Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-09-19
Tooth for a Tooth.

1t was a beautiful morning. Not
cloud in the June sky, not a leaf
stirring on the old cottonwood tree
| by the spring. The cattle, after a
restless night, were lying in close or
der, and lazily chewing the cud, or
stretched out broadside on the thick
green carpet. On the edge of the
bunch, few calves were frisking
about with tails up, and one impa-
tient youngster was butting away at
his browsing mother with a vigorous
suggestion that it was time to rise
and furnish the morning meal.
On an adjacent hill the horse
Wrangler, still draped to the heels in
the yellow slicker he had donned in
the thunder-shower Of the night, sat
idly in the saddle, with a hand on
his horses hips, looking away over
the pea green range OF early summer
to where the mountain tops glowed in
the rising sun. The cooks fire of
damp wood, kindled directly under
the tree, sent up a thick smoke, which
spread throughout the branches, but
collected above them, extending in one
straight, slender, lofty column into
the blue smoked out of their leafy
home, and on every side resounded
the mellow notes of the meadow lark.
1t was a beautiful morning, but no
one in camp was happy, for every
mans clothes were wet, and Mike
Tussler had the toothache. Now, it
is we'll known that when the big
back tooth Of a big buck Irishman
takes notion to ache, it is a wholly
different proposition from an ordi-
nary case Of NAL de dents.
You don't know anything about
it," Mike declared; ''this isn't Just
toothache. 1t aches all over. Did
you ever see one of them fiery comets,
with a long, forked tail onto a bright
head? Well, this pain is just like
that. My tooth's the red-hot head of
the thing, and the tails are going all
through me-"
cook looked in his mouth.
"Did you ever see a chestnut or
acorn with a worm hole in it? That's
the way with your tooth. Just lit
tie bit of hole right into it. It's a
terrible small hole to worry about
Nothing small about the feel of
it," said Tussler; and he asked for
a day off to go and get it "yanked."
He could not be spared that day,
but the next morning went away to
the nearest town. It was always a
days ride; and, as is the perverse
way of aching teeth, his began to feel
much better when he came in sight of
the village. He felt so much re-
lieved by the time he had ridden
down the one street, with it's square
front, one-story wooden buildings,
that when he was finally seated in
the dentists chair he didn't want to
have the tooth pulled.
II was just coming along the street.
he said to the dentist, land / saw
your brand on the door. So I come
in to ask you to look in my mouth
and tell me how old I be-"
"Old enough to take better care of
your teeth" he announced, after
looking them over.
Have I got to have the lasso on
that back one?" asked Tussler.
"You have got to have it filled at
once"
"What'u it cost?' asked the eau
tious Irishman.
Three do1ars,' said the dentist
I use only the best materials anC
have but one price"
WELL" said Mike, sit don't hur
any now; I guess won't let the jol
today"
That's robbery" he assured him
self, as he went away to copper tn
ace for five and lose it; ''the COO
said it was an awful small hole"
The next morning, however, hi
tooth having meanwhile resume
business, he was waiting at the doc
when the dentist came down.
"You don't get up 30 early as we d
on the range, by about four hours,
said he; "I've been standing here a
night. want my tooth filed full.
So Mike had the work done an
} paid so cents extra for Gaping til
nerve. "And the whole thing didn
take him an hour" he reported whe
he returned to camp; I've been rot
bed.''