The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-11-21
AUNT ANNIKYS TEETH.
ONE OF THE RICHEST AND RACZEST SKEz.HES
EVER WRITTEN


this shape. Good deal of sentiment
about such 4 ring as this"
Sentiment of a mixed nature, |
should say" murmured my father,
with grimace.
"Mixed-rather! A speck here, a
speck there. Sometimes an eye, often
er a jaw, occasionally a front. More
than a hundred men, 1 s'pose, have
helped in the cause"
"Eaw, doctor! you beats de birds,
you does" cries Aunt Anniky, whose
head was as fiat as the floor, where
her reverence shonld have been. "You
know dey snatches de wool from ebery
bush to make deir nests"
"Lots of company for me, that ring
is" said the doctor, ignoring the per-
tinent or impertinent interruption.
"Often as l sit in the twilight, 1 twirl
it around and around, a thinking of
the wagon-loads OF food it has masti-
Gated, the blood that has flowed over
it, the groans that it has cost! Now,
old lady, if you will itjust here"
He motioned Aunt Anniky to the
chair, into which she dropped in a
limp sort of way, recovering herself
Immediately, however, and sitting bolt
upright in a rigid attitude of defiance.
Some moments of persuasion were
necessary before she could be induced
to lean back and allow DR.. Babb's
fingers on her nose while she breathed
tho laughing gas; but, once settled,
the expression faded fromssher coun-
tenance almost as quickly as a magic
lantern picture vanishes. I watched
her nervously, my attention divided
between her vacant looking face and a
dreadful picture on the wall. 1t rep
resented DR.. Babb himself, minus the
hair, but with double the number of
smiles, standing by a patient from
whose mouth he had apparently just
extracted huge molar that Re held
triumphantly in his forceps. A gray
haired old gentleman regarded the
pair with benevolent interest. The
photograph was entitled, "His First
Tooth"
ATTRACTED by that picture ?" said
DR.. Alonzo, affably, his fingers on
Aunt Anniky's pulse. "My par had
that struck off the fret time ever got
tooth out. That's par with the gray
hair and the penediction attitude.
Tell you, he was proud of me! I had
such an awful tussle with that tooth
Thought the old fellows Jaw was
bound to break! But I got it out
and after that my par took me with
him round the country starring the
provinces, you know-and 1 practised
on the natives"
By this time Aunt Anniky was well
under the influence of the gas, and in
an incredibly short space of time hel
five teeth were out. As she came tc
herself l am sorry to say she was rath'
er silly, and quite mortified me by
winking at DR.. Babb in the most con
idential manner. and repeating, ovel
and over again: "Honey, yer AIM
harf as smart as yer thinks yer is pc
After a few weeks Of sore gum:
Aunt Anniky appeared, radiant with
her new teeth. The effect was certain
ly funny. In the first place, black
ness itself was not 80 black as Aun
Anniky. She looked as if she hac
been dipped in ink and polished of
with lamp black. Her very eye.
showed but the faintest rim of white
But those teeth were white enough t.
make up for everything. She hae
selected them herself, and the littl,
ridiculous milk white things wer,
more fitted for the mouth of Titani'
than for the great cavern in which
Aunt Anniky's tongue moved and hst
its being. The gums above tt em wer
black, and when she spread her wild
mouth in laugh, it always reminded
me of piano-!id opening suddenl,
and showing ali the black and whit
ivories at glance. Aunt Annik,
laughed great deal, too, after gettin,
her teeth in, and declared she ha,
never been so happy in her life. /
was observed, tt her credit, that .h
put on no airs of pride, but was as sc
ciable as ever, and made nothing &
taking out her teeth and handing ther
around for inspection among her cur
GUS and admiring visitors. On tina
principle Of human nature whic
, glories in calling attention to th
weakest part, she delighted in toug
meats, stale bread, green fruits, and .
, other eatables that test the biting qria
, ity of the teeth But finally destrut
ton came upon them in a way that n
} one could have foreseen. Uncle Ne
was an old colored man who live
3 alone in cabin not very far frol
3 Aunt Anniky's, but very differeI
from her in point Of cleanliness an
. order. In fact, Uncle Ned's wealtl
t apart from little corn crop, consis
ed in lot of fine young pigs, that ra
3 in and out of the house at all time
and were treated by their owner /,
4 tenderly as if they had been his chi
t dren. One fine day the old man fe
sick of fever. and he sent in has
for Aunt Anniky to come and nur
. him. He agreed to give her a pig
!. case she brought him through; shou
: she fail to do SO, she was to receive
b pay. Well, Uncle Ned got we'll, al
Q the next thing we heard was that
Y refused to pay the pig. My faith
. was usually called on TO settle all &