The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-19
KING OF BELGIANS
 AGAIN IN PARIS Is Rumored He Wants to Pro-
 pitiate France WOMAN SELLS HUSBAND Rome is Becoming Crowded and Is Too Small to Hold It's Inhabitants. Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Is
 . Busy.
 
WOMAN SELLS HUSBAND
BY PAUL vILLIERs.

BY PAUL vILLlERs.
 Special Cable. to The Age Herald. Copy
 right, 1907, by ". R. Hearst.
 Paris, May 1s.-Leopold II, King of the Belgians, has again, been in Paris. AL though his visit was to be regarded as unofficial he called twice upon the presi- dent of the French republic, M. Fallieres, and people are. asking themselves what was the real motive for the visit to the French. capital. The Journal says;
 "The voyages of King Leopold never interest people very much In particular. But still when chief of state leaves his country in the midst of a ministerial crisis which is particularly complex to pay a visit to his neighboring head of state 1t Is not merely quest of courtesy.
 Therefore 1t is not to be wondered at that this visit of Leopold attracts atten- tion from the Partisan public. It Is said that King Leopold, who Is having great difficulties in the Congo wishes to pro- pitiate France. This suppositon betrays a great ignorance of the international situation. It is true that France has a right of pre-emption of this Free State, but this right cannot be exercised except in the case of Belgium refusing the mag nificent domain which it's monarch has shown such desire to possess.
 Belgium has decided to take the Congo. There has even been a debate held in the Belgian chambers on the subject.
 Does this mean that the Kings visit to Paris had no connection with the Congo question? Not at all This question is the chief one which Is troubling Belgian poli- tics at the present time. and 1t is not difficult to imagine that this was the real cause of his majesty'e visit to Paris.
 It has been said that a good woman has no price. This does not seem to be the case with man. At a small village near here. M. and Mime. Foros lived hap py for over twenty years, until few days ago the husband was fascinated with the charms of a young widow who had recently moved to the village.
 Mime. Foros saw that her husband in- tended abandoning her for the other wom- an, and this caused her great unhappi- ness. She tried all she could do to win her husbands affection back again, but without success. Being a practical wom- an she decided to get some benefit out of the situation, so she went to the widow and offered to sell her husband if the other would buy him.
 The widow proposed 625 francs, but the wife claimed 2500 francs. After great deal of talking about the matter it was at last decided that the widow should have M Foros for 1250 francs. All this time while the transactions were go- ing on M. Foros was calmly sitting on the steps of neighboring house smoking his pipe as though the whole thing did not concern him at all,
 Parisian women are in terror and dare not go out after dark for fear of an individual whose weapon is a hatpin. His modus operandi is to walk beside or be- hind woman whom he has picked out as his intended victim, and then just as they have reached the entrance to q side street suddenly stick the pin Into her back, neck or arms and disappear.
 Robbery is not his motive; he seems to be animated simply with aAnnalicious desire to wound He has not yet been captured but the police are on his track, and Parisians are beginning to breathe again.
 Rome has become too small to hold its inhabitants, and this in spite of the fact that several new quarters have been add ed to it recently. This is due to the num- bers of Americans and English who go to spend the winter in Rome, many of whom have their own private residences there. Then there are the ever-increasing number of students of all countries who flock there each year for the purpose of studying the art treasures of the ancient city who have also to be housed. The question of housing has now been taken up by the Italian government, and it has let the city of Rome 25,000,000 fires for the purpose of building new build ings. The poorer class especially are to be thought of in this new building scheme
 Princess de Bearn, nee Beatrice Winans, of Baltimore, is the American who is made most of by French society. She is one of those who sets the fashion here and the Vie Heureuse, one of the best society journals in Paris, quotes her as being the most stylish and best-dressed American woman in Paris.
 Her marriage, it will be remembered, in June 1905, came near being the cause of duel Her husbands cousin, Prince Hely de Sagan, theratened to forbid the banns, and send his seconds to Prince de Bearn, after having called him a usurper for adding to his name of Bearn that of De Chalais. Prince de Bearn got ouc of the difficulty by being married secretly and dropping the title altogether. He was married as plain M de Bearn.
 One of the busiest Americans at pres- ent in Paris is Mrs. Cornelius Wander bilt, who can daily be seen driving through the capital in her 24 h. p. Dar- racq making calls on her numerous friends here or making purchases in the Rue de la Paix. A favorite place of Mrs. Vanderbilts is the Pre- Catelan, and she can often be met with there in com- pany with one of her friends. great friend of the Vanderbilt family is Count Eiliot.i, attache of the Italian embassy. The accompanying picture was taken for the New York American and represents Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt as she was leaving the Hotel Ritz. She Is standing beside her automobile talking to Count FL liotti. The gentleman in the background wearing straw hat is Count de Jametel, whose name has often been coupled un- pleasantly with that of the Infanta Eu- lalia.