The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-15

with them, and then 1t was that Ingenuity circumyented official commands. and be- fore midnight had chimed the New Year hundreds of strangely attlred muscular young men and their partners took pos session Of the various bathrooms and "carried on" with undiminished vigor and vim. They had borrowed clothes from friends, relatives. hotel managers, walters. anyone who had a spsaa pair of trousers, and an evening coat, in facti
 Never was there seen more weird assembly than that which ushered 1916 into fashionable London life. Among the most strangely attired young men at the particular hotel at which was spend- | ing the early hours of 1916 was a man If, om Chicago, who had joined up with the Canadian forces and come across to ! see what he could do to help hunt the Hun. My American friend was costumed in a dinner jacket six sizes too large for him and a-pair of trousers belonging to | the same category. These ended just l above the tops of a heavy pair of brown service boots and his toilet was com pleted with khaki shirt, white col lar and a black necktie!
 The other evening in a very smart hotel a perfectly equipped young officer came up to me, greeted me enthusiastically and said, Don't you remember maY' and with an effort I Jerked my mind back nearly four years in order to real | ize that the ,soldierly figure, in a per l fectly cut tunic and other accessories was none other than my Chicago friend | of the early wartime, who had cut a most amusing figure during the hours when we were trying to "kid ourselves that the world war would be over soon. r I was rather interested recently in l hearing that, owing to the raising of the age limit for military service through out Great Britain, the present Duke oi Argyll has. been summoned to. Stirling 1 by the military authorities in order to gc through the usual military examinations The present holder of the ducal title is a nephew of the late duke who married the King's s aunt, Princess Louise. and Il a bachelor and 46 years of age He prob ably until the last few months did no think it specially necessary for him t make any special move towards activ, service He happens to be heredtar, admiral of the western Isles and colone I of battalion of the Argyll and Suther II land highlanders; of course, I do no believe for an instant that the duke wil
 be "conscripted, but dare, say he will lhave to show cause why such pro
 ceeding is not necessary in his case. I have often wondered why this grea I Scottish duke was never married. He
 a very young looking man for his age
 with the fair complexion and blue eye
 that distinguished the late holder of tn j title. His rent roll is considerable and In
 yerary castle. where he spends most o
 his time is most superb estate sur
 rounded by everything that makes life il
 the highlands of Scotland most agree
 able. There is a salmon river. a dee Iforest, mountains, a loch and grous
 moors without end. I wonder If soone or later an enterprising and beautiful I American girl will catch this woman fearing duke and so be able to call
 royal princess aunt" and to claim kin
 ship with the King and Queen of Eng land?
 Evidently the Argylls of the duke's i'm
 mediate family do not care speciall about matrimony. for his younger sis
 ter. Lady Elspeth, is yet known by he
 maiden name of Campbell, while his frs
 cousin, Miss Joan Campbell, Is also quit
 content to live4 in single blessedness in the highlands.
 I received letter the other day fror
 a naval friend of mine which was writ ten "somewhere in the North sea-" H
 says: "I have been having rather strer
 uous time, and have spent many pleas
 ant and exciting days in the Mort sea- We managed to get into the las
 scrap. when we bombed the Zeppeli
 sheds near to Kiel. and have also ha
 other trifling amusements. We have a
 of us very good reason to cheer mp 9hes
 times, and although there is always , good deal of talk about the silent nav, ,.lI don't believe you would consider u very silent if you could spend some hour aboard the old tub from which am writ , ing to you"
 One so seldom hears any special a
 pression Of opinion from what we ca