The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-22

and receiving a succession of Populations
representing the food dealers of the Uni
ted Kingdom. Their report is now being
prepared and will be one of the most
discussed British official documents Of
the war.
The Robertsons live in the country
at Pembury, in Kent-but the member
for Tyneside also has chambers in the
| classic temple, the historic London dis
trict whore Dondon's legal bigwigs most
do congregate, and these chambers, 1t
proves, are no other than those that once
were occupied by Blackstone, the great
father of British law. Their windows
command q view of the wonderful lawns
of the temple. an oasis in the bowling
desert of London, and the place where
the white roses" of York and Ian
caster were plucked and close by is
Oliver Goldsmiths grave and the Mid
die Temple inn, where Shakespeare once
acted in his own place. In this historic
atmosphere Mrs. Robertson gave me aft
ernoon tea, the other day, and talked
the while about the happenings of these
great times and of lighter matters, too,
as only a clever and cultured American
woman can.
TYPICAL AMERICAN
And Mrs. Robertson is a typical Amer
lean woman. She is brimful Of enthu-
siasm, all the others of which, quite
naturally, have to take second place
to maternal pride in her boy and girl
both of whom are doing their bit" for
their country so faithfully. The former,
Lieut. Guy Robertson, is in the Royal
field artillery and has been in France
ever since last November. Six feet tall
he has developed since then, his mother
says, from skinny. lanky boy into
big, husky bronzed man.
Early in our chat she told me an anus
ing story about him. Guy always has
had the most remarkable luck at cards."
she said, land he seldom has had bet
ter than one night in the mess not very
long ago. when they had a game of
vingt-et-un. He simply couldn't lose he
says, and he managed to rake in over
eight pounds. Instead of realizing, how
ever, that there would be other nights
on which he might have correspondingly
bad luck he decided, instead of holding on
to his winnings. to give a dinner to all
the other members of his mess. He in
vited every one of them, from the col
onel down, and he was very careful
about selecting the liquid part of the
dinner. The colonel was very fond of
his glass of port after dinner and Guy
was determined that he should have it.
so he gave his soldier servant, or bat
man, as they call them, strict orders to
buy a bottle of good port. Now this was
in a tiny little French village. half shot
to bits, and Guys Servant found that
not one of the little wine sellers had so
much as a drop Of port He reported
this fact to Guy, who babe him begone
and buy bottle of port. no matter how
or from whence. In this extremity the
servant did the only possible thing. He
went to the colonels 'batman and bought
from him a bottle of the colonel's port
merely reporting its acquisition to Guy,
without revealing where he got it.
But the colonel's servant told his mas
ter, and on the night of the dinner every
body around the table except Guy was
in the joyful secret the repast went off
quite beautifully and, when the time
came the port was duly served. The first
one to taste 1t was Guy, whom every
body was watching m.rthfully. He 1t
seems, had scarcely ever tasted port be-
FORE and this seemed TO him the limit
Turning to the colonel. ne said, blush
ing: I must apologize for this port, sir,
it's perfectly beastly"
THE whole mess roared with laughter,
and afterwards they let poor Guy into the
secret