Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-06-13

cigars. ! took one out Of the box,
put It back. took It out again. smelled
| Of it and. as Ill luck would have 1t,
saw q box Of matches within reach
| I scratched the match. bit of the end
Of the cigar. resisted temptation till
the match was nearly consumed. then,
touching the fame to the cigar. drew
| In a long breath Of delicious smoke.
ri hadn't got the thing fatty Rine
before that old villain Jones opened
| the door and came into the ROOM"
The -splonel grew.so red in the face
at the memory Of this second wreck.
Ing Of his hopes by tobacco that fear
ed he would have a stroke of apoplexy.
Finally his Ire subsided. and he con-
| tinued:
"The old fool had come to my quar-.
tiers to ask me to sign paper con.
nected with the settlement At the
sight of his intended son-in-law putting
clouds of smoke. the odor Of which
made him sick. he turned and left the
room, banging the door behind him.
For half an hour l acted like a mad
man. Then. having Quieted down a
bit, went over to the house where
the Jones family were. found a
commotion. AS soon as was shown
into the room where Amelia was and
the door was closed behind me she
stood looking at me. furious.
"'Foolg she exclaimed. You have
spoiled everything
"'Whats the upshotT asked.
"Father says that we can proceed
with the wedding II we like. but there
Is to be no settlement
"Father is an old dragon. and I'd
rather not have dragon for father
in-law.' snapped angrily.
"'And I'd rather have a man for O
husband who is not an idiot she re.
terted.
".An idiot! I replied. West Point
doesn't graduate idiots
"'Will you obnge me by leaving
me-?
"a said something mOre-I don't re
member what. though do know that
It was under the influence OF anger OF
the most painful kind-irritation with
oneself. l only succeeded in draw
ing more bitter retorts from the girl
was to have married. and finally left
her,"
The colonel was 50 worked upon by
the reminiscence that was glad to
see him pause again for breath and
composure Finally he went on:
There was no wedding. The old
fool was obdurate. the bride to be was
disgusted with my weakness in yield
ing to temptation, and was mad as
a March hare. I went to my western
post alone. but before going I swore
| a great oath that l would never again
yield to the temptation Of tobacco.
would drink. gamble, dissipate In any
and every form, but never again would
yield to the weed
II know what you wish to say to
me-" he continued, "and you have my
consent, but you couldn't please me
better than by smoking yourself into
your grave. As for me, cigar Is an
excitant of a kind Of madness. To
bacco cost me promotion in the army
and it deprived me Of fortune. dc
not mean that l would exchange the
woman / love, the mother Of my chill
dren, for Amelia Jones, but do meal
that I have never recovered having
lost fortune by yielding to tempta
ton.
"Now you understand why I would
not for the world stand toward you IN
the position that old heather Jones
stood toward me. Smoke, smoke
smoke, smoke to your hearts content!
he pushed the button again and or
dered another cigar for me. protest
ed that never smoked two cigars, the
one following close upon the other. bu'
dreaded to oppose him lest he fly into
a passion.
NV application for his daughters
hand was perfunctory. Indeed. it was
an anticlimax. was accepted on the
condition that I never shonh stor
smoking.
Ny father-in.law stood In a very sin
gular position. He loved tobacco, but
could not use 1t without the past com
Ing up in such force as to risk bis very
life. I kept the secret that he had
confided to me, and to this day my
wife cannot understand why / an
more of a smoker than before she mar
ried me. and that, too, without any op
position whatever from her father.
Colonel Mechard's story is an Illus
tration of the trifling Incidents that de
termine ones career. Had 1t not beer
for his first episode-the unexpected
coming Of the inspector at West Point
he would not have been 80 affected BY
the second. The two together gave ar
Important direction to his life's sur
roundings. He was devoted to his fam
lily, but somehow never could recover
from the shock Of having given up hall
a million dollars for cigar. I tel
him that so long as the fortune was tt
have been his wife1 instead Of his OWL
he made q wise choice.