Year: 1861

Once on a time muiiny arose among
the teeth OF worthy man, in good health
and blessed with sound constitution, COM
monty known as Uncle Samuel. The CT
ting teeth, or irciscrs, and the eye-teeth,
or CANNES, though not nearly so many, all
counted, nor SO large, nor so strong as the
grinders and by no means so white, but on
the contrary, very much discolored, began
TO find fault with the grinders as not good
enough company for them. The eye-teeih,
being very sharp, and fitted for seizing and
tearing, and standing out taller than the
rest claimed to lead them. Presently, one
of them complained that it ached, very bad.
ly, and then another and another. Very
soon the cutiing-teeth, which pretended they
were supplied by the same nerve, and were
proud of it, began TO ache also. They all
agreed that it was the fault of the grinders.


About this time, Uncle Samuel having
used his old toothbrush (Which was never
good one, having no stiffness In the
bristles) for four weeks, took new one,
recommended to him by great number of
people as a homely but useful article.
thereupon all the front teeth, one after an
other, declared that Uncle Samuel meant
to scour them all white, which was thing
they would never submit to, though the
whole civilized world was calling on them
TO do so. So they all insisted on getting
out of the sockets in which they had grown
and stood for so many years. But the
wisdom teeth spoke up for the others and
said:


" Nay, there be but twelve of you front
teeth, and there be twenty of us grinders.
We are the strongest, and a good deal near
est the muscles and the joint, but we can
not spare you. We have put up with your
black stains, your jumping aches, and your
snappisil looks, and now we are not going
to let you 90, under the pretence that you
are 10 be scrubbed white, il you stay. You
don't work half so hard as we do, but you can
bite the food well enough, which we can
grind so much better than you. We be.
long to each other. You must stay"


Thereupon the front teeth, first the ca
mines or dog-teeth, next the incisors or cut
ting teeth, proceeded TO declare themselves
out of their sockets, and no longer belong
ing to the jaws of Uncle Samuel.


Then Uncle Samuel arose in his wrath,
and shut his jaws tightly together, and
swore that he would keep them shut till
those aching and discolored teeth of his
went to pieces in their sockets, if need were,
rather than have them drawn, standing. as
some of them did at the very opening of
his throat and stomach.


And now, if you viii please TO observe,
all those teeth are beginning to ache worse
than ever, and to decay very fast, so that
it will take great deal of gold TO stop the
holes that are forming in them. But the
great white grinders are as sound as ever,
aud will remain so until Uncle Samuel
thinks the time has come for opening his
mouth. In the mean time they keep on
grinding in quiet way, though the others
have had to stop biting for long time.
When Uncle Samuel opens his mouth they
will be as ready for work as ever but
those poor discolored teeth will be tender
for great while, and never be SO strong
as they were before they foolishly declared
themselves out of their sockets.


The foregoing fable is respectfully dedi-
Gated to the Southern Plebs, who, under the
lead of their Patrician masters, have
.seceded," like their predecessors in the days
of Menenus Agrippa.-Atlmtic Monthly.