The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-12-19
A PIANO TUNER TALKS.
SOME or THE STRANGE THINGS EN-
CoUNTERED IN HIS TRADE.

SNOiN GNGI bS 1iiS t'pNSSs
Eats Play Havoc with the Felts-Chldres
Poke Canes Under the strings-Findins
Lost Pocketbook-ResuIts Of = Mans
Carelessness.
Look out for that ratl" wss the excla-
nation Of a piano tuner to reporter,
few days ago, as he stood watching him
take piano to pieces. The words hao
barely been said when large, lean rat
Jumped out of the instrument and scam
pered across the room and out Of an open
door. While he was dexterouslS remov-
ing the rats nest from inside the piano
the reporter asked if rats were usually
part and parcel Of pianos. The tuner re-
marked that while probably two-thirds OF
the instruments in residences were free
from the rodents, the other third were in
tested with them, at least that had been
his experience during twenty years Of his
life. Those in the country, especially in
well to do farmers houses, were gener.
ally inhabited by rats, and IL dozens OF
eases fully half bushel OF small scraps
Of paper that had been carried there oS
the pests had been discovered The paper
and the nests were not so bad, but rats
very frequently did the instrument much
damage. Rats play havoc with the felts
in the action, and he had repaired pianos
where the felts had all been eaten away:
Occasionally q hungry rat Is discovered
that shows fight, and the welding Of
broomstick, with the accompanying
screaming by the women folk, Is neces-
scrv n oret rid of the animal
Children oftentimss cause pianos to get
out Of order, but while the trouble caused
by them is usually quickly repaired there
are times when they do more damage than
rats. Left alone in the room with an open
instrument the spirit of mischief comes
over them, and cane or g. book is pokeo
in under or among the strings. Inc
owner returns to play on the piano, and
then finds it at skies and sevens. AS
everything was all right but few min
utes before the cause Of the trouble can
not be understood, and then there Is
buster about the house Should the
piano be 8 new one the maker is blamed.
the instrument Is condemned, and sharp
letter is forwarded to the seller. The re-
pairer with fear and trembling hastens to
the scene, the trouble is found, and after
APOLOGIES, the whipping of the small boy
who did the mischief, and the payment OF
the bill for repairs, the piano is left to its
fate.
WHERE TIE MONEY GOES.
Picking up five cent piece lying on the
action, the tuner said: Here is something,
too, find as well as rats nests and the
work Of children To be sure money ss
not found frequently, especially il any
considerable amount, but the tnolng OF
two fat pocketbooks and ten dollsr gold
piece I viii never forget. The gold had
been placed in the piano for safe keeping
by young lady, and its hiding place for
gotten, and my finding it, of course,
made the owner happy. The bringing to
light of one of the pocketbooks made me
$50 richer, that being present from its
loser. It had been missing for year,
and contained $500. Detectives had been
hunting for thieves who, it was supposed.
had stolen the money. The discovery OF
the pocketbook brought back the recol-
lection that it had been laid on the top
lid Of an upright piano, and that 1t had
no doubt fallen IN the inside, where had
found it.
'.Instead Of getting o reward I came
near being arrested, and perhaps SEN
fenced to q term Of imprisonment for
finding the purse. It's contents were over
$500, and Ike the other one, having been
carelessly left on top of the instrument,
it fell inside. Being missed Vile was
in the house, and the owner Of the money.
q country justice, remembering where he
had laid it, suspicion rested on me as the
one who had taken it. When remarked
the mysterious actions OF the justice, his
wife and two daughters, he told me OF ms
loss c..5 w aat he suspected. and Threatened
my arrest unless the money was immedi-
ately produced. Itwas bad predicsrnene
to be in, and what to do puzzled me. The
finding of the other pocketbook flashed
across my mind suggested search In
the interior Of the piano, and there it was
found to my Joy. The old man took it
without. as much as saying Thank you,
and tos this day think he holds the
opinion that I hid it away in the piano
Chicago journal.