The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01
PARIS THE MECCA
FOR AMERICANS
Unusual Number of Smart
Set Remaining There
VACATE STONOR PARK
Lord and Lady Cam0ys May Now Live
in Their Own ancestral Halls.
Betrothal of Lady Victoria
Darlington Announced
By LADY MARY


London. May 3-(Special. )-London' 3
popularity with Americans is being
| threatened seriously this year by Paris.
Never do 1 remember so many of our
smart transatlantic cousins in the gay city
at this season of the year as there are at
present. Let us hops that. +. is only Lon
don's frickle spring weather that is keep
| ing them across the channel, for the sea-
son will be a very different sort of thing
if they are not here to ado leaven to
our lump of British, and rather stolid,
, hospitality
The Duchess of Marlborough Is over
there at present, having crossed with her
| mother, who, as you will have heard,
was much too irate with US for our treat
ment of our suffragists to spend any
money in England, so, after spending a
few thousand dollars at the most expen-
sive hotel in town she crossed over to
Paris The duchess went to the extremely
smart dinner and dance given there by
Mrs. Almeric Paget,, who stayed for a
little while on her way from the Ri
yiera. All her friends were No delighted
to find her so much better Her dance
was quite a gathering Of Americans
Lady Cunard. Mrs. w. b. Leeds, Miss
Yznaga and Anthony Drexel all being
there.
| w. X. Vanderbilt and Frank Gould
are in Paris SO much that it might
| almost be said that they live there alto
gether. Both have lovely villas near the
city, on which fabulous sums have been
| spent in making them comfortable and
luxurious. Mr.. Vanderbilt has even
sunk an artesian we'll in his garden
| so as to have his own water supply
| Gould is now having a Roman bath
constructed at his place, which is to be
even more magnificent than the Romans
themselves boasted in their palmiest
| days He employed several men to In
| spect all the Roman baths in existence
and examine all the historic records
so as to have it correct to the last de-
tail. The huge bath itself will be sur
rounded with conservatorfes filled with
beautiful plants, among which the
| Gould guests may wonder about or re-
cline on luxurious couches after their
dip" Besides this. he has just spent
100000 on his racing establishment
which is now said to be about the most
perfect In the world.
! Lady Victoria Darlington is receiving
many congratulations on having carried
off one of the richest parts" of the
age in the shape of young Nigel Legge-
Bourke, to whom she is just engaged
Lady Victoria is the youngest daughter
of Lord and Lady Lncolnshire and Is
of Queen Victoria, and was one OF
Queen Mary's train bearers at her coron-
ation-the third of them to get married
by the way.
Nigel Legge- Burke is also connected
with the court He was page to King
Edward as a boy, and his mother, as
Amy Lambart, was one of Queen Vic
toria's favorite maids of honor. She
was an exquisite dancer, and 1t is told
of her that on one occasion, after hav-
ing danced before the aged queen and
her parents, her majesty asked her
what reward she would like she said
promptly, "the head of Mr. Gladstone
on a charger"
Nigel Legge- -Bourlxe owes the last
part of his name to his uncle, Harry
Bourke. who picked him out from all
his nephews to be his heir. He assumed
his relatives name and arms by royal
license in 1911. and shortly after the
uncle died and left him large fortune
Nigel is an extremely lively young
spark, and was known to have &
great penchant for the members of the
musical comedy stage Lady Victoria
is the exact antithesis to that sort OF
girl. being very quiet and gentle-per-
haps that's the secret of her conquest.
Most tragically sad was the death of
Mrs. John Ford last week. She was
of course, the daughter of Mrs. George
Canendish- -Bentinck. who was Elizabeth
Livingston of New York before she
married. As quite a young girl, soon
after she came out Evelyn Cavendish-
Bentinck fell in love with John Ford
but for a long time her parents would
not consent-to the marriage on account
Of Ford's delicate health. But the
young people prevailed in the end.
For almost the whole of her married
life Mrs Ford was hardly able to go
into society at all, her husbands health
was so precarious. Although she was
a most popular girl in London. and had
crowds of invitations every season, sne
refused to leave her husbands sid,
and devoted the best years of her life
to his care. And now, Just when 1t
seemed that all her devotion was 70
rewarded. and Ford was enjoying pet
Ger health than he had done for. years