Smyrna times., 1911-03-01
HeGaveUp 5
A FOrtune|
Because He Couldn't Wait a Few
Hours For a Smoke
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 a note asking when / could
see him alone, there being an impor-
tant matter about which / desired to
confer with him. OF 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 in a private room. l 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,
and the colonel ordered him to bring
one first rate cigar.
Now, Genevieve had posted me on
one matter about which l must be
very careful. On no account was | |
to let her father know that l used |
tobacco in any form. The colonel de- |
tested even the word tobacco.
Thanks, colonel" said. 81 never |
smoke"
"Oh, you don't?" he replied. Then.
turning to the waiter, he repeated the
order. The cigar was brought and
placed before me. "You either smoke
that cigar" said my host. ''or the OBJ
ject''-
He paused. 1 knew what he meant,
and, taking the cigar, l cut off the
end, lit it and began to smoke.
Before entering upon any other sub
| ject" the colonel continued, II have a
story to tell you. Ny 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 wrongside foremost; I'll
begin at the beginning.
| when l went to West Point the OBJ
| ject of my ambition was not to take
high grade in my studies. but to be
cadet officer. 1 was very careful not
to get demerits and kept my equip
ments we'll polished l was made a
corporal, which put me in the line of
promotion. and 1 confidently looked
forward to being a cadet captain when
/ became a first class man. Immedi-
ately after my promotion L strolled
into the room of one of my classmates,
where l found several cadets smoking.
1t was then against the rules of the
academy for cadets to smoke. l 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.
"Wen, colonel?" l said, blowing {
cloud
"An inspecting officer walked in an(
5 caught us all smoking. My chevron
a were stripped from my arm, and
E served the rest of my term private"
a "That was too bad," remarked sym
5 pathetically.
at was nothing compared with wha
g followed. That one Whit of the wee
}; gave me a taste for tobacco that
have never got over"
!. 'But you don't smoke"
/, mo, 1 don't, and if you'll be patien
- you'll learn the reason"
$50 on, colonel"
"From that time forward, feelin
that might as we'll be hanged for a
old sheep as a lamb, smoked like
ferryboat. l was caught smoking
often that my demerits came very net
preventing me from graduating AS
was, 1 was put into the infantry Il
stead of the engineers, where, when
entered, 1 hoped to come out.
''The course laid out for myself W;
this: vowed I would not remain
the army, marry and bring up far
lily of children on an officers pay. b
ing poor as a church mouse, resolve
to marry a rich girl and make the arm
a lifelong profession.
"After tackling a good many gil
who 1 supposed had money 1 met wi
success with one whom will call Am
liza Jones. She was the only daught
of old Jones, who had made fortu
. in q patent of some kind, and |
daughter told me that he would set
"A half q million on her the day she W
n married, provided he approved of b
fiance. Just as soon as / proposed
IA Amelia and was accepted she told l
that when l came to meet her fatt
must stop smoking till after the we
ding The old man was violently {
posed to tobacco
n singular" l interrupted, "tnat
same thing is repeated in the case
your daughter"
~ mot so singular as you suppC
when you have heard me out
~ "Amelia said that after the pre-
'x ised settlement had been made CO.
n blow a cloud in the old buffers face
Hked-or words to that effect-for
. couldn't take back what he'd civ
Since / was to get nice girl and s
600 a year with her l thought | co
manage to stop smoking during an
w gagement. especially since l was
to be ordered west in three mon
and we were to be married before