Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09
SAVED BY A SMOKE

down the world, but I had such a clever
and timely bit OF luck once through a
cigarette that I've never abused them nor
sworn Off smoking them since. And before
the thing happened my cigarette swear-offs
they were about as frequent as the COM
ing Of nightfall-were a standing joke
among my acQuaintances.
when the Klondyke craze broke out
was one Of the first to dream OF becoming
rich between sunrise and shutdown. I was
the steward Of San Francisco hotel at
that time. and so I was handy enough for
the jump to the north country. l tossed
away the good billet with the Indifference
OF man chucking away peanut she'll
could see all kinds OF hotels OF my own
when I got back from the tundra. Such
larky smokes as some of us do have occa-
sicnally!
when did get back to San Francisco.
about a year later, all that I had was a
scurvy with an equally evil case of typhoid
pneumonia as a sort of chaser, one happen
ing on the heels Of the other.
After I'd paid in advance for private
cisco hospital 1 was all in. 1 took to my
little hospital couch and fought for my life
for few weeks. The scurvy was bad
enough. but the other thing on top of 1t
made it look a good 20 to l that I'd never
again see a May morning in little old
Neutrality-suspicious.. by the way, a wan
dering Washington fellows mind turns
with strange longing when he lands on
the fat of his back away off in some re-
mote place.
II pulled through the savage stages of
my double Illness all right. and then, during
the period of my convalescence, 1t was up
to me to sit up and think what was going
to do when I got turned loose from the
hospital.
Ever do that? Land in hospital.
broke. I mean, and then. when you
nd iCt1n mud
from your Illness, have that grisly old
problem as to how you were going to live
sort Of sit on the footboard of your bed
and tease and tantalize and worry you
almost back to the sickness that brought
you there? Well. I've had that two or
three times. Nothing joyous about 1t.
either And when the day comes that
you've got to go away from the hospital.
in grip and bid EN- all goodbye with
cheerful face. but a heavy heart and then
walk off down the street. with no more
idea Of where you're going than rabbit
has of the fourth dimension. and you see
'em all hurryng to and fro. with homes.
and places to work. and all that-wefl, If
that game doesn't put lump In your
throat you're made Of a whole lot different
fashioned.
"WelI. my last week at the San Fran
cisco hospital was drawing to close,
and every time I'd take cat-nap I'd dream
that somebody had come along and handed
me ticket back to Washington or some
where else close to home, and the misery
of waking up and finding 1t all trance
was something Ornery.
ION the day before I was scheduled to
pack up my dol-rags and leave I left my
room and started to prowl down the hall
so as to battle in the sunshine OF the big
window at the halls end. AS I passed by
the open door of the room two numbers
removed from mine I was hailed.
"'Hey," called out the halter from hts
bed in that room. fetch one of those paper
smokes in here, you weakened son Of
windjammer, or I'll chuck something at
you
Before leaving my room I had disobeyed
one of the hospital rules and lighted a
cigarette-the nurses were in another part
of the building at that hour-and was puff
ing away at it as I made for the end of the
hall -, oou ons u,o.. ,n.o
the callers room. He was good-looklns
but rather weary-looking young fellow.
propped up in bed. and with a hankering
light in his eyes for the cigarette 1 had in
my hand.
".Wen If you're for taking a chance
on the wrath of the head nurse. too. pal.
why here goes, and gave him one of my
cigarettes He lighted it, took three or
four long inhaleS. and an expression of
vast content oversDread his face.
you're a good Iniun.' he said to me.
I haven't had anything taste so fine as
this cigarette since Methusalem was gos-
ling What you here for, same as me-?
II told him that. as l didn't know what
he was doing his penance for, I couldn't
say as to that. Then we had a bit of a
chat. He was doing his little semi-annual
trick in the hospital following a life Of too
much protracted gaiety. This sounded rea-
sonable enough. from the somewhat drawn
look of the young fellow But when he
told me that he was the son of one of the
most noted millionaires on the Pacific coast
1t sounded a bit strong to me. and l sort
of half jumped to the conclusion that he
hadn't exactly Strengthened out yet Just
then the head nurse breeZed along and
caught the pair of smoking cigarettes
and our little confab was broken up. The
young fellow jollied the head nurse along
and finally brought her around to good
humor. He had dug 1t out of me what my
case was during our little talk, and just be-
fore I left his room to return to my own
he said to me:
Don't worry matey III nail you the
SWEETEST Job you ever had. My dads going
around the world on his yacht next month
and I'm to go along-that's his idea of get
ting me to be good taking me OF on a
boat. I'll get the governor to make you
steward of his yacht
"'AH right said I, good-naturedly
enough, never dreaming that the young
fellow was exactly right in his mind.
when my nurse reached my room a
few minutes later l asked her the name OF
the young fellow in the room two doors
below mine She dumfounded me by tell
ing me that he was just the man he had
told me he was-the roistering son of one of
the wealthiest men west of the Rocky
mountains, and a good boy at heart she
added but wild and uncomfortable. His
father is forming a big party for yacht
ing trip around the world and he's going
to take that boy along SO as to keep his
eye on him for a while.
THE next morning the young fellow. all
dressed and ready for the street. came
into my room. His time was up, too. And
I was all ready and was just about to go
and bid him so long when he came to my
room.
1--WE left the hospital together. There
was a carriage waiting at the hospital en-
trance for him. and he told me to get into
it with him. He took me down to his
fathers office and introduced me to the old
gentleman as an applicant for the position
of steward of his yacht on the forthcom-
ing cruise of the world.
He's a good fellow. pop said the young
fellow to his indulgent dad. and treated me
bully in the hospital. l wish you'd give
him the billet
''The old gentleman gave it to me all
right He had a whole stack of applica-
TONS but he engaged me Immediately at
his sons solicitation, and 1 went on duty
on board the yacht, which was just then
mi riph