Year: 1873

Smikes madeup his mind to stop chew
ing. He never was much of a chewer,
anyhow, he said. He hadn't used to-
bacco but few years, and rarely con
sumed more than an ounce paper
in day. But he feared the habit might
get hold of him and become fixed, and
if there was anything that he abhored
it was to see man become slave to a
bad habit. He had used the weed some,
to be sure, but there had never been q
time during the last ten years when he
could not stop at any moment. But so
long as he did not become habituated to
its use he did not care to stop. He
could break off at any minute; and it
was a great satisfaction to feel so.


Thompson, he thought, was an alb
ject slave to his pipe. He pitied ThOmp-
son for he had seen Thompson try to
stop smoking several times, and fail ig-
ANONYMOUSLY every time he undertook it.
But Smikes wanted to, show his wife
how easy he could quit. So Monday
morning he remarked carelessly to Sa-
mantha that he guessed he would stop
using tobacco. Samantha said she was
glad of it, and added impetuously,
what she had never said before, that it
was a vile habit. Smikes appeared a





mantha said this, and mumbled out
something about being glad he had
never got into it himself. In his agita-
ton he pulled out his tobacco box and
was about to take a chew, when he re-
collected himself and plunged out of the
front door, forgetting his umbrella.
About half way to the office he met
Jones, with whom he was having some
business transactions. While they were
talking the thing over Smikes got a
little enthusiastic, and he had almost
reached the Office before he noticed that
he was rolling. an unCOmmOnly plump
quid around his mouth like q sweet
mOrsel. How it got. there Smikes did
not know. He puzzled over that little
thing all the rest of the forenoon, and at
last he took it out of his mouth and
threw it away, satisfied that he must
have taken it while talking with Jones.
Twice that afternoon Smikes took out
his tobacco box, and looked at it. Once
he took of the cover, and smelled of the
tobacco. It smelt so good that Smikes
felt lmpelled to remark to himself that
it was the easiest thing in the. world to
stop chewing.


He congratulated himself again and
again that he did not become entaneled
in the meshes of the filthy vice, and al
luded to the matter three or four times
that evening at the tea table, till Sa-
mantha marvelled greatly at the firm
ness OF Smikes. She had always heard,
she said, that it was a hard thing to
leave of. But Smikes had told her and
kept telling her that it was "iust as
easy" and her reverence for the verile
strength and independence of character
of Smikes grew like a gourd. That
night Smikes had the nightmare. He
thought that a legion of foul fiends had
got him up in a corner of the back yard,
and had rolled upon his belly mons
trOus quid of fine cut" as large around
as a cart-Wheel, and that they were try
ing to force it into his mouth. Smikes
struggled vigorously, and when Saman-
tina shook him and asked him what was
the matter, the only reply was, that
anybody could stop chewing if they
only made up their mind to it." The
next day Snlikes was a little nervous
He told everybody who came in what
q simple thing it was to stop chewing.
The third day he harped about it all
different times, and when that much in
formed individual ventured the opinion
that he would be chewing again in less
than week, Smikes indignantly eiacu-
lated :" Mr.. Jenkins, when | make I'D
my mind to thing that is the last of it y
the fourth day Smikes heard that cham
Omlle Blossoms were sometimes used as
a substitute for tobacco, and just out of
curiosity he devOured couple of ounces
of them. He said to the druggist when he
bOugh It them that it was easy enough to
stop the use OF tobacco. On the fifth
day SmikeS got sick.


His nerves gave out. He snapped
something at Samantha at the breakfast
table, upset his inkstand, burnt his fin
gers pOking some cinders out of the
CRATE, and had no annette for dinner.
That day the devil whispered to Smikes
that tobacco was really beneficial to
some temperaments, Smikes had a
temperament of that kind, The sixth
day Smikes felt like a murderer. He
seemed to himself to have become trans
formed into Modoc. His mouth was
dry and dparched. A stout, healthy look
ing old gentleman came into Smike's
office that day. He was o great friend
of Smikes, and as he drew forth his
silver tQbaccQ-box and daintily shook
out small portion of the pungentweed
Smikes felt his mouth water. He re-
marked TO Mr., Johnson that he had not
uAtJ 2EA- anu JA4tkG 1hG
had refrained so long just to satisfy
himself that anybody could chew or
leave it alone. He was fully satisfied
that it could be done, but he rather
thought that he was one of those tenn
peraments that are really acted upon in
a beneficial way by the temperate use Of
tobacco. Mr.. Johnson said he thought
so too, and as he handed Smikes his box
remarked that he had chewed regularly
for thirty years, and didn't know as It
ever damaged him any. As smikes
cheek be said he thought there was a
great difference in men. He was salts
fed that he could stop chewing at any
time, but there were some tempera-
ments to which a gentle narcotic or
Opiate was really blessing.-[Sarato-
gian. ........s........... ..-....-.- ...