The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-12
SPEAKING OF KINGS AND DUKES AND GAY NEW YORK I
GdF1HEREs a Mttle spot IN southwes:- |
er2 Indiana which. if you'll stick

I'm in, you'll ind bubbling UP
wondrous curative waters grouped under
the delectable heading of French Lick;
surroundings where the tired business
man" or the satiated society woman, may
HE for a brief spell, and enjoy what 1
regard as the most luxurious and delight
full comfort and rest to be found in all
the wide wide world.
French Lick, which is always a breath
ing spell for me between my busy life in
Birmingham and the deliciousiy lovely re-
taxation vacation time I enjoy in New
York-is as full of old worn-out booze
fighters and H. c. L. devotees now az it
was before prohibition put in its appear
ance.
Most Of the people who go to French
Lick in September when I was there are
southerners; in fact French Lick is as
full of southerners at that season of the
year as Europe is of Americans during
the Cooks Tours" season.
''Old Pluto" (and everybody knows hin)
with his jet black face framed by an
ugly little tri-cornered red cap-still rules
the roost ard will tell you II you ask him:
''Yassutn. Mistus, dis heah's de season
Nv de year whin de southern folks comes
heah in bu1ches an dey's different frum
de eastern folks dat comes endurin' NV
de season, kaze mos Nv our southern
friends Gums wild dey trunks tied up wild
er rope"
Which may or may not be compliment
tary-just as you take it-but the trunks
tied up with a rope do contain some
fearfuny and wonderfully made sartorial
creations-flower bedecked bonnets and
frilly, fussy. furbelows-quite different
from the severely tailor made" styles
which you see the fasteners wear during
what Pluto" calls the season."
But I adore it; I've been to French
Lick at all seasons-and of course they
differ-as one flower differs from another
in beauty-yet all beautiful.
Walking around the Loop" "golfine,'
taking the cure" reading, Longing, doz-
ing, waking-it is ever the same delight
full, restful atmosphere and ! simply love
it and couldn't do without it-at least
once a year-to sort of "get myself
together" read some of my neglected,
but dearly beloved books; think out some
thinks that 1 never have time to think
during busy working hours and just live
and laugh and love!
Underneath the stately gorgeous trees
the green velvet carpet underneath your
feet-vou sit-hedged IN by marvellous
flowers. such flowers as you only see at
wonderful French Lick; rows OF sun
flovers like soldiers with golden helmets,
EMPOWERED among screaming dahn@s'
e,adioli. insistently esect shepherded on
the right by tall languid hollyhocks, ana
ON the left by sensuous swaying tiger
lilies.
Within this battalion of flowers you SIT
ana read while strolling about are seii-
ers who look like the Englishman we see
ON the stage; business men amazingly
like the Alabama Legislators ] saw down
n the capttal@ast summer when Went
n write about Suffrage and Kites ana
eich.p while you read your beioNeo
l.oclse's "Essay on the Human Under
ssanding. which you haven't read LOT
wears uit always mean to- OF May Sit-
elair's latest neurotc story Mary on
ser q eroup of sara Teasdale's Poems
one Of Nc. Merricl1s wonderful stores
and Of course The Second Mile when
YOU tucked away in your bag at the lsst
minnie because You read 1t like you co
xcrr Bible; and maybe a book OF MI W.
T. George's Blind Alley" or perhafs
,.on.ve a copy of 1.-The Squirting window
ar "rhe Third Sex'-or "Epstles for
Two" by those clever Smart Set people
TT I. Mencken and George Jean Nathan
and all the while the beautiful orchestra
back I'D in the big hotel is piaylhs7'
snatch OF Bach or Beethoyen' the
"Adagier from the Sonato in which you
osn,+ near without crying, or perhaps the
..pastorale." which makes you can't U
dance-or telse the merry "Toocato' o.
Paradies' with its say little disregard
for life's responsibility and the recur-
rem motif. which sums upp the immor-
tai little melody:
az didn't care! I didn't care'
For longing ana night "''
And didn't carel And I didn't care
oh sunny "Toccato, was it really iiN'
nat in the old medieval seventeenth
century!
know it's like that in this deleceapl
twentieth century because Evan ran
-uay has borrowed the gay little 'Ioc
catos" sentiment and sung her ltii
wbirIyind self nearly to death in ne
naughty little song II Don't carer
And then suddenly some bright morn
tn. vour little "ten days at Frencl
rjcls', come to aR end and the big Ok
ecboo-choo" puffs up and you get you
,uppage together and say goodbye Il
the ouiet. beautiful peace Of the ador
able place and the next thing you know
-vor,ve forgotten how close you've beer
~ natures heart, and you begin to thini
~ "Cav New York" and Forty secon'
street and the Great White Way, am
Won lump and twitch nervously becaus
the train won't go faster and you specs
through indianapolis and on to dirty oh
p;ttshurg and you keep thinking Of tn
naughty little verse you heard at Frencl
tick about the old lady who just couidn
1--we unless she went TO French Lick ono
avery wear, and then Just as she go
ready to die she declared she wishe
she'd never been there and that sh
hoped they'd put the inscription on he