The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-02-19
OcracOke Island the Scene of the Greatest
Sea Disaster in History of N. C. Coast lis
Years Ago; A True Story of 10Th Century
Tragedy.

old shipwrecks. The rafters and
sills still contained the copper
bolts and wooden pegs used in
the original construction of some
unfortunate derelict of the sea.
The stairs were a companionway
which had been salvaged from
the square rigger. The clock over
the fireplace had been designed
for some Queen of the seas"
There were wooden windows (as
glass was not used in those days.
and a wooden chimney, which
was always source of wonder
to me. I could never understand
why it never caught on fire with
so many sparks flying up its
sooty exit, but it never did. Kade
still did her cooking in the fire
place. The boys wanted to take
up collection to buy her a stove,
but she wiuld have none of it.
Her excuse was that old Ben
Franklin was an infidel and that
she would have none of his do
ings or inventions in her house,
that the fireplace had been good
enough for her folks and it
would have to be good enough
for her.
Kade could "cuss like a Turk"
and woe be unto anyone who
'ruffled' her feathers the wrong
way, or should by any chance, be
the recipient of her caustic, VEN
omous tongue lashing. She is still
remembered today for her biting
wit and vitriolic sarcasm. Aside
from these human weaknesses
she was a good soul and didn't
have an enemy in the world. AS
a story teller her equal has never
been found, by the water at
least.
1t was my good fortune that
Kade stayed at our house for
five consecutive years. Although
she could not read, or tell the
time by clock, her arrival and
departure didn't vary thirty Sc
conds. She also had the misfor-
tune of being a cripple. She was
a short, squat, woman with a
friendly, round face, which boast
ed of countless fine wrinkles.
She parted her hair in the center
and drew it into tight bow ter
minating in the nape of her neck
(where she fastened it with two
wire nails whose protruding
heads gave the appearance that
a carpenter had been trying to
nail her head fast to her body
without any marked success
She wore a suit of red flannel
underwear, seven or eight under
skirts and a leg-of-mutton shirt
waist buttoned down the front,
Stat bonnet of a dark grayish
material and a black dress whose
hem always touched the ground.
A cane made from a broom hand
lie acted as a centre-board and at
the same time accelerated loco
motion.
| A deep pocket was made on
the inside of the outer dress for
a snuff box, which was a hall
pound size baking powder can
Last but not least she wore &
small checked apron with an
additional pocket for her tooth
brush. Not the kind of brush WE
use for scrubbing our teeth, as
that art of hygiene and personal
cleanliness was wholly unknown
to her, as it was to the rest OF
the Islanders. Kades tooth brush
was a small branch or twig from
the black-gum tree about ten OF
twelve inches long varying, OF
course, in length at the users
discretion) of which the larger
end was chewed for an indefinite
period of time until mop had
been formed in the shape of a
iwhisk broom. This was then
opened in the manner of a shaw
ing brush and dipped into the
snuff box until the proper
amount of snuff had accumulated
with the aid of saliva. Then the
so-called tooth brush would be
inserted into the mouth, and
seated in the jaw forming a
lump about the size of a goose
egg, and giving the alarming
appearance to the casual observer
that she had concealed an inflat-
ed balloon in her check or was
suffering from a large wen which
had formed spontaneously on
that side of her face. That filthy,
snuff dipping habit is still prac-
ticed today in this section of the
island.
We were not allowed to speak
during the time that this snuff
dipping marathon was in prog
Iress, for fear we would upset the
equilibrium of this pastime.
S o m t j m S my grandmother
would begin her dipping just
about the time Kade had finished
hers, thereby prolonging the
cIicnapca o,,t of y1,,ro o,,zzo 1l~.-