The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-10-05
rhe Bewitched Hammer.

OQ warm OCCODeI dLU01hOOAS AA-A"0
ulia McCloskey, who was cook, cham
ermaid and waitress for Mrs. Smith,
1ddenly stopped securing her tins,
AIRED vacantly into the street for mo-
lent, and then exclaimed:
cts iist the day to clane me dinin'-
Jom carpet it's little weather we'll
I'VE for a six month butn be too wet
let carpet touch the grass. An the
yes. bless their troublesome little bod
), are gone to their cousins, an | wont
v nobody to poster me at all. "
Miss McCloskey was a perfect treasure
O servant; whatever she thought
eded attention was tended to at once,
within five minutes she had her tins
d securing materials put away, and
s taking up the dining-room carpet.
hour later she brought the carpet,
II shaken, back to the diningrOom.
eegret to say that, two or three mo-
.nts before she returned, Master Law
ice Smith, one of the troublesome
ives" whose bodies Miss McCloskey
/ blessed, having had some disagree
mt with his cousins, strolled home
/ guiltily sought comfort ia the fam
cake basket, which was In the dining
I'M closet. He had barely time to shut
nself in the closet as he heard the
wants approaching footsteps, so you
1 be sure he watched her very closely
ough the keyhole, hoping he would
7e an early chance to escape.
Miss McCloskey spread the carpet
atty, and began to drive the tacks,
en- she noticed that several Of them
ing to the smaller end of the b M
il.
ST wondther wat sticky stuff them
es hev he'd this hammer in - said
SIS McCloskey aloud, as she picked
tacks off and gave the hammer a
gorous wipe on her apron. Then she
mt on with her work, but happening
lay the hammer in the saucer of tacks
moment, she was surprised to find
smaller end again covered with
ks. Master Lawrence saw through
key-hole the expression on her face,
d it amused that bad little boy very
lch.
"Sure, an its powerful sticky, what
er it is," said she, picking off the
cks and feeling the hammer gently
tn her thump and forcing r, can y1t
don't seem SO to the touch"
She went to the buffers pantry, and
refully washed the hammer with soap
Id water. Master Lawrence saw his
lance to escape, but he was almost will
g to be detected for the sake of seeing
e rest of the fun, for he knew the ways
that hammer.
"Now I reckon it won't be afther
layin' me any more thricks," said the
leanly servant, kneeling down cn the
arpet again. But as she knelt she
aid the hammer into the saucer of
acks again, and again it bristled with
acks.
CHOW did liver any one see the loike
Of that?" exclaimed Miss McCloskey,
and Lawrence had to cap his hand to
his mouth to keep fiom saying, eyes,
often" But Miss McCloskey was not in
the habit of giving up easily, so she took
The hammer to the CRATE, and secured 1t
smartly with ashes.
"There !" she exclaimed, starting
for the Itacks to test the cleanliness OF
the hammer, "now you'll be making me
no more trouble, I'll warrant, an'-holy
mither %
AS the astonished girl lifted the ham,
mer, g whole string of tacks came with
it, and although some of them dropped
when she shook the hammer, several
spirited tacks seemed to resolve never
to abandon the hammer until forced to
do so.
ssThe ould things bewitched!'' ex-
claimed Miss McCloskey, dropping the
hammer as if the handle burned her
fingers. ''I'll niver touch it again as
long as I live." And Miss McCloskey
crossed herself as q great many good
people do when they think that evil
spirits are near them. Just then Mas
ter Lawrence burst from the closet ano
shouted,
cha ha ha wasn't you cheated
though, Julia2 / never saw anything
so funny in my life." And the bad lit
tie boy was so amused that he dropped
upon the carpet and rolled across the
room, laughing until his face grew pur
pie.
"What was you dom in the closet 2
asked Miss McCloskey.
Watching you, and almost splitting
to see the fun. Oh dear |" and agair
Lawrence rolled across the room, laugh
ing heartily.
"You were q sthealin' eake-there'e
some av the crumbs on yer lips, an II
tell yer mithir," said Miss McCloskey
'And I'll tell everybody. that you
didn't know a magnet from sticky
sthuff," said Lawrence.
GA maggonet p exclaimed Mis-
McCloskey, very much astonished.
Yes" replied Lawrence. "Didn'
you learn all about magnets from tn.
First Book in Philosophy when yoI
went to school, how they steer ship
with them, and how the North STAR
inst a great big maonet2'