DISAPPOINTED SMOKERS 139 



air. To be sure, there are laws against smoking in the 

 stations and cars, but they are looked upon as obsolete, 

 and, consequently, do not secure to the non-smoker 

 exemption from this annoyance. In order that we 

 might travel sans tobacco fumes, father, Shelley, and I 

 resorted to a little stratagem which was usually success- 

 ful in frustrating the hopes of the smokers. We seldom 

 sat together, so, when a passenger was observed about 

 to apply the match to his carefully filled pipe, father 

 would politely request him not to smoke, as it was 

 very offensive to him. If this had no effect, Shelley 

 would remark, in language more forcible than elegant, 

 " Put out that pipe," or " What business have you to 

 poison the air, which others have to breathe ? " where- 

 upon I would chime in with, "It will be wiser for you 

 to stop, sir. You have no right to smoke here, when 

 these gentlemen object." 



It was ludicrous to see the expression on the puffer's 

 face, as, one by one, these objections confronted him ; 

 and sometimes I could hardly suppress a laugh to see 

 him look about, fearing others were about to attack 

 him. Under these circumstances, he was generally 

 very glad to put his pipe away, making profuse apolo- 

 gies meanwhile for not having done so before. 



From Brisbane we went to Maryborough, where we 

 remained a short time. The town was composed 

 mostly of low, unpainted, wooden houses. 



We did fairly well with our lectures, and made some 



