IN THE "SMOKER."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1777, 16 June 1913, Page 5

IN THE "SMOKER."

QUESTION OF QUALIFICATION. Moody weather makes a moody public, and nowhere is this so apparent as in the moving: life on tho trams. These raw shortening days see on occasion a shortening of the bonhomie of tho road, with pinched passengers glaring glumly on the passing sceno. ' A Saturday Soatoun-bound tram had smoking compartment occupicd by a tightly fitting complement o! eight passengers ere it pulled up at tho Bank of New Zealand corner, and hero a very stout man strove successfully through tho doorway. There was nothing for it but to become a straphanger. Ho had swayed to and fro from tho strap end for a short distance, when ho noticed that a nonsmoking telegraph messenger was among the seated ones.

The stout man eyed the comfortably wedged-in lad for a moment, and then— "You've no right in here, boy," he said sharply. "You don't smoke, and this is for smokers. Get along into tho other seats." ' .

Tho messenger budged not, and listened calmly to a few further Tcmarks, After critically surveying the bulk of the straphanger no at last spoko up. "Suppose I did get up," rlis lad remarked, "you (with emphasis) couldn't sit down here." The fat man's anger took oil a keener edge immediately. "None of your chock," ho quickly snapped, "or I'll pull your nose for vou." Tho messenger spoko no more, but "'iieath tho other's glowrring still held his seat.

An oilslrin-clad workman then evinced a littlo sympathy for the swaying fat man, but not up to the point of giving; up his seat to him. His vis-a-vis was a pallid youth, who was languidly puffing tho cigarette. The brawny workman leant towards tho devoteo of My Lady Nicotine in the paner-elad form. t "Do you suffer horo?" lie queried of tho pale-complexioned smoker, tapping himself on tho chest.

"Not that I'm aware of," came the reply, with a cloud of cigarette smoke. "You will though," the workman said, "if you smoke those things much longer. You've got nsthma, and this smoke's 110 good for you." . The cignrotto glowed moro brightly hs n mate asked "Rill" how he so diagnosed the other traveller's proneness to cheat complaint. "Hill" significantly shook his head and said he "knew," but desnite this direful prospect the cigarette suiolter took the risk cheerfully, and tho fat inntl still swayed along. ■