Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-03-16
BY JAMES P. WALKER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911

daughter OF Colonel Mechard Of the
-th United States infantry and hav-
ing been referred to her father,
wrote him note asking when / could
see him alone, there being an impor-
tant matter about which | desired to
confer with him. or course he knew
what that matter was. In reply | re-
ceived an invitation to dine with him
at his club-the Army and Navy We
dined I'm a private room. | purposely
/ waited till the dinner was finished and
/ the colonel had drunk his share of the
/ wine. | was about to open the sub
/ ject for which we had met when he
! stopped me by laying his hand on my
arm. Then. reaching back of him, he
pushed a button. a waiter appeared,
end the colonel ordered him to bring
one first rate cigar.
Now, Geuevieye had posted me on
one matter about which | must be
very careful On no account was
, to let her father know that | used
tobacco In amy form. The colonel de-
tested even the word tobacco.
Thanks, colonel" I said 81 never
smoke"
"Oh, you dont?" he replied Then,
turning to the waiter, he repeated the
order The cigar was brought aud
placed before me- You either smoke
that cigar" said my host, 'or the OBJ
( ject"-
JJa ,,o,,saJ t.,or, what ba moo NJ
and, taking the cigar, l cut off the
end. lit it aud began to smoke.
4 Before entering upon any other sub
ject," the colonel continued, u have a
story to tell you. My family knows
that there is something about tobacco
that excites my ire If they knew the
cause it would make trouble at least
between me and my wife. But l won't
tell the yarn wrougside foremost; III
begin at the beginning.
! "When ! went TO West Point the OBJ
ject of my ambition was not to take
high grade in my studies but to be q
cadet officer. | was very careful not
TO get dement's and kept my equip
ments well polished / was made a
corporal, which put me in the line of
promotion, and / confidently looked
forward to being q cadet captain when
l became n first class man. Immedi-
ately after my promotion l strolled
into the room Of one of my classmates,
where | found several cadets smoking
1t was then against the rules of the
academy for cadets to smoke. was
offered a cigar-I had never touched
tobacco in any form-and, like a fool,
took one
The colonel grew red in the face, and
there was an irritated look in his eye
well, colonel?" l said, blowing a
cloud
IAN inspecting officer walked in and
caught US all smoking My chevrons
were stripped from my arm. and
served the rest of my term a private"
THAT was too bad" l remarked sym
pathetlcally
at was nothing compared with what
followed That one Whit of the weed
gave me a taste for tobacco that /
have never got over"
But you don't smoke"
mo, l don't, and if you'll be patient
you'll learn the reason"
GO on, colonel"
From that time forward feeling
that might as we'll be hanged for an
old sheep as "A lamb, / smoked like a
ferryboat. I was caught smoking so
often that my dement's came very near
preventing me from graduating. As it
was, ] was put into the infantry in
stead Of the engineers, where, when
entered, hoped to come out
4 "The course / laid ont for myself was
this; l vowed | would not remain in
the army, marry and bring up fam
lily Of children on an officers pay. Be
ing poor as church mouse, / resolved
to marry a rich girl ana make the army
a lifelong profession.
"After tgckling good many girls
who I supposed ; money met with
success with one whom ! win can Anne
Tia Jones She was the only daughter
Of old Jones. who lad made fortune
i'm patent nf some Eiud. and his
daughter told me Thar ho would settle
hale q mi.lin9 ia har the day she was
married, provided DE approved Of her
haaee. Jus. as soon as proposed 90
Z Amelia and was accepted She told me
Z that when I came To meet her father
I : must stop smoking rim after the we'd
ding The oI1 man was violently on
U0Sad 10 fnEHsaa-