The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-01-07
AUNT ANNIKY's TEETH

possessed q gilt beyond the common
but her. unapproachable talent lay Il
the province OF nursing. She scenes
born for the benefit OF sick people
She should have been painted Will
the apple OF healing In her hand. Fo
the rest she was q funny. illiterLt,
old darkey. vain afYable ana neat n
pink.
On one occasion my mother had {
dangerous illnesA Amt Anniky
nursed her through 1t giving hersel
no rest night nor day until her patient
had come back to de walks an ways
OBJ life" as she expressed the dear
mothers recovery. My father over.
joyed ana grateful felt that we owed
its result quite as much TO Aunt An
Milky a. t, our family doctor SO he an
nounced his intention OF making her
q handsome present and. like King
Herod. left her free to choose what II
should be. s
We'll. Mars Charlea ~ said she
(she had bcen one OF our old servants
and always called my father Mars
Charles). to tell you de Twin trufe
my soul an body Is q yearnin' fur a
han'sum chany set O. teef.''
"a set OF teethr' cried father. sur
prised enough; .and have you none
left OF your ownp"
Il has gummed it fur n good many
yo'rs" said Aunt Anniky with sigh;
but not wlshin ter be ongrateful ter
my obligations owns ter havin' FIVE
material teet But dey is po' sogers;
dey shirks battle. One OF denis got
little somethin' in 1t as lively as a
speared worm an tell you when
anything teches it hot or cold II jest
makes me dance! An ,,anudder is In
my top jaw. an amt got no match
fur it In do bottom one; an one Is
broke OF nearly to de root; an de las
two Is so yaller dat Is ashamed ter
show EN- In company. an so lifs
my turkey-tail to my mouf every tine
] laughs or speaks"
Well" said my father. I'm going
to the village to. morrow. Anniky. in
the spring wagon. / will take you
with me and we will see what the
dentist can do"
..Bless yo' heart Mars Charles"
said the delighted Anniky you re
jest rs good as yo blood an yo' name
IN mo couldn': say"
The morrow came aud with It Aunt
Anniky. gorgeously arrayed In a TAM
ing red calico bandanna handker-
chief and a string OF carved yellow
beads that glistcned in her bosom like
fresh buttercups on hillslope.
DR. Babb was the dent list and the
odd fish OF our village He beams in
my memory as n big round man. with
hair and smiles all over his face who
talked necessarily. and said things to
make your blood run cold.
He mOtioued Aunt Anuiky TO the
chair into which she dropped in q
limp sort OF way recovering herself
Immediately. however aud sitting
bolt-upright in n rigid attitude OF de.
fance Some moments OF persuasion
wore necessary before she could be
induced to lean back and allow Dir.
Babbs fingers on her nose while she
breathed the laughing gas; but once
settled. the expression faded from her
countenance almost rs quickly as II
magic lantern picture vanishes and
in an incredibly short space of time
her five teeth wore out As she came
to herself l am sorry TO say. sho was
rather silly. ind quite mortified me
by winking Mt DR. Babb in the most
confidential mannor and repeating
over and over again. Honey. yer
aint harf u, smart Us yer thinks yer
isr'
After few weeks OF sore gums
Aunt Anniky appeared radiant with
her new teeth. The effect was cer-
tainly funny. In the first place
blackness itself was not so black as
Aunt Anniky. Sho looked us IL she
had been dipped in ink and polished
oil with lampblack. Her very eyes
showed bat the faintest rim OF white
but those teeth were white enough 10
make up for 9, erything. She had Sc
lected them herself and tho little
ridiculous milk-wnite things were
more fitted for the mouth OF u Titanta
than for the great cavern In
which Aunt Anniky's tongue moved
and had a beginning. The gums
Rbo o them were black. and when
she spread her wide mouth In a laugh
II always reminded me OF n piano Id
opening suddenly and showing all the
black and white worries at n g,ancc
Uncle Ned was an old colored man.
who lived alone in cabin not very
far from Aunt Anniky's but very DIFF
fercnt from hers in point OF cleanli-
ness and order. In fact ncle Ned's
wealth. apart from little corn crop
in lot OF fine young pigs
that ran In and out OF the house at all
times and were treated by their
owner as tenderly as II they had been
his children. One fine day the old
man fell sick OF fever and he sent
In haste for Aunt Anniky to come
and nurse him. He agreed to give
ner a pig In case she brought him
through; should she fail to do so he
wPs to receive no pay. Uncle Ned
got we'll and the next thing We heard
was that no refused TO pay the pig.
My father was usually called on TO
settle all the disputes In the neigh
borhood: no one morning Annikv and