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Reveries of a Bachelor : Or, A Book of the Heart
Reveries of a Bachelor Or A Book of the Heart Author:Donald G. Mitchell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: OVER HIS CIGAR. I DO not believe that there was ever an Aunt Tabithy who could abide cigars. My Aunt Tabithy hated them with a peculiar hatred. She was not on... more »ly insensible to the rich flavor of a fresh, rolling volume of smoke, but she could not so much as tolerate the sight of the rich russet color of a Havana-labelled box. It put her out of all conceit with Guava jelly, 10 find it advertised in the same tongue, and with the same Cuban coarseness of design. She could see no good in a cigar. " But by your leave, my aunt," said I to her, the other morning, " there is very much that is good in a cigar." My aunt, who was sweeping, tossed her head, and with it her curls — done up in paper. " It is a very excellent matter," continued I, puffing. " It is dirty," said my aunt. "It is clean and sweet," said I; " and a most pleasant soother of disturbed feelings; and a capital com panion ; and a comforter —" and I stopped to puff. " You know it is a filthy abomination," said my aunt, " and you ought to be —" and she stopped to put up one of her curls, which, with the energy of her gesticulation, had fallen out of place. " It suggests quiet thoughts," continued I; " and makes a man meditative; and gives a current to his habits of contemplation, — as I can show you," said I, varmiug with the theme. My aunt, still fingering her papers, — with the pin in her mouth, — gave a most incredulous shrug. " Aunt Tabithy," said I, and gave two or three violent, consecutive puffs,—" Aunt Tabithy, I can make up such a series of reflections out of my cigar, as would do your heart good to listen to !" " About what, pray ? " said my aunt, contemptuously. " About love," said I, " which is easy enough lighted, but wants constancy to keep it in a glow. Or about matrimony,...« less