Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1893 — Farewell to Earth. [ARTICLE]

Farewell to Earth.

The crier, or tambourincur, as he, is generally called, because he carries a drum, is one of the institutions ol rural France. A traveler in the valley of the Cele says, in “Wanderings by Southern Waters,” that he found the tambourineus making the rounds of a town, lustily beating his drum to awaken the curiosity of the inhabitants, and accompanied by an ox, which he introduced to the public as “le boeuf ici present.” The crier’s business is to announce to all to whom it may concern that the animal is to be killed this very evening, and that to-morrow morning its flesh will be sold at one franc twenty-five centimes the kilo. It will all go at a uniform price, for this is the custom. Those who want the alayou, or sirloin, will only have to he in haste. The ox, notwithstanding the fact that he has a rope tied around his nose and horns, and is led by the butcher, evidently thinks it is a great distinction to be tambourine; his expression indicates that this is the proudest day of his life. Every time the drum begins to rattle he flourishes his tail, and when each little c&remony is over he moves to a fresh place, with a jaunty air, as if he were aware that all this drumming and fuss were especially intended for his entertainment. No condemned wretch ever made his appearance in public with better grace.