The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-14

London, June 22-(speclal CorIespOHu- ence.)-Sometime after the war-if that halcyon period arrives in time to find me still above ground-I will write a book that I will call Royalties With Whom Have Collided."
 Long years ago at Covent Garden opera house 1 was bumped into by the port1y person of the late King Edward and very delighted I was to receive ms profuse and smiling apologies. At an- other time, coming out of a tent at one of the fashionable London garden par ties, l bareed full into the dainty per- son Of queen Alexandra. She looked sur prised, but quite unperturbed and my apologies were received with the grace that always characterizes her delightful personality. l could mention also an. other occasion at Olympia during the horse show, when, in the crowd around the stables Belonging to the late Mr. AL fred G. Vanderbilt, I found some float Ing lace on my frock caught upon one or the metallic fastenings of the paIs blue uniform of no less a person than the crown prince of Germany It is odd that such an occurrence should take place at this particular spot, for one re- members nowadays the victims of the Lusitanla outrage with a special sensa- ton of horror and revenge.
 
 immediate fact that as l was walking down Bond street the other day I exc cuted one Of those curious indeterminate movements Of not knowing exactly which side of the pavement to take, in front of a slender, round-faced, dark-haireQ young man. in dark blue overcoat with white silk scarf huddled about his throat and a dark gray trilby hat tilted over his right eye. I realized only after I had at last succeeded in passing him, that it was Manoel, once upon time King of Portugal, and now gentle man of leisure," leading a very simple and rather secluded life, on his pretty little estate at Richmond. One also re- members somewhat sadly that his wife, who is still called Queen Augusta Vic toria, is a very near relative of that most Hunnish of all the Huns, the Kaiser Whether a life of seclusion does not spe- cially suit him, or wartime rations are disagreeing with his constitution, cer- tainly King Manoel suggests few traces now Of tho plump, rosy-cheeked. rather stolid boy who was one of the several monarchs who rode in the procession that followed the body of King Edward at the state funeral in the early days of the present century.
 One of the changes that somewhat dis turbed me when I returned to London after my recent sojurn in New York was
 
 to the officers of the royal air force as they are now called, instead of the royal flying corps, which was their title about nine months ago. The "R. F. C." was, to my mind, one of the smartest and most dapper looking uniforms in the service, but now that this branch is called the "R- A. F.,' I must say that the change has by no means improved them. The uniform is ugly-usually ill., fitting and quite ineffective. It has an ''urdress'' suggestion about it that is the result of a curiously cut tunic that is worn without the distinctive Sam Browne, which hangs in an ugly, un- even fullness from the waist. The k. r. c. men of 1917 used to pride them- selves upon their slim figures and the smart tautness of their belts. The R. A. Els of 1918 have, apparently, lost every desire to shine as ''the glass of fashion and the mold of form" I am told, but I am not in the least sure that my information is correct that the .s new style uniform was designed by a |5 well-known woman who is not uncon- { nected with the dramatic profession. This is a statement I can scarcely be- lieve, however, and I give it with the accustomed grain of salt that imparts a flavor to most rumors in war time as well in peace time.
 When I arrived in London, about a fortnight ago, my first view of the news | markable interest. One was the wedding of Lady Randolph Churchill to MT. Mon tagu Porch and the other was the trial of Mr. Pemberton Billing for criminal libel on Miss Mauld Allan. Lady Ran dolph Churchilfs third venture into mar ried life was, of course little startling, but, after all, it is a ceremony that con- cerns no one except herself and her bridegroom. But the Pemberton Billing trial is one that all the world may talk and speculate about without violating any specially personal interest or asso- citation. The history of one of the chief witnesses in the case .was so well known to me that the .oInew hat nauseous de- tails of the whole affair took less prominent position in my mind than did the past history of Capt. Harold $. Spen- cer. Captain Spencer, as few people Tn England seem to realize, is an American, and although is name was given at the trial as "Sherwainr Spencer, it is actu- ally Sherwood Spencer, and he comes from a very well-known and highly re- spected family in Massachusetts.
 Captain Spencer earned considerable notoriety some years ago by ms mar riage to woman very many years his scnior He, in fact, was scarcely 70 years of age at the time, while she could not have been very far distant from the half century mark. She was a very beautiful woman, and reputed to be extremely wealthy The two met on board a ship proceeding to Cairo He was an impressionable boy with cu- rious and romantic disposition and he fell violently in love with this fair and eyeuistely dressed enchantress, who was at that time recently made widow So rapid and so intense was their love mak- ing that when they arrived at Cairo they were married at the American consulate, and they then set forth for honey moon up the Nile under the most TO- mantle auspices.
 In due time the bride and groom re- turned to Europe, when the usual rifts within a lute that was not too well made, became very apparent. However, things were patched up, and they travelled to