right" said the deep, deeI
Nazzalean. I'm not quite right, but
well, should say you're not right" ex
claimed the doctor, starting and examinin.
Nazzalean closely 'What ails you, man
You look all tucked up
Dunno" replied Vazzalean, with
panied smile. stopped smoking bit sud
} denly, and since then"
''Nazzalean!" interrupted the medica
man !" Are Won Sane2 Owe naon 10 g;