Cape Breton's Magazine

f''*-'] :''i'3~M.ii Pimmi 9 -'i i s Left: Sidney Howard by Wm. Roach; right: Sidney Howard and his carvings I brought it to Margaree. Myles put it in his shop till he was ready to ship it. And he sold the first one. Then he said, "Can you make that woman another one?" I made her another one. He sold that one before he could ship it. And I think through the sum? mer, about 20 of them went. And I still haven't had the chance to make that woman her rooster, because everybody wants them! I told (a person), I said, "Never mind what I have to go through, I'm going to carve. Because," I said, "if I happen to die, I will not die happy if I don't get this on the go!" And everybody--most of the people here didn't appreciate--still don't--appreciate carvings. They're starting to because they're hearing that I'm moving a lot of stuff. Now it's starting to change, you know, in their thoughts. But at first they used to--in French they called it "be- belle," which would mean something like a kid's rattle, something. So, every time I'd go to the restaurant and drink coffee in the morning, and people would look at me with a BETTENS CONSTRUCTION"'" kind of smirk on their face and they'd say,s. "Are you still carving little 'be- belles' there?" You know, kind of making fun of me. But it didn't matter, you know. I thought, "You do your thing, I'll do mine. Because I'm quite pleased doing what I'm doing," And now they have a different outlook on it. Now they ask me what I'm up to, "Are you carving? Are you still carving? What are you carving now?" People come in my yard, from Cheticamp--older people, es? pecially. They come in, there's one old guy, he's going blind. And he used to carve years ago. He comes in--he parks his car way out in the road. And he's about 80 years old. And he walks in. When I was carving the big Indian--and he'd be all excited. He'd be feeling, feeling it all over, because he can't see very good. And one day was the funniest thing because I--I finished the Indian, And I started painting him in oil paints, you know. And oil paint takes awhile to dry. So before I could notice--I was in here having a coffee--he came in the yard. And he ran to the carving. I noticed there was somebody out there, so I went to the door. And here he was, feeling it. His hands were full of paint, his clothes were full of paint! So I ran out and I told him, I said, "You're getting yourself full of paint!" He said, "Oh! Oh!" He said, "You know, I came in here all excited. I didn't even real? ize." "Well," I said, "look at your hand." It was all green from the paint. He said. General Contracting j ' Residential & Commercial FOUNDATIONS • FLOORS REINFORCED CONCRETE SLABS RAISING OF BUILDINGS Serving Cape Breton Since 1929 849-6566 849-7639 (FAX) • (PHONE) 157 MAIN STREET, GLACE BAY BIA 4Z1 . 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO CAPE BRETON - ?i|e OHfUhreti'fi Aii 'octetg of OlajrE Breton ' INTAKE HOME STUDIES PROTECTION FOSTER HOMES ADOPTION' probfem identification; referral support services; crisis intervention all ages, in permanent homes CHILDREN IN CARE I Suite 7, Provincial Building, 360 Prince Street, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 5L1 (562-5506) I SINGLE MOTHERS counselling; support I THE COMMUNITY'S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN I counselling; support ll'a "A UNITED WAY SEBVICE AGENCY" 78