The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-20
THE EVENING STORY.



THE EVENING STORY.
The Cure That Failed.
The Belsnyders had been married
for three years. Mrs. BeIsnyder had
always insisted that Belsynder sol
EMMY promised her that after their
marriage he would stop smoking. Bel
snyder never argued. He always
laughed and reached for his second
or third or fourth cigar, as the case
might be.
When Belsnyder made his senai-an-
nual protest against paying rent with
nothing but life to show for it at the
end OF the year his wife always spranS
the pet argument of theorists and
woman lecturers that a man, by saw
ing his cigar money, may, with the aid
of mysteriously compounded interest,
possess his own elegantly appointed
home in ten or fifteen or twenty years,
according to his grade of slavish adj
diction to the habit of smoking. At
such times Belsynder did not laugh.
He muttered things instead-and
smoked savagely.
One evening Mrs. Belsynder looked
up from her embroidery and put a
quavering query.
"Are all patent medicines poison %
BeIsnyder was in a gracious mood.
He was also intensely interested in a
:
he answered at random. "Oh, no,
nor he said. at random.
Later in the evening he remembered
the question. and spoke to the light
of his life about it.
you aren't thinking of doping up
on medicines just because spring s
coming?' he asked.
Her hurried denial soothed his mild
anxiety about her health and the mat
ter dropped.
Until one day last week. Belsnyder
came home to find that his wife had not
yet returned from her club. So he stroll
ed out to the dining room to ind what
fate had provided for his starving inner
man. The savory doors there both slim
ulated and soothed him and he went
over to the sideboard for glass OF wa
ter As he put down the carafe ne set
it hard upon a large, square box. Inc
inscription upon it caught his eye; 1t
kills the appetite for tobacco
BeIsnyder picked up the box, with one
eye on it and a warier one on the door,
and mastered the printed directions. He
| recalled his Wife's query about patent
medicines week or so before. Then
he knew what was in the wind. He
was to be tdoped' regularly, at every
meal with every cup of coffee, tea or
! cocoa doped" to a finish!
Belsnyder went to the telephone ana
| called up the corner druggist, beseech-
! ing him to send a boy over with his or
! der iT0T1RO1aIeiX. Inc CleIk III IAAtoO-A
and Belsnyder walked the hall until a
/ bov and the saccharin which Belsnyder
/ had ordered arrived. in five minutes 70
/ the second. Belsnyder tiptoed into the
/ dining room again. swiftly emptled the
/ done box of its contents and put in
the harmless saccharin crystals. Then
he retired to his den to smoke and smile
| and counterpart.
When he tasted his coffee that night
he knew that his wife was at her dire
- H. OH
watched him nervously as he drank MS
coffee, ten times too sweet, and passed
| his cup for more
7'. 1T IS unusually good said Belsny-
mrs. Belsnyder's somewhat anxious
/ brow relaxed. Belsnyder had three CUPS
! of coffee for the good of the cause. and
1 was slxilIfully "doped'' each time when
! they rose from the table Mrs BeIsny-
! der followed close upon her huspah4
| heels and they entered his den togetn-
| er. She looked disappointed when ne
reached for his cigar box, ana rnen she
almost screamed for JOY when ne put
/ back a carefully selected weed.
| Somehow said Belsnyder, I don
seem to care for cigar tonight
I He walked up and down the room ana
| AnaIiv went to the telephone. Mrs.
/ Belsnyder listened. When Beislyu p
/ returned it was to meet with reproacnes.
/ Mrs. fSelSnYQeI lOdNAcs Ciectt = ~
! looks on cigarettes as born. OF gutter
scum. and Belsnyder had just ordered 2
dozen boxes. While he waited nc walk
ed the floor, go ..... -.
MY dear" he said patiently time ana
again. IT can't explain it.. only know
| mat whereas I have no desire to smoke
arv cigar on earth, I am mad for the
soothing effects of cigarettes Why, Oh,
yylv.'' exclaimed Belsnyder tragically,
doesn't that boy comet"
When the boy came after fifteen min
utes. during which time Belsnyder grew
more and more eager. his package was
wrested from him by q seemingly mad
] dened man. Belsnyder started in at
| once. Cigarette after cigarette ne
smoked before his wife's horror-stricken
| ewes When she crept away from MN
/ at last, sick and baffled, he was stlll
/ smokfng-thOugh he did not finish tnat
| cigarette Belsnyder's treatment had
! proved heroic for them both
/ He tasted his coffee next morning
! tentatively-he felt in no condition FOR
oversweet connections. But after the
first sip his brow cleared and he drain
ed the cup He lighted a cigar non
/ chalantIy. as usual, when he told his
| wife good-bY and said no word about
I cigarettes. Since then his wife has not
mentioned the subject of cigars.-Chi-
cago News
Tho Young preacher had made a fairly
/ favorable impression with his maiden SER
mon but the deacons were somewhat du-
ASK him" whispered Deacon Pepper