The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-01-13
Belinda James Grinders.

went to the theater, and was much electri-
fed at an interesting moment in the en-
tertainment by feeling something sud-
denly fall apparently from the ceiling Of
the theater into his lap.
Hastily glancing downward. what
was his horror to see complete set Of
false teeth sharply defined on his fault
less black evening trousers! In his as
constituent he clapped his hand to his
mouth to assure himself that his own APP
paratus of mastication was in its proper
place aud in good condition. Reassured
on this point, he turned to his neighbor,
who was cycling him with mingled sus-
picion and disgust, and politely queried
MAY l ask if these teeth are your prop
erty, sirP"
Certainly not" said the other.
"Then | should like to know where
the dickens they come from"
you had better ask the manager.
Possibly it is part of the play
"rhe curtain soon afterward falling,
the recipient of this unusual favor, wrap
ping the teeth in playful, went out to
the box-oflice and invited the treasurer
to take charge of them.
"Well," said the treasurer, 81 have
seen almost everything in the world left
in theater in my time, bnt this is the
first set of teeth that was ever brought
to the office. Where do you suppose
they came from?"
THAT is precisely what l should like
to know. / was seated in the middle OF
the house and they must have fallen
from the ceiling. Is there a dentist up
there?"
While the treasurer and the gentle
man were comforting together the anx-
ious face of an American lady OF African
descent was thrust over the shoulder of
one of them.
"Well, honey" she exclaimed ''if you
havn't got my teeth! done just come
for them"
The box-officer turned and looked
sternly at the woman.
"Open your mouth" he said.
She hastily obeyed and disclosed a
complete and magnificent set of glitter
ing grinders.
"What the deuce do you mean by
claiming these teeth?" said the box
keeper. "How many set do you wear?"
Thus driven into q corner the Ameri
can lady of African descent, after little
hesitation admitted that the teeth did
not belong to her, but to her friend,
Belinda Jane, who was waiting in the
lobby. Belinda Jane, being summoned,
appeared with an abject countenance,
and her mouth was found upon investi-
CATION to present very deplorable
hiatus. The box-keeper fitted the teeth
in and found that they undoubtedly
belonged to Belinda Jane, who was
then called upon to explain what she
meant by throwing the teeth into the
lap of perfect stranger and how she
had succeeded in doing it. 1t turned
out that Belinda Jane and her friend,
actuated by the mingled motives OF
economy and interest in the drama, had
clambered up into the cock-loft of the
theater, and there extending themselves
at full length on the floor, had been
TRANQUILITY enjoying the play through a
great ventilation hole in the ceiling,
when particularly comically incident
on the stage threw Belinda Jane into
a convulsion of laughter, in the course
of which, the delinquent teeth flew out
of her mouth and fell through the hole
into the parquette.
The moral of this story will have to bt
settled between the dentists and the
architects. N. 7. World.