THE SALT TBICK. 131 



strangers to each other, and enter some business-doing 

 public house, where the company are of a class that is 

 likely to tolerate a betting transaction ; one professes to 

 be suffering most acutely from tooth ache, and commences 

 to rub his jaw with something screwed up in a bit of 

 paper ; the confederate asks him what the paper con- 

 tains, and he tells him " salt." 



" Why," says the confederate, " whoever told you that 

 salt would do you good ?" 



" Why, a dentist to be sure," says the other. 

 " And does it really do you good ?" asks the confede- 

 rate. 



" Certainly, or do you think I should be such a fool 

 as to use it ?" replies the other. 



At this moment the one with the toothache places the 

 screwed paper containing the salt on the table, and re- 

 tires. The confederate immediately suggests that it 

 would be a good lark to change the contents of the paper 

 and substitute ashes or sawdust. Some of the company 

 invariably enter into the lark, by changing the contents 

 of the paper, and replacing it exactly where the supposed 

 dupe left it, who, on entering, immediately commences 

 using it again. The confederate recommences chaffing 

 him about his old-womanish method of curing the tooth- 

 ache, until the other tells him to mind his own business, 

 and not to annoy him. 'Tor,'* says he, "what have 

 you to do with it ?" 



But the chaffing is kept up until the man with the 

 toothache offers to bet a certain amount of money that 



