Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-09-15
AN ACHING TOOTH
I, Has no Place IN cupid's Book

steps to 80 through before the thing
could be ann aced, for instance,
Roses mother had been east for the
past six months, and had never seen
George. But Rose herself had prom
ised, and the sky looked a regular rob
ms egg blue.
Mother comes home today said
Rose, and you must call around and
see her this first afternoon. Now there
are two things that mother will not
stand. One is inattentiveness, she says
hat young men are always inatten-
tive to older women, and the other
is profanity OF course, / know that
youll be nice to mother, and / can't
even imagine you swearing bat you
must make a special effort for my
sake TO be particularly agreeable and
not let even the slightest expletiye
escape you. And 0, George, mother
is SO fond of boat riding; YOU ought
10 take her for a little row on the
river this afternoon. 1t would please
her So"
When Roses mother arrived she did
not impress George at all as a for
midable person, and George invited
her to go rowing with alacrity They
secured a boat at the public landing
and pushed off into mid-stream The
sun was shining mildly through light
clouds, the birds sang and everything
was pleasant except GEORGE For as
he took the first stroke with the oars
he felt curious throb, throb, throb in
the middle of one Of his lower back
teeth.
1t was mild at first, but each second
it struck harder and grew more pain
full. Thump, thump, thump. it passed
the claw-hammer stage for the ak,
and left the ak for an imitation of a
blacksmith's forge, and in two min
utes it was pretending to be six can
vas men driving in stake for a cir
Gus tent.
Thump, thump, thump! 1t WASH t
a toothache, it was a tooth-quake,
Don't you love rowing?" asked
Roses mother.
whats that? l mean--I beg you
pardon"
Don't you enjoy rowing? 1t has al
ways seemed to me such pleasart
form of exercise"
Rowing? Yes, it is"
Ordinarily George excered in smal
talk, but to-day the tooth occupied his
innermost thoughts
Aren't the birds singing sweety
this afternoon"
No answer.
Il said aren't the birds singing
sweetly this afternoon"
Sure sure-very sweetly-very
sweetly-very nice indeed every
thing nice"
And the scenery along the river
shore Don't you admire those old
trunks with the moss draped so grace
fully about them?'
Throb - throb - throb went on
the tooth 1t was a triple action steam
hammer now, sending off sparks that
cut burrows along Georges cheeks |
1t was swinging ahead in splendid
form, pausing for nothing and slow
ing for nothing. 1t was like the win
ming pugilist in the last round of
prize fight: ng-bing-bing-a
then some.
Il was speaking to you, Mr. Brown"
Silence.
Il was speaking to you"
"All right speak again. Spit it out
and have it over"
Roses mother seemed to grow Wis
IDLY in her indignation She attempt
Cd 70 gta ~ w
Brown, you will put me ashore at
once At once, do you und erstand? !
If l had any idea you were this sort
of a person, l should never have let
my daughter encourage you"
George made a few fierce attempts
at explanation, but the pain by this
time had increased to such a point
that his only thought was to get to
a dentist. Rose had dropped out of
sight altogether Just as his onceto-be
mother-in-law stepped out Of the boat
she gave it a slight shove with her
foot 1t capsized, landing George in
shallow water, and with a whole
mouthful of the cold stuff against the
aching tooth. George would not have
the court of heaven. He broke into
a shower of language that reminded
one of a drunken sailor at his best
1t was beautiful and convincing, and
all about that one tooth. George went
on through the last blankdash until
he had exhausted himself, and Roses
mother, two blocks away, was stin
running
Then George went to the nearest
dentist He knew his life's happiness
was wrecked, but he didn't give a
dash if that italics tooth was only out
that triple BANKED, cast iron. blight
ed piece of pestilence on the lower
jaw. He got up to the dentists door
way, he climbed the stair, and then,
just as he was about to go in the tooth
stopped aching. Stopped, absolutely
stopped short, dead in its tracks, He
couldn't even remember whether il
was the one next to the eyetooth or
the one just beyond that. And then
as he went back out on the street