THE REMEDY THAT FAILED.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIV, Issue XV, 14 April 1900, Page 699

THE REMEDY THAT FAILED.

“It will only be necessary for yon to drop about half a tetispoonful of the mixture it.to his cup of coffee each moi n’ng,” the circular said, “and the taste for tobacco will gradually depart from him He may not cease the use of tobacco immediately, but within a week he will beg’n to abhor tobacco if the mixture is given to him faithfully every morning.’* And so the young wife sent five shillings, and got a. bottle of the tobacco cure. ‘Not very nice coffee ths morning.*’ he remarked drily the first time she dropped the half-teaspoonful of t h»* mixture into the cup. “It’s the same as we've been using for months,” she replied craftily. Now, Io and behold! he was a pretty smooth proposition himself, and he had, unbeknownst to her. seen the Lottie of mixture when it was deI’vered. So after dinner that evening he produced a large bulky package of line-cut tobacco from his pocket ami took therefrom a plenteous chew of tobacco. It was the first, chew he had ever taken in her presence, and she marvelled gt’eafly thereat, but she determined to persist with the “treatment.” “Very bad coffee again this morning. isn't it?” he inqu’red at breakfast the next morning.

“I’m sure it tastes 'the same to me,” she replied. That evening after dinner he produced a short, black clay pipe and a package of a new kind of .tobacco that was as black as jet. “Thought I'd bring this old p pe up from the office,” he explained < heerlully. “It's as sweet as a nut.” Whereupon he filled Ihe house with aroma strong enough to break rock. The next evening he brought home a box of cigars he had purchased at an auction, and after he had smoked one of them after dinner ail of the people in the neighbouring flats stuffed cotton in the hall door keyholes. That evening her resolution deserted her. After dinner, for the first time to her knowledge, he pulled out a package of cigarettes, lit one, and began to smoke it. She went upstairs, poured out the remaining portion of her five shillings’ worth of ant-tobacco mixture. and carefully hid the bottle. “Coffee’s all right this morning,” said he al breakfast the next day. “Yes.” she said absently.

When he had finished his dinner that evening he lighted one of h’s usual brand of good cigars. “Men are mysterious to me.” she thought, regarding him out of the corner of her eye. “Women only think they'ie fox\.” hi* thought, blowing smoke rings in .» spare.