The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-04

ter from a man who cured himself OF the
cigarette habit won third prize. 1t is pub
lished In the March number:
1T was at the age of 6 that 1 first be-
gan to smoke cigarettes.
: at the age of Is they sent me away to
school. At 1s I went to college. Freed o.
all home ties and restraint l smoked 10
my hearts content. At % l was ner-
vous wreck. The doctors thumped me
over the heart and shook their heads
gravely. I had tobacco heart, they told
me, and my only hope of evading pre-
mature~grav was to stop smoking alb
solutely.
Il had figured that I smoked from 81
to GO day. 1 resolved to cut this NUM-
ber down. I did manage to get along
with about half that number, but below
that I could not go.
Then one day I took stock Of myself
Life was sweet and / had no desire to
die. resolved to master the cigarette
habit or die in the attempt. If | didn't.
was going to die anyway. once more
1 threw away my tobacco and papers.
And this time 1 did not retrieve them.
HIT altcT tlllc l. IttuIlltu " TIC piceNN
where knew they lay just over a hedge
fence, but each time managed to control
myself and walk away from the spot.
That first night was one crescendo of
horror. 1t tossed restlessly upon my bed.
thought of the pleasure which one puff
would give me- Again and again l sat
upon the edge of my couch, fighting
"a pxi r, al la 10 raf a111 rrh
my pockets for 'scrapings' enough to roll
just one cigarette. How | kept from
doing so is more than I know. Morning
found me gaunt and hollow-eyed The
craving had me in its grip Breakfast
sickened me because | hadn't braeed my
stomach to receive it with my morning
cigarette. l ate no dinner and no supper
Water alone would stay down.
This is only a portion of the torment
that 1 suffered for weeks. They seemed
like ages to me. The smell of cigarette
would drive me frantic Cigars and pipe
had never appealed to me before. Now,
would almost have parted with life itself
to have dared to smoke one. My nights
were one long series of tossings and
tumblings upon my bed, dropping off into
doing only to awaken because of the
nightmares which pursued me. And in
each of them the central figure was a
cigarette. By daytime I was grouchy and
irritable Harsh words came more read
lily to my lips than kind. l almost hated
myself. What my friends and relatives
must have endured then only the love for
one of your own blood could have borne.
s'And then one day the habit left me
not gradually, for the night before, 1 eau
recall. l had one of my hardest battles
against getting up casting all the ground
that l had won behind ME, and making
and smoking a cigarette, even though
my life should pay the forfeit. The next
morning I was surprised to find that L
had slept we'll and that I was undergoing
a craving which 1 had not experienced
in years. To my astonishment l discov-
cred that | wanted breakfast And after
the meal did not crave a cigarette.
have never craved one since. / can sit
by and watch others smoke them with
out the least desire to indulge myself.
Ny taste for cigarettes has been broken,
but not for worlds would | go again
through the purgatory into which my
battle with the little thin paper rolls of
tobacco cast me-"