Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-04-28
HOW JELLIFER
STOPPED SMOKING.
BY HARRIS.

-
JeIlifer was not in SO many words
given his choice between the wee
little whimpering love and the green
god Nick O'Teen,' because the girl
wsan't that sort Of a girl. She would
have let him smoke himself black In
the face and her love would not have
whimpered-not just then, at any rate
though the odor of the weed was a
deadly offense to her delicate nostrils.
No, there was never a word said o
conditions, but she was a truthful
young woman withal. and when she
was asked about 1t she admitted that
1t was disagreeable to her. But II you
sit a little way off and on h other
side of me where it won't blow INTO
my face | shan't mind it in the least,
she added.
But Jellifer was not the man to ac-
cept any sacrifice like that at the
hands Of the woman he loved. He was
disappointed, certainly, for he was a
slave to the habit, and in his imagin-
ings of the domestic life to be his
pipes had figured to a certain extent
The home atmosphere of his dreams
was always a little bit hazy. II was
a beautiful collection Of pipes, that of
Jellifer's, too. but he hardly hesitated
He called in his particular friends and
within a week every stumpy clay, we'll
Drowned meerschaum, amber-tipped
brier, long-stemmed Saxony porcelain
and ~blaekened corncob was distribute
ed. The tobacco jar he kept as a
relic.
Shut right up. A man knows what
that means. A woman doesn't and it's
quite likely that Jellifer's girl didn't.
That made it all the harder, too. Still.
she seemed appreciative and the young
man felt repaid. In course of time
they were married and IL Jellifer
missed anything he most assuredly
| didn't show it. II Mrs. Jellifer had
| any fault to ind with her husband she
certainly took nobody into her conf
dence. Talk about pour turtle doves!
1t was predicted that within a year
| Jellifer would be furnishing a den"
where he could sit by himself and
smoke to his hearts content. Such
things have happened. OF course. and
the smoking has gradually extended
30 that eventually the lady would
have to fix up a little OF her "
where she could sit and not have to
breathe a lot Of stale tobacco smoke.
But nothing Of the sort happened In
this instance. A nursery started. but
no den.
or course Jellifer became a bore and
a braggart. He would tell all the old
crowd what idiots they were. running
their constitutions and muddling their
intellects by their persistence in the
unclean vice of smoking. He would
glory in his own improved health to
an extent that was absolutely sicken-
ing and boast of the ease with which
i: be burst the letters Of habit,
There was no compuision about 1t.
Nobody ever asked me to stop. I sup
pose | was as bad a case as you ever
heard of. l simply smoked all the
time. I stopped for meals and that
was about all. But I decided I'd quit.
1 didn't fool with a limit Of one cigar
or pipe after each meal, DR. once a
day, or anything of that sort. told
my wife-she wasn't my wife them
told her I was going to quit. said.
I'm not going to smoke again She
didn't believe l could stop, but from
that day to this I've kept my word.
All it takes is q little viii power,
There's only n way to quit and
that's to quit" And so OIL
| And then you ought TO nave seen
Mrs. Jellifer's look of pride and adj
miration. Well, 1t came n summer
when both young Jellifer and the lady
seemed to be a little run down and.
after some discussion, 1t wal decided
they should go across the lake where
some friends of theirs were staying,
and remain there through the hos
weather. OF course Jellifer couldn't
| go. The best he could do would be to
run down Saturday afternoon and stay
| till Monday. He slept In the fiat and
went out for his meals. 1t was lone
some.
The third night of his bereavement
he dragged Matson home with him
and they sat and chatted over old
times. Matson lit a cigar.
THAT smells kind of good" said Jel-
lifer. ~unthinkingly.
Matson passed over his cigar case.
mo, SIR" said Jellifer, stoutly, ri
should say moi. OF course you can
waste your substance n get tobacco
heart II you like, but as for me-"
He was alone the text night, and after
yawning over a book for some time he
gotupand began to walk about the room.
He noticed his old tobacco jar on the
top of the bookcase and he took of the
lid and smelled 1t. There wasn't much
smell to 1t.
The next night he was In Michigan !
and the next.
On Monday night he suddenly got up
from his chair, put on his hat and went |