The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-27
American Women to Aid
 Belgian Refugees
FEAR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Prince Arthur of C0nnaught Almost Lost His Hearing-Prince of Wales at Front-Garden-
 ing Still Popular
By LADY MARY

toIu or the BelBlan refugees. The beSt houses have welcomed many of them and American women like Lady Essex Mrs. Walter Burns, Lady Henry and oth- CTS have extended them Inequalities. Many of the refugees are refined and delightful people, but it goes without saving there are the others. In the wake of the Belgians have arrived several Ger man sples Lady Henry had remark able experience with two of the lot she befriended, among whom were what she took for two innocent pretty girls day two after their arrival a servant entered their loom unexpectedly and to her ani<ement found the two girls shaw ing They were, of course, spies.
 But unhappils 1t transpires that all the spying is net done by Germans. There are traitors in our own camp. The other week one of the chiefs of the British aerial department gave an order to the Daimler company, whose works are at Coventry, for 100 air machines. A few hours later fire broke out in three dis tinct rsrt- cf the yards where wood was stored The culprits. however made great mistake fer the wood they tried to
 
 structure at all.
 Fear Photo Men
 Most of the pretty American women now in the public eye are determined that they will not allow the photographers of the half-penny press to snapshot them. When they hold meetings in connection with the numerous philanthropic affairs they have in hand if photographs are wanted they insist they have an artist on the scene. I believe 1t was Mrs Robert Strawbridge who had thls done and not without good reason. Sometime ago her husband was going down to their coun- try place when. happening to buy a lot of illustrated journals, he noted in one picture of very ugly woman who yet had sort of resemblance to his wife who Is uncommonly good looking. 70 his disgust he read Mrs Strawbridge's name under it. A few days previously Mrs. Strawbridge in weak moment had gwen sitting to a photographer from a halfpenny newspaper.
 There is a new photographer who is in great favor with smart American women just now. He is genius in his way, for though he has the art of catch | ing to perfection a likeness his subjects aii look like girls even when they are 1 quite mature
 1 The Strawbridges are not going to do any hunting this year. Most of their | htrses have been requisitioned for the 1 war Mrs. Strawbridge's favorite hunter which follows her about like dog has
 however been spared her. For nights I she eotsia rot f-leet1- tes. l the fate of the others It's mistress vows l the horse knew what was going on for 1 t developed most convenient cough and seemed to be very ill., a state of things which disappeared when all danger of ] having to go had vanished.
 Pocket Money
 We are expecting shortly visit at l this side from Lady Veta Pery that was,
 now Lady Veta Brady. Is it any won- der that the British society girls are determined to invade the United States
 en masse when they are told that a
 rich American on his wedding day hands | his wife check for $5.OtJ,000 for pocket money? Pocket money, if you please! 1 For this sum has nothing to do with the
 settlements. The fortune teller who fore
 told Lady veta's good future is having | a great vogue in society here at pres l ent He Is an astronomer really, and | predicts the most wonderful things. His prophecies about the war are amazing l lie mortified some people the other after room by stating that the end of the world | was within measureable distance and one | cf his theories is that the German Kaiser | Rosedew Burn the fate that awaited her son. think Lady Leith of Fyvie feels his death even more than his mother,
 and his grandfather, Lord Leith has become quite an old man since the tragic event Lord and Lady Leitn lost their
 own son and heir in the South African | war.
 Prince and Princess Arthur of Con-
 naught were in town from Bagshot for
 a few days this week with the precious little Duke of Fife, though the prince | again leaves at any moment for the 1 front. The other morning when the baby | was returning from his outing in the park Prince Arthur who happened to be
 at the door, helped the nurse up the | steps with the perambulator. It Is just what you would expect from one of the 1 Connaughts; isn't it? His royal high ness looks anything but well, and so l tired. but he is quite determined he will get back to the fighting line as soon as possible. He has been greatly feted since he has been here. At first after he ar rived he was quite deaf and it was feared he would never get back his proper hear ing again. This was caused by the aw- ful noise of the bursting of shells and the booming of guns. One specialist who attended him was afraid that the drum of his ear had been seriously injured. The awful din has sent plenty of men on
 both sides raving mad. Prince Arthur gave terrible description of the yells
 of the German soldiers when they were 7 being bayoneted in charges. "The most
 Unearthly thing 1 ever listened to-" was his definition.
 Spring Gardens
 Those who have little time on theil hands are either rest-curing or designing
 sprns, gardens, for gardening is as great | a hobby as ever. Even society womer
 out at the front doing Red Cross worl
 have not forgotten to give instruction.
 anont their gardens of next season, ant am told that great landscape gardener
 Eiscountess Wolseley, whose bills fol
 laying out pleasure grounds often TUT into thousands of dollars, is as busy al she can be. It appears that war" gar
 dens are to be all the rage. These vii display the various colors of the allies
 It was Lady Londonderry who started this notion of the topical, garden at Wyn yard park some years ago and ever sine, she has had every important event pic . tured in flowers in her gardens. LadN Cheylesmore is another who has pur sued this notion at her beautiful place Coopers Hill park, in Surrey
 Lady Decies (Viyien Gould that was 1; Is also great gardener and both a 3 Shelton park and her favorite home Lut l trelstown. near Dublin, the flowers ar, . of fairy tale beauty. !
 s for short-time loans to farmers and tha , national banks furnish s750.000,00O A i, may be expected because of the differ 5 ences in the relative importance of agri