I
lenBilMlMDok
VOL. I., NO. iS
PINEHURST, N. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1898.
PRICE THREE CENTS.
OUTING NUMBER THREE.
Pinelwrst People Enjoy a Pleas
ant Trip to Aberdeen.
Sumptuous Banquet in the Town Hall and
Typical Southern Dishes Abound.
Mayor Fagan Welcomes the Party, and
Speeches and an Entertainment Add
Pleasure to the Occasion.
"The Stars in their courses fought
against Sisera." It did seem as if the
elements had conspired to defeat our
plans. The rain and the fog may have
smiled in derision, but it was their weep
ing which cast a gloom over the would
be excursionists. But once more Old Sol
got in his work, and carried everything
before him in his efforts to revive our
drooping spirits. The trolley car gath
ered up everyone who wished to ride to
the railroad station and deposited them
safely. Hardly had the goodly company
collected when an ominous message was
received to the effect that a locomotive
was off the track, and an hour's delay
would be necessary. Nobody grumbled
at the thought of camping out for such a
brief period. It was an ideal day. Not
even Italy could boast of softer skies or a
more balmy air. The time allotted to
the balky engine had expired, but it did
not appear. Conflicting messages from
fair Aberdeen were received at intervals,
and at last the welcome "toot'' of the
whistle was heard and the long expected
train hove in sight. We once heard a
college student "orate' on the subject
'The self-control of the American peo
ple." Our long and patient wait at our
railway station was added proof of this.
Nt :i growl was heard,
Soiree a word of complaint
As alongside the car track we tarried;
And no passer-by, were he sinner or saint,
Would have dreamed that our feelings were har
ried. Nuch an opportunity for visiting and
for becoming mutually acquainted had not
1 eviously been offered our visitors. Socia
lity was the order of the day, and the ver
bal ility of the genus American was quite
manifest. In this day of woman's clubs,
with all that we hear of the Jin He siecle,
le 20th century and "the new woman,"
was not surprising to find a group of
t,l gentler sex gathered about one of
H'ir oWn number. But when we draw
"ear, instead of a defence of Xantippe or
I'Ucretia Borgia, or a brief dissertation
011 'ne Cosmogony of the Intermedi
ns ' imagine our surprise to hear the
speaker "lining off" a recipe for sweet
potato pie! Messrs. Atwood and Letien
frvu exhibitions of horsemanship; and
the horse showed himself superior to
both in some respects. One confession
must be made ! We can now sympathize
both with Tantalus and the man who
was a thousand miles from a lemon.
Weren't we hungry at one o'clock ! But
the crackers furnished by mine host At
wood proved the sop to Cerberus, and
the tyrant hunger exacted no more from
us until we sat down at the tables groan
ing under the luxuries which landlord
Powell had heaped up.
But to return. Nearly 75 persons em
barked on the welcome train which was
to bear us to our destination. This we
reached in due time, our engine being
driven by our good friend Supt. "Chris."
Page.
Landlord Powell deserves unstinted
praise for the efficiency and , sufficiency
of his efforts. Though suffering from
MENU.
Roast Wild Turkey.
Celery. Sweet Potatoes.
Barbecued Pig.
Irish Potatoes. Corn Pone.
Quail on Toast. Fried and Barbecued Chicken.
Pone Light Bread.
Pickles. Olives. Chow Chow.
Assorted Cake.
Crackers. Cheese.
Coffee. Adam's Ale. .
We are sure that Mr. Powell wishes us
to express our gratitude also to those who
so ably seconded his efforts, lie drew
freely upon Southern Pines and Pine
hurst ; and in spite of the fact that every
body had his "second hunger," an ap
petite twice the usual size, good nature
prevailed; no one escaped unsatisfied,
and all were ready at the appointed time
to ascend to the Aberdeen forum, the
Town Hall. The audience that assem-
TYPICAL SOUTHERN FARMHOUSE NEAR PINEHURST.
the effects of an accident, he satisfied
everybody's demands, and fulfilled all his
promises. It may not be known that
Mr. Powell received with a protest the
burden laid upon him. His heart is big
enough to take in all creation, but his
views of southern hospitality forbade the
thought of entertaining guests outside
his home limits. His objections were
overruled, however, and he reluctantly
accepted the suggestion of the Town
Hall as a refectory. It is not surprising
that some of our company were skepti
cal as they looked over the menu.
"Quail on toast' for a hundred guests !
In the north the price of such a dish is
almost a prohibitive tariff. "Barbecued
pig" suggests Charles Lamb's essay ; and
"wild turkey" is as rare a dish as buffalo
meat. But it was all there. Everything
distinctly southern was superabundant.
And "tell it not in Gath," but she who
concocted the varieties of cake which are
indigenous to the North beat our north
ern "ladies at their own game of cake
making. Following is the
bled to listen to the public exercises
showed that Aberdeen was enjoying a
holiday. Indeed, Mayor Pagan admitted
that the calaboose was locked up and
the key in possession of the chief of po
lice who had been given "a day off"' in
the woods. Such was the confidence felt
by the authorities in the character of the
excursionists ! s
PUBLIC EXERCISES.
PROGRAM.
Overture, Orchestra
Prayer, .... Rev. Mr. Thompson
Address of Welcome, - - Mayor Fagan
Response, .... Dr. W. II. Parcels
Song, "I Chide Thee Not," Mr. R. Oehmler, Jr.
Address, - - - Mr. D. A. McLauchlin
Song, - - - Miss Henrietta Carrington
Declamation, "Kate Shelley," Miss Pinkie Blake
Selection, Orchestra
Reading, "The Turkish Bath," - Mr. E. Rogers
Reading, "Lasca," - Miss Eugenie Upham
Song, "Thou Art Like unto a
Lovely Flower," - Mr. R. Oehmler, Jr.
Song with orchestral accom
paniment, "Because I
Love You, Dear," Miss Eugenie Upham
Selection, Orchestra
The Town Hall was crowded. Mr.
Tobey presided. The orchestra opened
the program, which was carried out to
the letter except that Mr. ltogers substi
tuted a well rendered selection for the
one on the bills, which was encored;
and Mr. Oehmler was "charge" d
with singing something which he
did not sing. Mayor Fagan wel
comed the Pinehurst pilgrims with
well-chosen and fitting words. His ad
dress struck the keynote of the afternoon
and was dignified and hearty. Dr. Par
cels responded. The doctor was a mem
ber of the Union army during the late
war, and remarked that his first visit to
North Carolina was made under different
auspices and with different emotions from
those of the present occasion. The tide of
good feeling rose still higher as Mr. I).
A. McLauchlin, one of Aberdeen's mer
chants, enlarged upon the theme of the
mayor's address. Miss Carrington, Miss
Upham and Mr. Oehmler rendered selec
tions that pleased the audience greatly,
and Miss Pinkie Blake and Miss Up
ham gave readings which were greatly
enjoyed. Miss Upham's solo was especi
ally fine.
At the close of the exercises in the
hall, an opportunity was afforded our
company to take in the town. At five
o'clock the whistle sounded the retreat,
and we embarked homeward bound.
Aberdeen will always have a warm spot
in our hearts after this most delightful
visit.
SKETCH OF ABERDEEN.
It is not often one's privilege, unless
on the frontier or in remote settlements,
to visit a town not a score of years old,
and our young friends who have but
just attained their majority rarely if ever
meet the pioneer settler in any locality.
But the little southern town which lies
to the south of Pinehurst not five miles
distant was forest land in 1881 when Mr.
Neil McKeithen fixed his habitation
there. And Mr. McKeithen is today one
of the most public-spirited citizens of
Aberdeen. They doubtless builded better
than they knew, who first located Blue's
Crossing, now Aberdeen. Did any one
of the earliest settlers ever think it would
become more than a lumber camp?
Some day when its attractions, .natural,
hygienic and commercial are better
known, it will exchange the garments of
youth for an attire that betokens maturi
ty, and such of its structures as suggest
temporariness will give place to more
permanent edifices. To the visitor who
is disposed to be hypercritical Aberdeen
might well say: "You'd scarce expect
one of my age" to present a better show
ing than I do at present. The leading
business men, the Pages and others, gave
Aberdeen such an impetus that the citi
zens decided, after its history could be
measured by a decade, that incorporation
as a town was both feasible and desir
able, and its charter was granted March
4, 1893.
The officers of the town government
are Mayor, J. W. Fagan ; Commissioners,
N. A. McKeithen, II. A. Page, A. C.