The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-10
By c. F. MARKELL

their annual festival in celebration of the preservation of the town by the staying of the Tarascue. a legendary monster that in years long gone ravaged the en- tire neighborhood to the terror of the in- borne in the parade and for hideousness of form, feature and contour I have never seen a manilSin fashioned to its equal l dreamed of it every night for week afterward. Compared to it Satan himself must be veritable Antinous. X similar festival Is held annually at Beaucaire, which is connected by bridges with Tarascon and thither I went. not to view the procession, but to see the place The name at least is known to most of Americans through Booth Tark- ington's Monsieur Beaucaire." but this fact was of no importance to me, greatly conceit; the town itself was the object as I admire Tarkington's charming little Of my quest. Though but small vil- lage, it formerly had an extensive com meree and is today famlds for its annual fair. have never seen in France more charming little grisettes. using the term in it's pure and proper sense. than are to be found i'll Beaucaire. In their quaint costumes and queer little bonnets they reminded me of the brightly painted wooden women in my Noahs ark with which I played when a child, but the pretty faces and the sparkling eyes that pee ed from beneath those bonnets and the indeseriDable grace of the movements of the wearers of the quaint costumes are something Co remember through life. Those who have read that n ei Atfr.., .ft, at 'Nlcolette" the masterpiece of the French middle ages, will recall that 1t was the son of the Count of Beaucaire that fell In love With one of these grisettes. and 1 do not blame him in the least.
 In former paper l have paid my un stnted praise to the incomparable beauty of some of the rivers of France. especially the Loire and it's neighboring streams. In the department Of Loiret just at the mouth of the placid Long. lies Montargis quite a small village with ruined castle. celebrated for the legend of the famous Dog of Montargis.''
 The subject has been dramatized and sung in ballads of French. German and English. and the castle was thus douhly interesting to me. II will be remembered that Aubry de Montdidier, courtier of Charles Y, was in the year 1871 murdered in the flores, of Montargis by Richard de Maeaire, also couitier and the assassin would nave escaped punishment and even detection but for the fidelity of Aubryss dog, which followed Macaife continually until the attention of the King was called to the strange fact. His majesty ordered that Macaire should fight with his ac- cuser. the dog, and though armed with a club, the murderer was pulled down by the canine and held until he confessed his crime.
 As l sat among the ruins of the castle and hq I uac As.1 by my thoughts. l aad read a statement somewhere that while man had no more faithful friend than Ike dog the nations that had domesticated him were lasgards in the race of life. The Indian and the Eskimo have kept in the rear of the march of civilization and it was only the peoples who had subiugated the OK and the horse who marched in the van of the procession of progress What d travesty ard what a sad encomum upon fidelity and friendship.
 Mans most faithful friend the beast who licked the hand that smote it and whl had often sacrificed it's life for the sake of the master. had chosen the lag gard in life, the worthless segment of humanity for companionship and the ob- ieot of attachment. After all 1t is the hardened and the heartless that succeed tender. the true and the faithful fall by the wayside.
 We now come to the most beautiful mediaeval monument in France, divine Careassonne with it's castle. it's towers