A Bit of Experience in Cigar Smoking.
By H. L. Charles
"HERE comes a big boy; I guess he'll give us one." As Herbert Raymond looked up, he saw two ragged little fellows, a few paces in front of him, sitting on a stone by the roadside. The smaller one appeared to be about six years of age, and the other not more than two years older. It was the smaller one who had spoken, and he evidently referred to Herbert as the "big boy." "Say, won't you give us a match?" asked the larger boy, as Herbert drew near and stood before them. "What do you want with a match?" asked Herbert. "Want ter smoke," said the boy. "What! such a little fellow as you are? Do you smoke?" "You bet I do. I've smoked for more'n a year. But I'm not little. How old do you think I be?" "Oh! about eight," said Herbert. "Eight! I guess I be. I'm almost ten. But what do you think of this little feller, not more'n half as big as me? He smokes, and chews, too." "Why, cigars, of course." And he stretched himself up, and thrust his hand deep among the patches of his ragged trousers. After fumbling about for a while, he drew forth three stubs of cigars, about an inch and a half long. "You've been using them already, I see," said Herbert. "No we hain't, either. That's what we want the lighters for." "How did you get the stubs, then?" Herbert inquired. "Oh! some fellers was passin' and throwed 'em at us; but the fire had so nigh gone out that we couldn't make 'em go." "Let's share the cigars with him, if he'll furnish the matches," broke in the smaller boy. "Of course we'll do that," said the other. "There'll be just one apiece." "I am just as much obliged to you," said Herbert, "but I don't care for the cigar; and as for matches, I haven't any with me." "What dye do when yer want a smoke?" "I don't smoke," said Herbert. "What! a big feller like you don't smoke? What'll yer do wen yer a man?" "Indeed, I don't smoke. Do you think I would be seen with a dirty cigar or pipe in my mouth? It is a filthy, useless habit at the best; and, if I were you, I would throw those old stubs away, and quit while able to do so." "Yes, cigars are mean, dirty things," said the boy, "and we are tryin' to get some fire so we can burn these up. But here comes Dick Jones. He's the boy for us. He always carries matches, and he'll be glad to share with us." At the mention of Dick Jones' name Herbert started quickly along, for he did not care for Dick to hear his lecture against cigars. Dick had seen him on one occasion trying to smoke, and he might mention it here, and then they would have a good laugh at his expense. True, Herbert had never smoked but twice in all his life; but as he walked along trying to associate the idea of the manliness of smoking with the scene he had just witnessed, he felt a keener sense of the ridiculousness of such a thought than ever before, and he felt heartily ashamed of himself for having been so foolish as to try to learn to smoke. We will let him give an account of his experience with cigars in his own words, that other boys who have never tried them may catch a glimpse of the pleasure they afford. "It was about six months ago when Dick Jones got me to try one of his cigars. Dick is two years older than I, and learned to smoke when a small boy. We had been over to Meadow Brook fishing for trout, and had sat down to rest a few minutes before starting for home. Dick drew out a case of cigars and asked me to try one. I refused to do so, when he lighted one, and began to smoke. He said they were very mild—wouldn't make a baby sick—and laughed at me for not being able to smoke. He continued to urge me till, at last, I lighted one and put it into my mouth." "I can taste it in my mouth now, and it makes me sick whenever I think of it." "I had not smoked more than a minute before I began to feel a strange sickness at the stomach, and my head seemed to have converted itself into a top, and set itself to spinning." "As soon as I felt able, we started for home. The first thing we had to do was to cross the brook on a rather shaky log that lay across it. I got along very well until about two-thirds across, when the rocking of the log, the dancing of the water below, and the whirling of my head, were altogether too much for me, and down I went into the stream. The water was quite shallow, but it managed to get all over me, and made me just as wet as though it had been twice as deep. After considerable effort I succeeded in getting home, changed my clothes, ate a very light supper, and went to bed much earlier than usual. The next morning I felt as wise as Solomon on the subject of using tobacco." "The next time I saw Dick he offered me another cigar, but I firmly refused. I told him that I had concluded to leave off smoking before the habit got too firmly fixed, and advised him to do the same." "Still he gave me no peace. Every time I met him he would broach the subject, and insist that I must learn. He said it was boyish to give up in that way, that I ought to have the manliness to stick to it. He had promised to say nothing about my smoking affair, but he told one or two of his associates, and they joined with him in a laugh at me for my weakness." "Some time after this one of the boys gave me a cigar, which he said I could smoke some time when I was alone, and then there would be no one to laugh at me. I thought this would be just the plan. Besides, this boy told me that the first cigar always made one sick, but that there was no difficulty in smoking the second one." "It was on one Saturday morning, about a month after my first attempt, that I thought I would try it again. I thought I would smoke a few times, just to show the boys I could do it, and then I would quit." "In the afternoon of this day there was to be an excursion to a lake about five miles distant. Our whole school was to go, and arrangements had been made for a grand time. I had a few chores to do during the morning, among which was the splitting of a few pieces of wood for starting the fires. Just before commencing this work, I lighted my cigar and puffed away as fast as I could. I had determined not to smoke very much, but thought I would do it as quickly as possible and have it over." "Soon I began to feel dizzy, and throwing aside the cigar, I took the axe and commenced my task. I thought I could work off the ill feeling; but the harder I worked the more dizzy I got. Soon the wood-house seemed wrong side up, and the pieces of wood appeared to sway from side to side as though trying to evade my blows. My feet and the wood got badly mixed together, and my axe never would go where I aimed it. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my foot, and found that I had made a gash in it which nearly severed one of the toes. I managed to get into the house, and a surgeon was called to dress the wound." "That day was the most miserable one I ever spent. The pain in my foot, the dizzy feeling in my head, and the disappointment in not being able to accompany my schoolmates on their excursion seemed enough to render my misery complete." "I did not tell any one of the part the cigar had played in causing the accident. None of the boys know anything about it, and Dick still urges me to try a second cigar. He says unless I learn to smoke that all the boys will laugh at me, and say that I tried to learn but wasn't man enough." "I can now see how much easier it would have been if I had firmly refused at the first. But I cannot undo the past. I can only so act in the future as to avoid getting into deeper trouble. I have decided to let them laugh all they please at my past experience in smoking, but shall furnish them with no more similar matter for sport. They may rest assured that my experience in using tobacco in any form is at an end."—H. L. Charles.