""Tom Loses A Tooth ""--- Mark Twain

TOM LOSES A TOOTH
-----MARK TWAIN

Tom always found Monday mornings to be miserable. Monday began another week’s slow suffering in school. Tom lay thinking. Presently, he wished that he was sick: then he could stay home from school. He investigated his body with the hope of finding some ailment. He thought that he had found symptoms of stomach trouble. He began to grow hopeful. However, the symptoms soon grew feeble and wholly went away.

Tom thought further. Suddenly he discovered something. One of his upper front teeth was loose. He felt lucky. He was about to groan when it occurred to him that if Aunt Polly was to know she would surely pull it out and that would hurt. Tom thought he would hold the tooth in reserve for the present. He remembered hearing from a doctor that a certain ailment could lay up a patient for three clays and make him lose a finger: He eagerly drew his sore toe from under the sheet and held it up for inspection.

He did not know the necessary symptoms. However, it seemed like a good chance. Tom fell to groaning. But his brother Sid slept on. Tom groaned louder. He fancied that he began to feel pain in the toe. No response came from Sid. Tom then started a succession of groans. However, Sid snored on.Tom became excited. He said, "Sid, Sid!" and shook him.

This course worked well.Sid Yawned, then raising himself on his elbow, stared at Tom. Tom went on groaning, Sid said, ”Tom! Say Tom!” No response. ”Here, Tom! Tom! What’s the matter, Tom?" Sid shook him and looked in his face anxiously. Tom moaned out: ”Oh, don’t, Sid. Don’t shake me.” ”Why, what’s the matter, Tom? I must call auntie.”

”No, never mind. It’ll be over by and by, maybe. Don’t call anybody.” ”But I must! Don’t groan so, Tom, it’s awful. How long have you been this way?" “Hours. Ouch! Oh, don’t stir so, Sid. You’ll kill me.”. ”Tom, why didn’t you wake me sooner? Oh, Tom you aren’t dying, are you? Don't Tom, oh don’t.” '

”l forgive everybody, Sid. Tell them so.” Sid had rushed to call help. . his groans had gathered a Tom’s imagination was working perfectly by now and his groans had gathered a genuine tone. Meanwhile, Sid flew downstairs and said: ”Oh, aunt Polly, come! ”Dying?" ”Yes. Don't wait, come quick.” ”What rubbish! I don’t believe it." She flew upstairs with Sid and Mary, Tom’s cousin. Her face grew pale and her lips trembled.

When she reached the bedside, she gasped out: "Tom! Tom, what’s the matter with you?” ”Oh, auntie, l’m-” ”What is the matter with you child?” Oh, auntie, my toe is paining. The old lady snak into chair. she laughed a little, then cried a little.Then she said:Then she said:

"Tom, what a shock you did give me! Now shut up the nonsense and get out of this." The groans ceased. The toe pain vanished. Tom felt a little foolish and said, ”Aunt Polly, how my tooth aches! The pain is more than that in my toe.

”Your tooth, indeed! What’s the matter with your tooth?" ”One of them is loose and it aches awfully.”

”There, there, now don’t begin that groaning again. Open your mouth. Your mom is loose but you’re not going to die for that. Mary, get me a silk thread." Tom said: ”Oh, please auntie, don’t pull it out. it doesn’t hurt any more. Please auntie, I don't want to stay home from school.”

”So all this was because you wanted to stay home from school and go fishing?

Tom, Tom, I love you so much and you try to break my heart in every way with your naughtiness!"

By this time the dental instrument was ready. The old lady fastened one end of the silk thread to Tom’ tooth and the other end to the bed-post. She pulled and the tooth hung dangling by the bed post. Tom now had a gap in his upper row of teeth. This enabled him to smile in a new and admirable way.

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