The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-11
THE MAGNETIC HAMMER.

a Trav'icr's Tnic of ~ Uncommon Ep,
sode In :. tnm;try Store.
Standing one Guy IN Il country
store, said trav' Ter. II saw drive
up Il travelling dealer who carried
his stock with him. his turnout be-
ing of kind more commonly seen
years ago than now. in these days
Of easier railroad communication
and more frequent drumners. The
wagon w;.i liz and heavy. but the
body hul% gracefully on platform
splings, nc rear hanging little
lover than thr forward end. The
running part was stout, but well de
, signed and tiIisht Tie lCdy Of
the wagon WIS Ike Il long. deep l,OX,
the top s.Eg t.A'h and ltIn.:n' Mt.
For a siate Of Perhaps three feet
for"Hid from the rear end the
body vas built up Il little higher.
with Il We, tital f..cc ut the front.
duwn to tie roof. 1t was as though
tllc Icar tld Of Tie wagon had lccn
Gait i,d up Il low story higher than
the rest. Midway letwcon The face
of this higher loar part and the
drivers eat there was another high
CT section extending "c:oss Tie roof
ir' ~ side to side. but narro:..
The Side, Of the wagon l,@::y were
panrl,l ot. The holdings marked
tine spaces into which the interior
WAS divided, and ;l,rcss to the com
,t, u 4 J,
si'' and the end. The scat at the
! ton ward end If the w:g gOn w". caIla-
ciols and comfortable, and there
Wa, over it Il substantial leather top
that would keep out any weather
Attached to this wagon there was
pair Of big, rc'd licking. well fed
horses that could haul it anywhere.
Take it all together. the outfit had
an air of sOlidity, C mIincd With TO
small degree of rakishne.s. 1t was
an outfit such as any man might
reas sonably be proud Of
II don't ron cn.leT " hat hc was
sc ling, lrt it was sGnetl. irG packed
in LoAos. He brought in Il sample
he was Il ratl.er tall an, with a
Leald, Will! Il good tn orcd eye and
IL cujct IL; Eer-;.l.d Tie merchant
hcu. lit stlEc. 1ltn lie went out to
his wagon again ard -cUgbt in the
goods, and he brorelt With him Il
cardboard placard " hit II evidently
he intend. Il to lut up i'll the store.
Rising i'll the center Of the storc
was a lalge, square wooden lillrr
sUrI OrtinG ovCl lead Il Zig cross
Ec;m, III CT; W hith I.UIl CSC, tie in
| rcr tnds Gf the iccr l.:.Es tested.
" hen he had laid the Goods down on
the tountor, he picked up tho card
th:t he had brought in with then
and TUNED toward the square l.illar
i'll tfc center of the store. Ee hal
located it when he came in, or I
guess he knew it. He and The store
keeper Didn't talk very much, but I
thought they seemed to know each
other. No doubt he Lad been there
before.
The big, square post was covered
with just such cards as he had
brought in, tackled on all over, all
around as high as man could reach,
and I couldn't see where he was 60
ing to get his card in, but he walked
over to tho post just as though there
were plenty Of room there. He took
n paper of tacks out of his pocket
and sifted out four into the palm of
his left hard and then put them into
his mouth. Then he placed his | II
card against the side of the post
and pushed it up until the bottom
of twas clear of the top of the high
est card OH that side. He could do
this because he was pretty tall, and
he was simply holding on to hts card
at the bottom. But I couldn't see
yet how ho was going to reach UP to
tack it 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 into his outside coat cock.
ct for his hammer. 1t was just q
small tack hammer with rather a
long handle He carried the head OF
the hammer up to his mouth, and
when he withdrew it there was 8
tack sticking to the face of it. THE
head of the hammer was magnetic
ed, and the smooth, fiat top of the
head of the tack stuck to it's face, the
point projecting in line with the
hammers head. All he had to dc
was to reach up. With q single taI
he drove the tack through the caro-
at ono corner away up at the toI
easily. Then he drove tack through
the other upper corner i'll the same
manner, and then he drove in a cou
pie of tacks at tho bottom and drop
ped tke hammer in his pocket. ThcI
he went out and got on his wago1
and drove off. New York Sun