Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-08-05
THE MAGNETIC HAMMER.
A Travellers Tale of an Uncommon
Episode I'm a Country Store.

standing one day in a country
store" said traveller, 81 saw drive up
travelling dealer who carried his stock
with him. his turnout being of 3 kind
more commonly seen years ago than
now, in these days of easier railroad
communication and more frequent
urummers. The wagon was big and
heavy, but the body hung gracefully on
platform springs, the rear hanging a
little lower than the forward end. The
running part was stout but we'll de-
signed and finished. The body of the
wagon was like a long, deep box, the
top being fixed and permanent For a
space of perhaps three feet forward
from the rear end the body was built
up little higher with vertical face at
\ the front down 10 the roof; il was as
| though the rear end of the wagon had
been carried up low story higher than
the rest. Midway between the face of
this higher rear part and the drivers
seat there was another higher section
extending across the roof from side to
side, but narrow.
'The sides Of the wagon body were
paneled off. The holdings marked the
spaces into which the interior was di-
vided, and access to the compartments
was had by doors in the sides and the
end. The seat at the forward end of the
wagon was capacious and comfortable,
and there was over It a substantial
leather top that would keep out any
weather. Attached to this wagon there
was pair of big good-looking, we'll
fed horses that could haul il anywhere
Take il all together the outfit had an
air of solidity, combined with no small
degree of rakishness; it was an outfit
such as any man might reasonably be
proud of.
81 don't remember what nc was sell
ing, but it was something packed in
boxes. He brought in a sample-he
was a rather tall man with beard, with
n good-humored eye, and a quiet man
ner, and the merchant bought some. |
Then he went out TO his wagon again,
and brought in the goods, and he
brought with him cardboard placard |
which evidently he Intended to put up |
in the store.
"Rising in the center of the store was |
a large, square wooden pillar support
ing overhead a big cross beam upon
which, | suppose, the inner ends of the
floor beams rested. When he had laid |
the goods down on the counter he
picked up the card that he had brought |
in with them and turned toward the |
square pillar in the center of the store;
he had located it when he came in, or l |
guess he knew it; he and the store
keeper didn't talk very much, but /
thought they seemed to know each
other; no doubt he had been there be-
fore.
"The big, square post was covered
with just such cards as he had brought
in, tackled on all over, all around as high
as a man could reach, and / couldn't |
see where he was going to get his card
in; but he walked over to the post just
as though there was plenty of room
there. He took a paper of lacks out of
his pocket and sifted out four into the
palm of his left hand and then put
them into his mouth. Then he placed
his placard against the side of the post,
and pushed it up until the bottom of it
was clear of the top of highest card on
that side. He could do this because he
was pretty tall, and he was simply hold
ing on to his card at the bottom; but
couldn't see how he was going to reach
up to tack il at the top.
But he trued it up on the face of the
post with both hands calmly, and then,
holding it with one hand he reached in
to his outside coat pocket for his ham
mer. 1t was just a small tack hammer
with rather long handle. He carried
the head of the hammer up to his mouth,
and when he withdrew it there was a
tack sticking to the face of it. The
head of the hammer was magnetized.
and the smooth, fat top of the head of
the tack stuck to its face, the point
projecting in line with the hammers
head. All he had to do was to reach up.
With a single tap he drove the tack
the card at one corner away up
at the top easily. Then he drove
tack through the other upper corner in
the same manner, and then he drove in
n couple of taclls at the bottom and
dropped the hammer in his pocket
Then he went out and got on his wagon
md drove off."-N. Y. Sun.