The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-25
GOSSIP IN LONDON

From the Philadelphia Evening Tele- graph
 This is an A. s. C. officers story; A vet
 eriLary officer went round the horses in camp the other day and expressed him-
 self as satisfied with their condition, ex= cept that their coats were rather hard. "A little green food will rectify that, however, During the night the intelli- gent animals broke out of their stalls,
 strolled into a market garden and ate 46l young lettuces.
 Fuller explanations, together with a fac smile of the Berlin bread tickets, have now been published. The cards which are numbered and are not transferable, con sst of four tickets for 250 grammes fabout one-half pound) four for 160 eight for 50, and eight for 25. Tickets unused one week are unavailable the next week. The cards are to be of different color each week. It is hoped that the richer classes, whose diet is more varied, will not exhaust their tickets each week. and thus will patriot ically return some bread to the common stock
 Hotel porters will make list of tray eiers for whom special cards will be is- sued, and frequenters of restaurants who have forgotten to bring their bread can get some through their host on presen- tation of their tickets.
 Elaborate explanations are given of the present lack of potatoes in Berlin The most truthful appears to be the rise in the price of other feeding stuffs, which is causing beasts to be fed on potatoes. It is admitted that for the purposes of economy pigs must be slaughtered in greater numbers.
 The Berlin Brewers association has de- cided to raise the price of beer by ? pfennigs a litre. A further rise is ex- peoted shortly, Restaurants have been or dered to close at a. m., thus killing that night life which was proving dele terieus to the convalescent wounded
 Quite-a good spy story this time, and with quite a refreshing touch of orig inality, is told by the Matn on excellent authority. It was up in the north, not far from Bethune, and toward dusk. A small procession appeared and made it's way slowly and snlemnly toward the French lines. It consisted of a captive Uhlan, straitly surrounded by two gend- armes, and at is head a brigadier in fine new uniform-an impressive figure The captive uhlan was the best passport there could be. and the little procession passed through the French lines without let CT hindranee. So the three gendarmes and their prisoner, who had a convince ing, hang-dog air, continued their walk till they reached and overpassed the first line of trenches. All the time it might have been noticed but at first was not they were taking keen and very intel- had almost got to trenches No, g. when sergeant, who was sitting under a tree, smoking a peaceful pipe with half dozen of his men, caught sight of them. Hal To-" he said to his companions there's something rather fishy here, Three gend- armes to one prisoner! I have never seen that before. Get your rifles ready, my boys" Then, coolly, the sergeant, pipe still in mouth, went up to the procession. "Your papers, please,' he said to the splendid brigadier. The brigadier blus- tered. By what right?" he asked, in a thick accent 'fun with your hands, cried the sergeant sharply, and his companions behind him raised their rifles significantly. Up went the hands of brigadier, gend- armes and pretend prisoner-Alow gen uipe prisoner sure enough. The French sergeant now answers to the sobriquet of ''Shareloek Holmes"