The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-09
A Boy Basket
Maker

The home of Pierre Joncas was
a log farmhouse, for his father was
one of the hahitants of the Canadian
north country. The few acres of land.
with the house, had passed down
from one generation TO the next. for
a long time. going to the eldest son.
Back Of the big room Of the Jon
cas- house there was lean-to kitchen,
and in il room for the loom the spin
ming wheel and fax wheel, for
Pierres mother, like the other farm
women. wove the white rags into bed
covers, and wove catalogues. or pieces
of carpet. for the floors. and then she
often wove for the other people
The homespun cloth. too, had to be
ready for the clothing OF all the chill
dren.
While Pierre was still small boy
the home life changed. for his father
died. and Pierre. being u cripple,
could not help about the work.
After the blowing was done. his
mother planted the potatoes herself,
and with the oats she sowed the peas,
SO when the oats were cut in the fall,
the peas were ripe for the soup all
winter Sometimes kind neighbor
lent a helping hand to get the wood
! ready. or 10 do some heavy work the
good mother could not do. but all the
time Pierre was unhappy because he
could never help as other boys did.
Every teacher that came to the
sTnaif scnU0t heard Of the Cripple boy
and went often to teach him reading
and writing Later he learned arth-
mettc and was called a good scholar,
In the daytime Pierre wound the shut
Ties for his mothers weaving, when
she had some order that would bring
a little money.
/ In the summer many visitors stopp-
ed at the town. Coins or coming
from the resorts not for away. and
they gave the boy books and games
and when he read he would dream
and wish that some way would come
to him to be more than he was.
One day, sure enough, something
did happen that has made Pierre hap
DIV, and since the boy is SO happy he
is growing strong.
1t was in the summer that a lady
came to the little Quebec settlement
and hunted out all the women who
could weave. and in going about she
came To see the mother Of Pierre. She
told her she had been employed by
society of women who wanted to con-
tinue the handicraft Of Canada. Mrs.
Joncas did not understand the ward
handicraft. but soon learned that It
meant weaving and all sorts of things
which the early workers had done by
hand when the country was new.
We can take your work and make
sale for IL, and II You let ns, we can
furnish you with vegetable dyes or
teach you how 70 make them she
said.
After a long talk with the mother,
and having engaged all the weaving
she could do before the sale in the
winter, she noticed the interest that
the cripple boy took. and the mother
explained that he often wound her
bobbins.
Il should think you would like to
learn matchmaking said the lady
20, / would love 1t. but who would
teach me7"
Il will" answered the good angel,
as he afterward called the visitor. /
( am sent about to see where and how
! l can help the women and children,
as well as to keep up the work, and
not let it be forgotten. / have found
someone who still knows how to
weave or make the centuries, which
we thought was a lost art.
Pierre was an apt scholar. and his
genius and inventive power seemed to
develope very quickly in the basket
making. The baskets which he does
not sell to the people that come and
go are sent every year TO the society
and find ready sale.
He has worked for several years
now. The younger children and his
mother are helpers and he has so
much work that he employs outside
help, He is the wage-earner of the
family and, beside the snug little sum
! of money they are laying by in that
home. Pierre says one of the best
things, next to that. is that his name
I is changed--he is no longer known
in the country as "a little cripple
I boy but he is the hasket-maker.'
Wherever the teacher learns
something new or some new use OF
the various kinds of willow and bas-
( ket weaving she goes to him for
short time, TO give him some lessons,
The Kings Own.