| Show t School Teacher Makes Living as Blacksmith Lincoln Neb Unablo to secure an appointment as teacher in tho rural school districts of Kansas whoro sha resided Mrs Phllo P Wilcox had i 1 i r1 I 1 ae 41 ti 4111 Uf Itt It-t if l i i I i f f 1 l r N n Miss Wilcox Earns Her Living at the Anvil turned to blacksmlthlng which washer was-her husbands trade In the last 15 years sho has reared a family of four children and as her husband failed in health sho has worked more and moro into the business until now In the suburb of College View she dooj all tho work offered with tho aid of three of her children Horseshoeing is tho only part of tho business at which Mrs Wilcox balks Sho Is able to prepare n horso for its shoes but owing to tho handicap ol skirts cannot ulllx lie shoes to the animals hoofs In the style long ap proved by blacksmlthlng Mrs Wilcox IB 40 She has a clear complexion and her hardened muscles are evidence the long hours sho has nut in at tho forge During her girlhood days sho received re-ceived a good education and was n teacher when Wilcox married her at Roselle Kan In Kansas married women are not wanted as school maams and barred out of teaching she turned to the forgo like tho work she says At first tho tendency of people to stop and stare was disconcerting But now I dont mind It I know of no other woman blacksmith 1 In the country Most of my work Is In using the sledge making Iweeshoes repairing wagons and farm Implements sharpening sharp-ening tools and tho like I am kept busy all tho time One of tho girls take care of the houso and tho other three help In tho shop Two of my girls aged 17 and 15 respectively aro expert bicycle repairers repair-ers Ono makes from five to eight dollars a week at this work Tho oldest old-est Is a naturalborn mechanic Sho can aloe tho most complicated machinery machin-ery to pieces tell what Is wrong repair re-pair it and put It together again My husband Is now In Mexico fox his health Tho work ishard upon him but tho rest of us like it and thrive upon It My oldest girl went out last summer sum-mer with a thrashing machine outllt and was with it all summer She cut bands fired the engine fed the separator sep-arator and did part of tho cooking for the men It Is hardly girls work but j It does not harm hor She Is as lithe and strong as a young lion and in bicycle races has proved more than a match at long distances for tho young men In tho neighbor ood I still havo a license to teach and shall turn to that this winter when tho blacksmlthtng is dullest I like this work bettor than the schoolroom 1 I |
