The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-01

grasses, deep beds of fern and dropping
 perfection of foliage give the landscape
 it's background of color.
 When you sit and behold Dame Ma tures prodigalty at French Lick in the
 merry month of June you realize there
 are depths-great depths to this particu-
 lar season, no matter how frivolous she
 is; gold is dusted over Juniper and fir;
 bittersweet, creeper and poison ivy hide gray bark and gray stone wall; far down under timothy and clover are found the biggest wild strawberries, while in the open sandy places they grow sweetest
 weighting with vermillion pendants the | little plants. Oxheart cherries and bough- applts hint of July's harvest along the | lanes and once in great while at dewrall you hear quail calling.
 | The swamp rose is bent over the trick | ling little streams that run o'er hill ana dale at beautiful French Lick, where the clustered blue flags are haunted by glit' 1 tering wasps: paetures a"e spread at s1n-
 rise with spangled cobwebs, while June I changes as fast as they
 l They'll tell you at French Lick that
 "the season. is over in June-and Pluto whom everybody knows, with his jet piaek
 face framed by his funny little crimson l cap with real devil horns, will say II l asked:
 l "Yassum, Mistus, dis heah's de season 1 uv de year whin de southern folks come heah in punches, and dey's diff l ferent rum de eastern folks dat comes endurin' uv de season, kaze mos uv I our southern friends cum wid dey { trunks tied up wid CT rope" 1 Which may or may not be compi- 1 mentary-just as you take it-but the i trunks tied up with a rope" do con ! tain some fearfully and wonderfully l made sartorial creations-flower be- | decSed bonnets and frilly, fussy, fur | belows-ouite different from the 1 severely tailor made" styles which you see the customers wear during l 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 l another in beauty-yet all beautiful. Walking around the Loop golf ing" talking the cure"-reading' l lounging. dozing, waking it is ever | the same delightful, restful atmosphere, and I simply love it and couldn't do l without it--at least once year-to 1 "sort of" "get myself together" read l some of my neglected, but dearly be- | loved books; think out some thinks" | that I never have time to think dur ! ing busy working hours and just live | and laugh and love,
 1 Underneath the stately trees-the | green velvet carpet underneath your | feet-you sit--hedged in by marvellous l flowers such flowers as you only see | at wonderful French Lick; rows of sun | flowers like soldiers with golden hel- I nets. embowered among screaming dahlias; gladioli, insistently esect shepherded on the right by tall languid hollyhocks. and on the left by sensuous l swaying tiger lilies.
 | And you bask in the sunshine of | Gods beautiful univerSe-and you read l and you sleep and you dream-and | neigh ho-you listen for moment and l you hear the beautiful notes of the orchestra playing your favorite song and maybe as you sit and rock to and fro, underneath the stately trees you hum a merry little tune all to your self so happy are you, so care free 1 SO comfortable-so good and so lazy And back of this wonderful place that I have tried to give you a pen | picture offs the seething. burning, | never resting, nervous brain of the | man who made French Lick-who put | it ''on the map just as he has put
 many another "big business on the map.
 This man. by name is Thomas Tag 1 gart but known to his intimate friends
 by the affectionate appelation of From | Taggart' politician, financier, promoter. royal host and-friend.
 To his excellent ability and clear | clean cut vision French Lick owes It's | splendid success-as "The Spa of l America'-for twenty years ago when
 MT. Taggart became interested in this place whose bubbling sparkling cura- tive waters were grouped under the
 name of French Lick-it was practical | ly unknown.
 Today. French Lick is a name to be conjured with: it is known all over the world and always the name of Thomas 1 raggart goes with it as the handspring
 in the wheel that has made it famous. 1 The personality of this remarkable man ! is difficult 10 describe: he absolutely 1 permeates French Lick; there isn't a crack or a corner, a sheltered nook in the beautiful flower garden or a lane in 1 the dell that does not show the master
 touch of Mir Taggart's hand. for with all
 his practical nature. he combines most