The San Francisco call., 1906-09-02
By Elizabeth Haight Strong

II 80 N'444A YOU re nard working,
- energetic man or woman?
Then call upon Nine A. ]. Du-
rand Of 2254 Lincoln avenue. Alameda.
and ask her of what her days work
consists. If she viii cease her exer-
lions Cfor time is very precious with
herr long enough to tell you you will
readily understand why she would
never be permitted to join the labor
union and that their refusal to admit
her would have nothing to DO with her
sex.
The real objection would be that her
idea of a days work would be a ruin
Gus one for them to accept The num-
Der Of hours she puts in and the va
riety Of things she accomplishes in one
day would make that well organized
body turn pale with alarm 1t would
make almost any one turn pale
Upon a little piece of ground she
owns Nine. Durant is building. with
her own hands. home for herself and
her three children.
This does. not mean that she is su-
perintending a carpenter. overlooking
a plumber or directing a man Of all
work to do the heavy lifting. She is
" literally building it herself From the
digging Of The post holes for uprights
: to the last shiagie on the roof. from
the hanging OF doors and placing of
= = windows to- the paper that viii even
..taaily cover its walls, all is her work
|aneiGed by even so much as sugges-
tion
but q woman building house is not
particularly astonishing. for modern
. women have. invaded all the fields of
labor. even those supposed TO be sacred
TO the genus man.
s The remarkable part Of Nine Du-
rana.s Undertaking lies in the fact that
she is. working under dificulties that
most people would consider unsur-
nountaele and that before she begins
her carpentry she has already done
what is. considered a hard days work
FROM O'Clock in the morning until
. IN the afternoon she has cooked.
washed. ironed, scrubbed. cleaned.
swepts~aRd busted for any exacting
housewife who cared to hire her for
the. sum Of $50. >
Then she walks home, Sometimes
twenty blocks add to her days exer-
else Leaving. her hat and coat in the
iittle. home where she is living near the
bgtlding she is erecting. she takes her
lianltiaer and saw and begins what is
really. another days work, stopping
9REy. when it is too dark for her TO see
At Work on the House.
50 found her the other afternoon.
The sounds Of her hammering told me
she was at home before had crossed
the LITTLE yard and poked my head
through the opening intended for the
door OF the new home when it is COM
pleted She was nnishing laying the
cross boarding preparatory to shin
Cling the roof and the noise she wae
making prevented her from hearing
me enter. She was standing on a
wobbnng chair placed upon a rickety
box, the sides Of which concaved under
her weight. Ny shadow precipitated
itself at her feet. and she looked down.
Bon jour" said.
Bon jour" she replied, and, descend
ing the improvised ladder. she stood
IN front Of me TO hear my errand.
a little woman. young woman
Black hair untinged with gray. brown
eyes alert and shrewd. straight little
nose and "A rather sensitive mouth
not the type Of woman from whom one
expects manual labor I heard you
were huilaing a house" / explained
and came to talk to you about your
work"
Her deueanor instantly changed.
She had no intention of satisfying Curl
osity. She did not tell me so in so
many words Her innate Gallo polite
ness would forbid it, But her reply
was more forcible than any words
would have been. She climbed. up
again to her. former shaky height and
went on with her work
Pound, pound. poundr' went the
hammer, lUsty. blows telling that the
aim was good and the strokes sure.
seated my unweIcome self on some
planks and waited.
My patience was rewarded. Madame
Durand, in fishing in her pocket for
special nail dropped her hammer. The
haste snd enthusiasm with which l
few 70 mat tool 10 pick il up would
have made the celebrated Sir Walter
;laleikh's galiantry. appear tardy and
cold. Even Madame's coldness was not
PROOF against such an evident desire to
helm"
'.Merci.- she smiled. and climbed
down again, sections of the ladder ac-
companying her noisily in her descent.
She seated herself upon what was left