, 1889-09-06
A WOMAN CARPENTER.
She HAS A SHOP OF HER OWN AND
is A SKILLFUL ARTISAN.

Having n Taste for Working In Wood, She
Bought Tools and Soon Mastered Them.
A Woman Can Do Such Work without
Being the Less womanIy.
Sensible women who want to make
money do not wander ''an around Robin
Hoods barn." as our grandmothers used
to say, after an occupation. They look
for something nearer home and study
the needs of other women with the idea
of supplying their wants.
What is more womanly than being a
carpenter? And who but a woman who
knows how to keep house understands
the value of a woman carpenter to re-
spond to her many needs for domestic
devices?
Mrs. Legion, a pretty, clever little wo-
man, has opened a carpenter shop up
town. She is a young married woman,
n has a fine, healthy boy baby playing
in the shavings about her carpenters
bench.
A BABY IN THE SHOP.
The neat little white frame house in
which this pretty carpenter lives has a
grass plot at the back, and at the end of
the yard il n shed covered with morning
glories, in which she plies her trade.
"What put it into your head to become
acarpenter?' was the first question asked
of the sweet faced little matron, after
she had signified her willingness to be
interviewed.
My own needs prompted me" she re-
piled, as she planed away at the top of a
pine table. 81 have a taste for wood
carving, and before 1 was married 1 had
done a good deal of ornamental work of
that sort. When 1 married and began
housekeeping 1 had to solve the problem
of furnishing my home with little
money. In these days of artistic fur
nishings, this is by no means a difficult
one, but what is difficult is to find a car
penter to carry out ones ideas. What is
the use of having a nice, delicate, arts
tic idea about a bookcase or a table Oh a
cupboard if you must confide it to some
unframed ignoramus of a carpenter"
II perceive" replied the interviewer,
gravely. She vas a woman herself and
understood the situation.
"Now, / met with exactly this expert
ence," said Mrs. Legion, as she seated
herself on a bench, picked up her baby
and weeded out the bits of shavings
from his blonde curls. 1.-THE
was that / bought a set of carpenters
tools and some pine boards and con-
structed my frames for myself. Thus,
between rough carpentering and the
finer art of wood carving, 1 about fur
nished my Owl house.
81 fitted up this shed as a carpenters
shop and sent circulars about the neigh
borhood. This was a year ago. Orders
began to come in almost immediately,
because, you see, l had appealed to the
necessities of the people, and that is the
first step toward money making"
Here the little matron laughed in a
CHEEKY, contented way and Rugged her
little son, who was half asleep.
"Of course, when 1 was first married."
she continued, 81 never thought of
working for myself, but after a couple
of years of experience of life, l came to
the conclusion that an occupation is as
necessary to a married woman as to a
single one. So l hired an extra servant
to relieve me of the household duties-I
detest housework and love tinkering
with hammers and saws-and 1 became
n professional carpenter"
might 1 ask if you make much
money!" was the next question.
II have made clothes, pocket money,
nurses wages, amusements, a summer
outing and have several hundred dollars
in the bank"
A SAMPLE CUSTOMER.
There was a ring at the yard bell,
which was presently opened by a good
looking nursemaid. A tall, handsome
young woman entered and crossed the
grass plot to the carpenters shed. Mrs.
Legion gave her baby into the nurses
arms and turned to her customer.
The customer was evidently a young
bride and very much impressed with the
dignity of her position. She had made
a design for a dining room buffet to fit
into an alcove. She had brought her de-
sign with her and submitted it to the
pretty carpenter.
The design was a simple but artistic
one-high and narrow, with several
shelves, upon which plaques and cups
were to be arranged in aesthetic combi-
nations. There was also a little scroll
work adornment.
The little woman studied the design
carefully, going over the various. points
one after the other, suggesting various
alterations and inquiring as to the exact
pOSlLlOn OF the caDlneb Win regaru 10
the room for which it was intended.
The cabinet was to be ready in a week.
The carpenter was to supply all the mate
rial and the price for the whole was to
be 800.
THAT'S not bad, is it?' said the CHEEKY
little workwoman, after she had bowed
her customer out with a grace not al
ways found in carpenters. "a hundred
dollars for one weeks work. Yes" she
went on, 81 think, on the whole, 1 may
say that carpentering is a good profess
sion for women And there is this about
it, that a woman may follow her profes-
sion in her own home"
A stalwart young man came striding
across the grass plot from the rear of
the little white house. Mrs. Legion in
troduced him as her husband.
please tell The Journal readers that
a woman may be a carpenter or any
thing else without being the less woman
ly or caring less for her husband or her
baby."-New York Journal.