“Open yer mout’,” said Marybell.
Annie obeyed—it opened widely.
“Back teet’ all gone—nuttin’ but holes left dere! Now skin yer teet’—like dis!” And Marybell showed two rows of sharp front teeth as she wrinkled up her face fearsomely.
Annie imitated the Officer and Marybell frowned. “You’se ain’t got no kinda teet’ to clean, nohow! Dey gotta go to a dentis’ an’ be scoured er pulled—I don’ know which, but I’ll report you to de hospital anyway and let ’em do what dey says,” was Marybell’s terrifying verdict.
“Oh please don’ report me to a hospital—please! An’ I don’ want all my teet’ pulled neider! I’ll run away firs’. I come here to eat all I kin and have a good time, an’ now yeh wants to pull out my teet’ an’ I can’t chew any more!” wailed Annie.
“Nah, I don’t, Annie! I on’y wants to git out dem bad ones what will ache, an’ de udders kin be scoured to git de black off. What made ’em so bad?” soothed Marybell.
“De school-teacher in Harlem says it was ’cause I eat so much candy—me fadder keeps a candy store wid cigars, yeh see.”
“Hum—we unnerstan’—nuttin’ like trashy candy to eat up good teet’!” declared Marybell, wisely, for she had just been told a few lessons prior to this application, about the evil effects of sweets on the teeth of children.
In the last Nest in the row, Marybell found that a roof had leaked during a slight shower the preceding night. The bed-clothes of the bed standing under the stream of rainwater were soaked, but so eager was the child to finish its work and get away that the damp sheets were used in making up the bed.
“Say—you chumps, who made dis bed?” shouted Marybell, as the six Little Citizens ran up to await inspection.