Page 54 - Arrow Publications Pvt. Ltd.

“Tom, what a turn you gave me!”

Now you shut up that nonsense and climb out of this.

The groans ceased and the pain vanished from the toe. The boy felt a little foolish, and he

said. “Aunt Polly, it seemed mortified, and it hurt so, never minded my tooth at all.”
“Your tooth, indeed! What’s the matter with your tooth!”

“One of them is loose, and it aches badly.”
“There, there, now, don’t begin that

groaning again. Open your mouth. Well,
your tooth is loose, but you’re not going
to die. Mary, get me a silk thread, and a

chunk of fire out of the kitchen”.

Tom said, “Oh please, auntie, don’t pull
it out. It doesn’t hurt any more. Please
don’t, auntie. I don’t want to stay home

from school”.
“So, all this row was because you thought

you would get to stay home from school
and go-a-fishing? Tom, Tom, I love you
so, and seem to try every way you can to break my old heart with your outrageousness”.

By this time, the dental instruments were ready. The old lady made one end of the silk thread

fast to Tom’s tooth with a loop and tied the other to the bedpost. Then she seized the chunk
of fire and suddenly thrust it almost into the boy’s face. The tooth was hanging loosely by
the bedpost now!

As Tom wended to school after breakfast, he was the envy of every boy he met because the
gap in his upper row of teeth enabled him to expectorate in a new and admirable way!

Word Power

intervening: occurring between events odious: extremely unpleasant vague: unclear
convassed: to suggest an idea colicky: stomach pain feeble: weak

reflected: thought deeply reserve: keep for future use sore: painful because of infection
groan: make a deep sound in a pain fancied: wished chunk: solid piece

aggravated: made something worse captivity: imprisonment exertions: efforts
panting: breathe quickly and loudly through mouth rubbage: rubbish
snort: make a rough sound with nose moaned: made a long, low sound expressing suffering

53 Arrow - English Plus-7