The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-01-24
.CARTY'S WHITING
SHAKES BELHAVEN
CLUB TO IT'S BASE
But Jack Riddick Thinks Good VIII
Come Out of Nazareth;
Club History Reviewed

maven WnlICtGfS OluD is CnaC our
ing it's whiting sessions, nothing
of value or usefulness may be
whitfield out. The enforcement OF
this rule has long been a moot
subject, and now that the club has
classified one of its most popular
members for breaking it and has
threatened him with expulsion, the
club has been shaken from center
to circumference, for the offend
ing member is a popular man, and
while most of the members wish
the club to continue as a retreat
during lazy spells, some of them
threaten to quit, if Alb Carly is
expelled.
Alb Carly is a popular man. He
is skilled mechanic, and for many
years has been the towns leading
machinist. But pains of arthritis
having set in, Mr.. Carty's machine
shop is still, his lathes have stop
ped turning, the fire has gone out
of his forge and he has had to
content himself with doing little
repair jobs for his neighbors, jobs
that can be done from the COM
parative comfort of his easy chair
in his small office on Front st.
He has no forge to keep him
warm, no blower to blow for him,
no whirring motors with their tune
to keep up the tempo of his labors.
His is a lonely life, if he stays in
his small office, so he has been
getting a lot of comfort out of
joining with the whittlers in Rid
dick and Windley's store.
The habits of lifetime are not
easily changed. Alb Carly has al
ways been an Industrious man
mechanically; always doing useful
things. He is not like President
Walter Benson, a fisherman who
comes in from the water and
doesn't want to think about work
any more that day. Nor like Bill
Hackett who comes in off the farm
and stops in at his favorite club
to chew the rag about world af-
fairs. Nor like Gilman Brumsey
who is worked to death tending
beacons, and wants to do nothing
else but argue with Reginald
Windley, with whom he has never
agreed on anything.
Except and until now, Messers
Brumsey and Windley agree that
an exception to the law should be
made in favor of Alb Carly.
There are many members in ia
vor of Alb Carly, and some are hot
about the situation. Some of them
are trying to get him to quit the
club and move over to Jesse Tay-
lor's Belhaven Liars Club, as if
enough fabricating as well as whit
Ting can't be done at Riddick &
Windleys. They say they will move
over to Jesse's with him.
But then there are men who
have had to leave Mr.. Taylor's
club under pressure from their
preacher, and have gone over to
the Whittler's Club. So it is tit for
tat. Just a matter of swapping.
Jack Riddick, who is Secretary
of the Club and faithful one at
that, with all membership records
intact, sees little good in every
thing even women folks, but not
enough to get hitched up to one;
so he says maybe the row will stir
up some interest among the Whit
lers. For a long time they held an
annual banquet in the American
Legion Hall on April FOOLS day,
but the club got so trifling they
didn't hold it last April. Women
folks had been sort of disguised
with the club until Ladies night
affair was made of the annual din
ner, whereupon they shut right up
talking about the club, but now
Jack fears the women folks are
again welding influence against
the club. Other members say the
annual dinner and Ladies night
must be resumed in 1868. In the
good old days they would send out
of town for a speaker: Judge, Pat
Johnson of Pantego, who would
come over and make it plain to
everyone that Pantego was a
flourishing town long before Bel
haven was ever thought of, or Hon.
o. L. Williams of Swan Quarter
who could soar to great heights
on the glories of American Free
doms; and some others, including
John Wilkinson, a neighboring
lawyer who being the leading Re-
publican in the area has abandoned
the faith of the forefathers of his
party, and vehemently preached
for segregation.
The club has named a number
of honorary members, including,
strange to say, two women: Mrs.
Lii Jordan Caravan and Mrs.
Annie Dell Lowe Lincoln in return
for kind words and encouragement
given. The annual speaker is us
ually made an honorary member
also.
The membership roll of the club
includes men in all walks of life