The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-14

love works miracles, any one who has the chance to chat with Miss Burke for half an hour these days will undoubtedly give the little god his due. Miss Burke, charming though she be, has never been what we newspaper per sons call good subject for an inter VI" she never has liked to talk for publication and has always been con- sluereo a rather difficult victim"
 But now; To. and behold, ''The Miracle Man has appeared and the work has
 been done.
 Love has loosened her tongue, added a new flush to her loveliness, painted a
 fresh gold on her glorious head and, as
 it were, caused her to throw her slender
 arms right round the world and hug 1t tight.
 The magic sesame that opens the door
 of her little "Heart House. is just one mere man-Mr. F,lorenz Ziegfeld. Jr. Heretofore when I've interviewed Miss
 Billie Burke I've always found such terri
 ble obstacles; in her drawing room there has always been score of telegrams from ardent young men awaiting her.; innumerable boxes of flowers from New York and elsewhere to greet her here, from still more ardent lovers; Hong dis tanceH calls galore from Chicago swains,
 or Philadelphia beaux, or San Francisco admirers, all asking favor at her good pleasure; but now
 Gone is the former Billie Burke, who
 was besieged with attentions and show cred with kindness, the belle of stage land" who has given up these charm ing attentions of many men for the adora- ton of one, namely, MT. Ziegfeld. Happy?
 You'd turn the universe inside out to be as happy as Mrs. Ziegfeld You'd smash the Bank of England to be <l ArS You'd give up your hopes of all else save just love itself, which has turned earth into heaven right before our eyes, for Mrs Ziegfield.
 Love-love-1ove-is the burden of her song, and she will tell ydr over and over again that the only thing that matters is just-love!
 From a taciturn and rather cold ''in- terview-ee" to most animated talker Mrs. Ziegfield has been transformed, and whereas in the old days she waited plac- idly and rather bored for me to ask her questions, now-oh!, well, now simply can't ask them fast enough (provided, of course, they are all about Friend Hus- band').
 | Of course a lot of Billie Burke 'fans" never have forgiven MT. ZiegfeId for just
 ''up and marrying their idol without con- sulting them, yet at the same time 1t Is Impossible for them not to congratulate 1 him.
 | Then, too, there was great astonishment when it was known that two such seem- l ing diameterical1y opposite personalities l as Miss Burke and MT. Zegfeld were about to be united, for 'art'' had never thrown the twain together; he had al- | ways sponsored the frivolities of scantily costumed musical nonsense. and she while
 only lately having reached the ''pajama" stage of the drama, which Jerry pro- vides had been carefully baslxing in the dignity and theatrical aristocracy under I MT. Frohman's management, and MISS
 Burlxes ideas of the unfties was that fundamental trio of rules laid down for all good drama, and to Mr. Ziegfeld the three unities meant Vera Michelena, Ger l tie Vanderbilt and Anna Pennington. all ''Ziegfeld Follies" girls in tights | One thing is certain, however. and that | is whatever be the chief end of man, MT. Ziegfeld has discovered the chief end of
 woman-and "the undraped drama" would have gone by default if 1t hadn't been l for him.
 1 But, digress.
 | Digression, by the way, is one of my worst little vices, one of my blackest lit-
 tie blemishes. in an otherwise pure and l spotless. nature, and as I was about to l say it was love and mother that brought about the ideally happy marriage | between Miss Billie Burke and MT. Flor 1 eng ziegfeld, Jr., as the pretty 'star'' l herself told me, as she reverted to their meeting at the Sixty club. on New Years Eve-a year ago!
 l With "Zisgy." her pet dog, hugged tight l in hef arms, her stunning black and white coat and a touch of rose pink about her | neck, making her a very attractive fig l ure. Miss Burke was the exposure of all l eyes as she stepped out of a limousine al l the Tutwiler yesterday and greeted some l old friends.
 , :'And 70 you didn't bring the perfectly