"No—please—Ruthie! I can't," wailed Dot.
"Let sister tie a stout thread around it, and you pull it out yourself," suggested Ruth, as a last resort.
Finally Dot agreed to this. That is, she agreed to have the thread tied on. Neale climbed the back fence into Mr. Murphy's premises and obtained a waxed-end of the cobbler. This, he said, would not slip, and Ruth managed to fasten the thread to the root of the little tooth.
"One good jerk, and it's all over!" proclaimed Agnes.
But this seemed horrible to Dot. The tender little gum was sore, and the nerve telegraphed a sense of acute pain to Dot's mind whenever she touched the tooth. One good jerk, indeed!
"I tell you what to do," said Neale to the little girl. "You tie the other end of that waxed-end to a doorknob, and sit down and wait. Somebody will come through the door after a while and jerk the tooth right out!"
"Oh!" gasped Dot.
"Go ahead and try it, Dot," urged Agnes. "I'm afraid you are a little coward."
This accusation from her favorite sister made Dot feel very badly. She betook herself to another part of the house, the black thread hanging from her lips.
"What door are you going to sit behind, Dot?" whispered Tess. "I'll come and do it—just as easy!"