Show HIS STRATAGEM WAS COSTLY it was wa designed Detle ned to break him acl cigarette garetta habit but only left him poorer mae mac keene la is described by mrs mra M meyer ey er our landlady an aa being a stu adlum and poor as a church mouse 4 the first appellation Is true he Is a student ot of engineering the simile Is rather baffling but that he Is poor I 1 fear Is true also mac keene Is a philosopher many men of little business I 1 ye are philosophers I 1 became acquainted with mac keene when I 1 invited him in one evening to share the warmth from my fir fire ho he having none and nd he be proved a treasure to me during many long winter evenings I 1 offered him a smoke and was instantly attracted to the man by his story of the cunning stratagem he b employed to break himself ot of the habit of smoking to excess mae mac keene had devised sundry and divers tricks to accomplish his end all wa without phout success the latest maneuver against the enemy consisted in his buying the most expensive cigarettes he be could find with the idea in mind that the wanton and profligate extravagance of smoking them up too rapidly would materially reduce his asumption P of the weed then it the campaign were successful he would not increase his expense in the long run but when the habit was more under control he be could reduce his expense even below the present by returning to cheaper brands such ingenuity as this was deserving ot of reward hut but alas it tailed failed from the start and left mac keene a poorer and a no more temperate man new york evening post |