State

The Fall Vacation A pleasure trip from Soutliorn Pines lo Greensboro was a bold adventure in fllioso days — especially for trans¬ planted Yankees. tty iiklen g. hi ttemiai i:ii Sarah and Rclyrc Couch had been in the Sandhills since IKX7. and in all of that time they had never had a real vacation. In the fall of 1900. after the sale of their hotel (The Ozone), they felt deliciously footloose and carefree. They had earned a holiday, they told each other, and Retyre was willing to give Sarah free rein as to when, where, and how. A joyous Sarah talked plans over with her friend Clara, and to¬ gether they mapped out a vacation trip such as no Yankee in Southern Pines had as much as dreamed of before: a land cruise by schooner into the un¬ known depths of Western North Caro¬ lina. Retyre and I .usias were aghast at the unconventional boldness of their hitherto conventional wives but finally capitulated, making only two stipula¬ tions: they'd go no farther than Greensboro, and an experienced traveler by schooner wagon would select and pack their gear. They were off. the four of them, on a glorious blue October morning, young in heart, light in spirit, gaily anticipat¬ ing cloudless skies, good lodging at clean farmhouses, and carefree relax¬ ation as they ambled by wagon through the fall beauty of their adopted state. They were vagabonds with no timetable, no commitments made in advance that they must live up to. Deserted The goal for that day was Jackson Springs, the far-famed watering spa of the Sandhills. A whisper of fall was in the air. the soft breeze caressed them, the horses were fresh, and the wagon jarred only a little. Clara mentally wondered if Lusias had checked the wagon springs or if it were possible that the schooner had no springs, and decided not to ask. Well, the hotel would supply good food, good beds, good companionship for an overnight stay. Sarah whispered to Clara that at last she could compare the Jackson Springs set-up with The Ozone's up- to-date fixtures. Lusias casually asked Retyre if the girls were sure the hotel was open, and Relyre said he didn't know. For one reason or another, each looked forward to the stops» ver. The hotel was closed. Jackson Springs was virtually deserted. The travelers looked at each other in blank dismay. But they told each other that they were prepared for such an emergency, even if it had arisen a little inopportunely. They refreshed them¬ selves at the springs, thirstily drinking the good mineral water, which, they noted silently, was about the same as they could gel at Manly Springs. They set up camp, cooked out of doors, and slept in the open. Sarah was a good cook, but she needed a kitchen stove to cook on. They'd have to make do. They awoke a little stiff and tired, hut undaunted. Nevertheless, for some reason, they didn't make as good time that second day out; and when Clara saw the men looking dubiously at the sky. which was not yesterday's clear blue, she ex¬ changed a look with Sarah and straightway announced that she had a headache coming on. Luckily, they were at Clarke's Mills. Here they found lodging at a farmhouse, but not without some unexpected, and Sarah thought unnecessary, preliminaries, thereafter often repeated. Who Were They? Were they Mormons? How many wives were in the back of that schooner? The farmer didn't hold with Mormons. He likewise took a dim look at gypsies. How had the men come by those handsome horses? No. Retyre told them, they weren't Mormons and they weren't gypsies. The horses were Lusias’s. as well as the schooner. A gleam of anticipation came into the eyes of the woman. Peddlers? She stepped forward to get a look at the wares. No. not peddlei s. she could see at a glance. The pair examined the interior of the wagon with curiosity and admiration. It was surely well fit¬ ted for cross-country travel. Who were they? Where were they going? Oh. of course. Yankees out of Southern Pines. They should have guessed from the way they talked. Well, they didn’t think too highly of Yankees, either, but back here, so far away from folks, it would be a treat to keep them over night. Now w-armly welcomed, the travel¬ ers had a good rest, slept on feather ticks, and enjoyed good food, even if it was Southern style cooking. And it rained. All night, all day Friday, and until Saturday noon the lain persis- Thu was The Oionc offer it hod passed from the bonds of Retyrc Couch fo other ownership Advertised os "o pleosont, sunnv house, well filled with quests. In the midst of pines ond scrub ooks, with о roiorbock os о sociable neighbor" Built in 1891, roied 1972, it stood on New Hampshire Ave. between Brood Street ond Bennett, in Southern Pines. (From collection of Mrs. Wm. Mitchell) 16 THE STATE. SEP1EMBER 1976