|
|
| Hammerhandle (bum) |
|
One of the more colorful characters in New Zebedee, a mean old hobo that all the children knew of and "if they were smart, they were afraid of him."
The bum, whose real name is lost to the ages, lived in a tar-paper shack down by the railroad tracks and made and sold replacement handles for axes, hoes, and hammers – hence the foundation of his name. His only memorable trait was ranting at neighborhood children passing by “about the World's Last Night, which, if you believed him, was not far off.” He later serves as Mrs. Izard’s henchman – make that handy man [The House with a Clock in its Walls, 108-111, 123, 170, 176].
Lewis, in one of his more courageous moments, explores the Hanchett house across the street where Mrs. O'Meagher has recently taken up residence. In the kitchen's icebox he discovers this peculiar item:
In the corner there was an icebox. He opened it and found one bottle of Coke. Or was it Coke? He turned the bottle over in his hands. It was gritty on the outside. Covered with dirt. Like it had been buried. And the liquid inside-it was lighter than Coke. Sort of a brownish red. Lewis put the bottle back. He shut the icebox door [148].
What in the world is this? Kalev Hantsoo points out that Jonathan himself recalls, "the blood of a hanged man goes into the making of a Hand of Glory [176]" - we are almost led to believe this is what's left of Hammerhandle. Refrigerating it would make sense if it were blood, but the dirt on the outside makes it seem as though it were buried at one time. In this case the blood would have coagulated. Then again, maybe Mrs. Izard liked her beverages chunky style.
Bellairs’ childhood friend, Douglas Thunder, recalls Marshall had its fair share of characters when he and John were growing up: “John's family lived on the east side of town next door to the water treatment plant, with the Kalamazoo River and railroad tracks not very far away. It would have been a suitable place for guys like Joe DiMaggio, Hammerhandle, and Jute Feasel to hang out.”
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
