THE BALDHEAD. 105 



this terrible suffering and pain. "This is the 

 one at the back." 



"Yes; I see it. It is decayed, Willie. It 

 must come out. You will get no rest until it is 

 out." 



Willie bellowed and capered about furiously 

 at this awful consolation, and cried, " I can't 

 have it out; I won't." 



Mother said, " If you have it out, Willie, I 

 will give you whatever you like best." 



I closed at once with the offer and told her 

 old Mrs. Rumbellow down in the village had 

 a pair of young pigeons to sell, and I should 

 like to have them very much indeed. So on 

 that evening — oh, I remember it well, grey- 

 haired man that I now am — mother took me 

 to the village dentist. An old carpenter was 

 this dentist. He understood more about jack, 

 plane, and saw than he did tooth extracting. I 

 was placed in the chair. I trembled all over at 

 thought of the dreadful operation to follow ; my 

 heart was in my mouth, but the pair of pigeons 

 were in my eye, and these made me feel brave. 



" Open your mouth ; lean your head back, my 

 boy," said the skilful practitioner. In went the 

 instrument of torture, a wrench, a pull, and out 

 came a tooth. But, alas ! not the offending 



