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Show THE MISSING TEETH First there was one tooth missing. Then another. And then a third. All these three were missing from Muriel's mouth. They were all missing miss-ing from the upper row of ' teeth. Muriel had lost a lower tooth some time before, but another tooth had come now In Its place. Hut there were three teeth still missing. When Muriel laughed It seemed as though she thought things funnier than ever. It waa such a funny laugh when three teeth were missing. Not only was It a laugh and a grin and a smile, hut It waa an expression expres-sion which said: "My mouth thinks things are funny, too. See my mouth with Ita three missing teeth laugh I" If you will look the next time you see a little girl with three missing teeth (if you have that tine opportunity) oppor-tunity) laughing you will see how much more of a iHiigh It Is than the laugh of anyone else. Or, If you happen to have three teeth missing at one time yourself. Just tuke a look at yourself In the mirror and you'll Inugh to see yourself laugh. t Then, one day, came the signs of new little tooth where there was a missing one. It was Just peeping forth. It looked like a Jagged little tooth, but It would be oil right when it grew. Muriel used to put her soft, smooth little pink-red tongue where the tooth was appearing as though to say: "Hello, tooth, I see you're on your way." And the tooth would scratch Muriel's Mu-riel's tongue ever so slightly and seemed to be saying: "Yes, here I'm coming along. Do you feel met" But only If you looked very closely at Muriel's mouth could you see the new little tooth. You could still see Peter Gnome Came to Take a Look. the three missing teeth or, rather, you could see the missing places where three teeth had been. And you could Just barely see the little new tooth peeping out from Its gum home. It was not a gum home which could be pulled. It was a still, quiet gum home. One night after Muriel had gone to sleep Peter Gnome came to take a look at her. You know that Peter Gnome loves children. Years ago there was one naughty little gnome and be caused a great deal of trouble. Juvt as at one time there was a naughty member of the Bogey family. They did such harm, for people went around and said that there was a naughty bogey man who would catch children If they didn't watch out and that gnomes were up to all sorts of mischief. There weren't any other naughty bogeys or gnomes and the two of these who were naughty were sorry they had been naughty after they had seen tbe trouble they caused. , From then on every bogey and every gnome promises as soon as it begins to go about that never, never will one of them disgrace the family names again. And they wouldn't, for they love children, and It hurts them terribly to think that they're punished for the naughty ones of years ago by having people think they're mean and cross too. Well, Peter Gnome went to take a peep at Muriel when she was fast asleep. Gently he lifted Muriel's upper Up Just a little, and then he smiled at once. , There had been no Joke, No one had said anything funny. There had been no inughter. Rut even while Muriel was asleep the three missing teeth or the places where tfie three teeth had been grinned In such a funny, funny way that Peter Gnome smiled from one ear to the other. That was something he was only able to do when things were particularly funny. But Just he-fore he-fore he left he noticed the new little tooth. "You're almost a Joke of a tooth," he said, "but I suppose you will be a i real tooth by and by." |