The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-06

London house. Town houses are not quite
so difficult to find this year, owing to
the craze of many Americans who have
been here q good many years, to go out
into the suburbs.
l hear that Mrs. George Keppel will
leave town soon after Easter and spend
most of the season at l<lingedaal, her sis
ter's place at The Hague, leaving her
husband TO ehaperone the lively Violet.
There Is quite a number of "chaperon
fathers in society just now, a fashion
which Mr.. keppel started, by the way.
OF course there are several fond papas
who do this duty for motherless daugh-
tiers, but that is another matter. In the
case of Lord Essex, too, who has been
taking Lady Iris Capell around this is
on account of his wifes health, which
is never very good. But in the case of
Lord cholmondeley, Lord Exeter and
Lord Desborough, it is difficult to find
any reason for it. Do these fond papas
imagine that they can steer their daugh-
ters' barques over the social sea with bet
ter success and more chance of finding
the matrimonial harbor they are in
search of?
Lady Algernon Gordon Lennox, who is
one of our most capable titled women
has been putting in a good time at her
lovely villa at Capri. that exquisite little
island in the Bay of Naples. Lady Alger-
non is very artistic, and, If it We're neces
sary, could have made an excellent liv-
ing as house furnisher. She shares with
Mrs. George CORVALLIS West passion
for taking houses, turning them inside
out. improving them and decorating them
and then disposing of them. Broughton,
the place she and her husband took when
they were first married, is the finest ex-
ample of her talent. 1t was in fearfully
diapidated state when they took it, but
Lady Algernon's artistic eye saw its pos
sibiities, and was not long making the
most of them. In a few years it was
dream Of beauty. The gardens are some
of the most beautiful in England and they
were all laid out according to her lady
ships own plans. She is very fond of
tea roses, and there are over a hundred
varieties of them in the Broughton gar
dens.
Like the rest of her family. however
she Is, of course, a sister of the Countess
grew tired of it, and recently the place
was let, and Lady Algernon turned her
attention to her town house. There are
in Broughton some beautiful carved and
painted ceilings, and she had those of
her new house copied from them.
But this is only one hobby Of this en-
ergetic woman. The fruit-bottling indus
try that she established at Broughton is
now almost of worldwide reputation,
and the fame of her wood-carving class
has travelled as far as New York, where
as you probably know, the carving in
Charles Dana Gibson's house was all ex-
ecuted by the village workers she has
instructed. And even in Capri, she had to
get busy" There is a vineyard attached
to her villa. and she makes her own
wine-and Jolly good wine it is. too She
is also well. known as the best judge of
that fashionable little quadruped, tho
Pekingese spaniel. She once had the finest
specimens of these dogs in the kingdom
their sire having been brought from the
royal Summer Palace at Peking.
Lord Algernon is probably as little
known as his wife is well known. His
only reputation is that of being a very
filbert among "nuts'' His figure is so
very beautiful in fact. that unkind peo-
pie have been heard to say that ne wears
stays. And his taste in ties is absolutely
unique! No other man could be found
in London who would dare to wear them