The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-15
GOLD LEAF MAKING,
Two Women Teach 1t Free Daily in a New
York Basement.

York Basement.
Hundreds of people stop every day
to look down the steps leading into the
basement of one of the old buildings
on that part of Park row that used to
be Chatham street. Behind closed
doors at the foot of the steps they see
two women seated facing each other at
a small wooden bench covered with
white oil-cloth. One woman is blonde,
plump and smiling; the other is dark,
thin and melancholy. The top of the
bench is made of three boards, each
about ten inches wide. and the middle
one is raised two inches higher than
the others. leaving two cracks that
wide, one facing each woman. Beneath
the table is hung wooden trough, so
that whatever falls through the cracks
goes into it. At the left of each woman
Is thick pad about five inches square,
apparently of many pieces of kid laid
together.
The woman raises one of the kid
pieces with her left hand and a CLEAN
ing yellow surface lies exposed. With
pair of wooden tongs nine inches
long. each foot about the size of lead
pencil, in her right hand, the woman
makes dexterous jab at the yellow
surface, and pulls it away. huttering,
quivering sheet of gold. 1t seems to
be crumpling up into all sorts OF shapes.
hut la l. - -
ties down. outspread, fat upon the
viii oil-clOth before her. Its edges on
every side are irregular and ragged.
Her left hand has grasped an arrange
edge, fastened together parallel to each
Othrr about four inches apart by rods
She places this over the golden sheet.
so that the knives rest upon two of the
irregular edges. A little rock and the
edges are cut straight, while the irreg-
ular bits trimmed Off curl up and flut-
ter about. A dexterous Whit of the
woman's breath sends them kiting like
dead leaves through the crack in the
table. The knives. meantime, have
trimmed the other two edges, and as
the ragged bits from them too go
through the crack, the square yellow
sheet is caught up in the wooden tongs
and whisked over to a book of blank
pink paper. each page just the size OF
a yellow square that lies before the
woman 1t probably is inclined to be
rebellious and double up or wrinkle.
but another breath from the woman's
lips spreads it out fat, and the pink
page is turned in an instant, conceal
ing it from view.
All this is done so quickly that the
throng at the top of the steps holds its
breath as the golden sheets whisk
about, and the little ragged leaves fiut-
ter through the crack In the table in
continual yellow shower. If the sheet
when spread upon the pink page.
shows a flaw. bit of leaf picked up on
the end of a little stick is put over the
hold and patted down in a instant. Ii
"a sheet tears in being lifted out of the
skins. one of the ragged edges blown
away is laid over it at the edge that is
torn off, and little rub with the end
OF stick Yields the two pieces together;
then a breath blows the free edge of
the added piece off of the main sheet,
and the whole is spread out fat and
fair as though it had never been lnended.
When the little pink book is full il
is put away to be done up in delicate
wrappers and sold to sign painters and.
decorators who want gold leaf. Back
in the dark recesses of the basement
lnen are beating out the thin sheets, so
delicate that breath whisks them all
about, from Jumps of virgin gold. The
women work at the foot OF the steps
because the best light is there. and
they need it most. The idea that he is
thus affording a good many people
daily free lessons on the gold beater 6
art does not worry the owner OF the
shop. 7. Sun.
There is a story told of Webster
which shows how mountains and men
may alike become impressive. Web
ster and other statesmen from Wash
,ngton were spending lew days In the
White Mountains. Webster had sci
ont from the inn afoot before his COM
panions. that he might mediate alone
10 the presence of all this grandeur
Thinking they had lost the great
statesman they inquired OF farmer if
he had seen Mr.. Webster pass that
way. He replied: Il know not If his
name is Wooster, but there went by
here but a little while ago man as
mighty as any of these hills
-nauneaded and very honey old
gentleman to photographer - ''Drai
such pictures. Can't you make me
look any better than that after five sit
tings?'' Photographer thoroughly
--.-,<,da ii fhiuh I can sir ii