You may have heard somewhere of Uncle Jerry Chuck. He was an old woodchuck who lived in Farmer Green's pasture. And he was known far and wide as the stingiest person in Pleasant Valley. He never paid for anything if he could possibly help it.
Well, Uncle Jerry had the toothache. That was nothing new for him, either. He often had the toothache. And it was always the same tooth, too—because he had only one in his head. But he never would go and have his tooth pulled, because he simply hated the thought of paying anyone to take it out. He had an idea that he was the one who should be paid. But he never could find a dentist who looked at the matter in that light.
Uncle Jerry was strolling through the woods. He had a big red handkerchief tied about his face, because it was a cold day. And he was getting very tired of the toothache. He was just wishing that he could get rid of it—for nothing. He even thought he would be willing to part with that tooth without asking any pay for it, when what should he see right in front of him but a big sign, which said:
JAMES RABBIT
TOOTH PULLER
"Hello!" said Uncle Jerry. "Here's something new! I've never noticed that sign before." And he stepped inside the hollow stump to which the sign was nailed.
And there he found Jimmy Rabbit, in a white apron, and with a pair of pincers in his hand. Frisky Squirrel was there, too, sitting in a corner and holding onto his head.
"What are your prices?" Uncle Jerry asked.
"An ear of corn for a tooth!" said Jimmy Rabbit promptly.
"That's reasonable enough," Uncle Jerry Chuck replied. And he sat down at once. "Go ahead!" he said.
Jimmy Rabbit was delighted.
"Which one is it?" he asked.
"All of them!" said Uncle Jerry.
That was even better than Jimmy had expected. But when he looked inside Uncle Jerry's mouth he was disappointed.
"Why, you've only one tooth in your head!" he exclaimed in his surprise.
"Hurry up!" Uncle Jerry snapped. "I came here to have a tooth pulled—not to be talked to." He was always ill tempered. And his toothache only made him crosser than ever.
So Jimmy Rabbit went to work. He tugged away with all his might and main. Now and then Uncle Jerry groaned. And whenever he groaned, Jimmy turned pale. For he was somewhat afraid of the old gentleman.
At last Jimmy tumbled backward, head over heels. That was when the tooth came out.
"Well, you were long enough about it, I must say!" Uncle Jerry Chuck said. "Give me my ear of corn now, for I must hurry home."
"Give you your ear of corn?" Jimmy Rabbit cried. He could scarcely believe his own ears—and goodness knows they were big enough to hear anything anybody said.
"Why, certainly!" Uncle Jerry replied. "I asked you your prices, you know. And you said: 'An ear of corn for a tooth!'"
Jimmy Rabbit didn't know what to do.
"Why"—he gasped, "I thought you were going to pay me!"
"Well, you see you were mistaken," Uncle Jerry told him. "And you had better give me that ear of corn at once, or it will be the worse for you."
For all the old fellow was toothless, Jimmy saw that his claws were long and sharp. He knew that he had got himself into a fix. And he couldn't think of any way out of it.
"You've got my tooth! I want an ear of corn! You've got my tooth! I want an ear of corn!" Uncle Jerry Chuck kept saying. And each time he said it, his voice grew louder, until he was shouting at the top of his lungs.
Then Jimmy Rabbit had an idea. He picked up Uncle Jerry's tooth off the floor and placed it in Uncle Jerry's hand.
"There's your tooth!" he cried. "I don't want it!"
"But you promised to give me an ear of corn for my tooth!" said Uncle Jerry.
"Well, haven't you got your tooth?" asked Jimmy Rabbit.
And Uncle Jerry Chuck was so puzzled that he went home without saying another word.
