CHAPTER II

In the Sod Cellar


Almost without exception the homes on the prairies were provided with
sod cellars. Even the few modern dwellings in the community in which
John's uncle lived were not without these old-fashioned cellars, which
served as a protection in times of storms and tornadoes. The cellars
served also as places in which to store the fruits and vegetables for
winter use. And very often, too, a large quantity of tobacco leaves that
had been dried and kept back when the summer's crop was sold could be
discovered in one of these places.

The home of John's uncle was provided with just such a cellar--a deep
hole dug in the ground and covered over with a dense roofing of brush,
mud, and sod. Within this cellar a large supply of tobacco leaves had
been stored. John had been in the cellar many times. He knew the tobacco
was there, and he knew to what use his uncle put the tobacco. He knew
also that his cousin Will both chewed and smoked the leaves, but it had
not occurred to him that he himself could do so.

The reason why he had not thought of using it was perhaps that his
father had once told him that the using of tobacco was a bad habit and
urged him to let it alone. But the fact that he had not been tempted did
not guarantee that he would not be; the fact that he had no appetite for
tobacco did not conclusively prove that he would never acquire one; nor