Year: 1876

The following is John Norton's-the Old


Trapper-reason for not using tobacco. in
Murray's Adirondack story, now running


in the Golden RHle. The authors humol


and brilliant descriptive powers are clearly


seen in every paragraph of this, his first


serial story:


Henry, " said he, as he stood leaning


over the side of his boat, ''you come here


and we will hist this boat into camp. ]


dare say am an old fool, but somehow


sorter feel that this lake shore isn't quite


the spot to leave an honest mans boat on


l can remember when to have done it


would have cost man his boat and scalp,


too, onless the Lord marcifully kept his


eyes open by dreams.


In a moment the boat was placed where
the d man wished it, and settling his


back against its side for a support, he un-
laced his moccasinS, and thrust his smoking
feet out toward the fire. Taking pipe
from my pocket / filled it with a choice
brand of tobacco / had in my pouch and
-preffered it to him.


''Thank ye, thank We, Henry" said he,
as he made motion of rejection of the Of
fer with his hand, II thank We for the
kindness We mean in your heart, but if it is
all the same to We, won't take it. know
it is comfort to We, and am glad to see
We enjoy it; but have never used the
weed, not for the reason that l had any
conscience in the matter, but because the
Lord gave me a nose like the hounds, and
better too, | dare say, for | doubt if
hound knows the sweetness of things, or
can take pleasure from the scent that goes
into his nostrils. But he has been more
grateful to man, as it was proper he should
be, and gave him the power to know good
and evil in the air and smellin' has always
been one of my gifts, and couldn't make
We understand. I dare say, the pleasure l
have had in the right exercise of it. For
you know that natur is no more bright to
the eve than it is sweet to the nose; and |
have never found a root or shrub or leaf
that hadn't its own scent. Even the dry
moss on the rocks, dead and juiceless as it
seems, has a smell to it, and as for the
arth, l love to put my nose into the fresh
sile, as city woman loves the nozzle of her
smellin-bottle. Many and many a time
when alone here in the woods have taken
my boat and gone up into the inlet when
the wild roses was in blossom, or down in
to some bay where the white lily cups was
open, and sot in my boat and smelt them
Dg lAAO lAOul3 anu nNAAuCICu IL uCdNOll SluClb
SOS Yes, have been sartinly gifted in my
I sc, for l have always>poted that / have
Smelt things that the men and women l
was guidin didn't, and found things in the
air that they never suspicionod of, and
feared that smokin mig ght take away my
gift, and that if l got the strong smell of
tobacco in my nose once | should never
scent any other smell that was lesser and
finer than it. So l have never used the
weed, bein sort of materially afeerd of it;
but what is medicine for one man may be
pisen for another, as l have noted in ami
mails, for the bark that fattens the beaver
will kill the rat; and so you must take no
offense at what l have said, but smoke as
much as you feel moved to, and will
scent the edges of the smell as it comes
over my side of the fire, and so we'll sorter
jine works-as they say in the settlements
you do the smokin and l will do the smell
in, and think I've got the lightest end of
the stick at that. And the old man laugh
I'd in every line of his time-wrinkled face
at the smartness of his saying.