Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-08
SMUGGLING FINE ART
AS BELG|ANs USED IT
Now That Hostilitfcs Have Ceased,
the Schemes Are ConSid-
cred Joke.
TRY TO CONCEAL METALS
Il 4 rti Sf ,Int To,
Try TO CONCEAL METALS
American Artist Gives Population
First Real Laugh by Hanging
Huge Copper Kettle Underneath
Stars and Stripes.

BRCGES December 7.-"Blowe.'' is a
Flemish verb which has been gloriGcd
under four years OF Bochc oppression.
To-Day. when all Bruges is gay with
the red yellow and black Of Father
land restored and folk who long had
been ''nmb before the eyes Of the hated
feidEendarme are still stopping to con-
graduate one another with mirthful
jests. the word Blower has become
the synonym OF national joke.
Originally BLOWER meant to snug
gle During the four years that tho
round-pound OF the gooSestep on the
. coo was bitterness in the cars Of
TO cheat the HIM; to cvadc his studied
program of irritations; 10 laugh at him
behind closed blinds and over an
omelctte "Nerhotcn."
Now that the liberation has come.
n"ighhor ~ confidnG TO nciEhbor the
little tricks OF Blower" each wing
I" toll the tallest tale OF how he put
coats to Scorn.
]; was he irrcpressiblc America
sensa OF hnmor that gave all BruSes
its first hearty laugh on the morning
Of October ~. when the vanguard OF
the conquering Belgians passed
through the Pcrtc Marechalc.
= Arlent Edwards. an American
artist formerly OF Now York. who with
his wife and fri"nd Of the Edwardses
MISS Schardt. of Nashville, Tenn. had
nassed through the black years of the
on the pole from his window and under
IL ne suspended handsome copper
keith This Il la" concealed from
German copper and hrass searching
"arties dur ing al the four years Of tn"
n,ccuna tion. The suspended copper
Kettle beneath the Stars and Stripes
hlsc concealed acainSt tho day when
they might ny again--was hi, Of hu-
NOR sufficient, patent Roth flag and
kettle We're cheercd bv til" hysicrical
Thousands on the street below
Her the I,1WardSeS'S nf Nov
sr;fmlly they practiccd tho little tricks
OF "Blower' when Knmmcndatur had
lis head IN his hands thinking up some
new devitry TO try out on the Bru-
geois.
That copper kettle was the best in
Bruses, so ] wanted to show it""-this
With n satisfied sigh as Mr.. Edwards
nuhed' his tirsI American cigarette in
four years Put look at that copper
hottomed washboiler over there. ! had
that canoufaged with books SO that
il looked like a part or my bookcase
and many German boot has thuddcd
AGAINST II when the search parties
had Gu: htt baths all through those
wears ~ hell thanks tn Cur dear cop-
por, hcttomea hoi'"r. We loved il like
a 6hild-apd do yet"
Don. forget tho coffca min when
v'.'i "rc naming ctr pcs MS .:I-
N"u!- ; stoned 10 a,nrnd-''anj HOY
headed artis, c'lrclllod reminiscentIv.
We'll" l." said you see we used to
keep our 'niower wheat in my trunk
-underneath my underwear. How +
got tho grain is neither here nor there
hut We usually had a supply. and two or
three times week ! used to lift the
clothing from my grain supply and
rive II stir With stick so ii wouldn't
grow mou!dy. Then when We wanted
wheat -four / would grind mp some or
III" wheat in the grinder. II usually
took about four hours of arm and
wrist work to make enough -four for
hnkinE. hu'--um the result was
wcr'h the labor
milk was verbotcn Zufort' as wan
IS wheat and hour The Germans used
I" collect II! the milk thcv could get
lrom the farmers and manufacture
aside from the condensed milk the
Beigian relief commission store used
10 sell there was none to he had en-
cep1 blower milk, but that was the
SHALL I tell. Carrie" lie turned 10
Miss Schardt with merry twinkle
in his. eyes. The young lady from
Nashville gave permission.
We'll, ! made couple or secrc,
visits To a tinsmith and he constructed
TWO rather curionsly shaped containers
which Miss schardt could strap TO her
Schardt could carry under Irer skirts
without difficulty Every day she went
out into the country and came back
milk
Then Edwards told how the farmers
used to cvade the German masters
milk confisca ton. With true German
thoroughness 81 census of every fow
and calf in the district was taken and
unon each farmer. was laid the quota
OF milk he must deliver 10 tho collec-
tors, the owner being allowed to re-
tain y modicum Of skinned milk FOR
his own use.
When the Germans discovered tho
shrewd peasants We're not delivering
their full quota the kommandatur, or
one of his understrapners, devised the
every COW in the district each day,
Result; the canny peasant would arise
at midnight to tan his own cows. or
would snatch y hasty bottleful while
he was driving them, TO pasture
Similarly the hers of the district pald
tribute To the Germans. 4 census Of
went out that each hen must be ex-
pected TO my at least three eggs n