The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-11-16

f did not take it, he was just worse than dead. He died little harder.
 Poppaea enjoyed all this limelight stuff for awhile. But she soon decided that she was tired of playing in the bush. and would make stab for the i big league. She might have rocked along if Octavia had recognized her as sister under the skin" But Oc- tavia was the daughter of the ex Elm peror Cladius, and was used to bull ing the market before she married Nero. She couldn't see the importance of even real 14-carat gold hair. What
 is more, Neros mother, Aggripina, didn't like Poppaea, and her easy con science. They made some very pointed remarks, and Aggripina even went so far as to suggest that Octavia vamp Brittannus, to make Nero jealous. Now, Brittannus had a very substan- tial claim to the throne, so that gave Poppaea good grounds for getting even.
 She went to Nero and told him that Octavia had a crush on Brittannius, and that Aggripina was hand and glove with them on their intent to usurp the throne. Nero didn't seem to care so much till Poppaea told him that she heard them plotting first to have the menu for the banquet that evening changed. so that instead of serving humming bird tongues they would serve snake tongues. and Nero's beautiful voice would be forever lost to the world. And Poppaea wept and mourned that such an unnatural mother and wife should live to pol lute the world with their breath. Nero was man of few words and lots of action. First he sent Salvius Otho, who. after all. had little legal right to the fair Poppaea. out to Lusitania to hunt for a flower that he never heard of. Next he shipped Octavia off on a vacation from which she never returned But he hesitated about Az gripina Finally he had that poor old girl clubbed to death. His own mother, mind you! Tn this Poppaea holds vamping recordl
 When Salvus Otho returned from Lusitania with the fatal flower he found his wife married to Nero and reigning with him. But Nero treated him square about It. He named the verse on how lucky Otho was to have had a wife that the emperor wanted!
 Tn those days a woman who only had one husband was laughed at and called "one-man woman" Poppaea was a sensitive little plant and she didn't want people talking about her,
  ing the topic of conversation. And some good Christians tried to convert her. They were shocked at her wild ness. And they even went so far as to get word to Nero Nero got mad, and the fur flew. Poppaea got his upp's nanny by introducing him to vestal virgin, and let him run around little himself. But Poppaea remem- bered that the Christians were shocked at her and she resolved not to have anyone on this earth who did not be- have as she did. She put Nero up to burning Rome. so she could collect the insurance and build herself a palace entirely of gold. She got him to do 1t by reading to him the history of the burning of Troy
 Poor dear. just think what a won- derful song you could write and sing if you could only have such an inspira- tion as Aenius had. He saw Troy really burning. You have never seen city burning" But my subjects would not let me burn their homes. even to hear me sing" exclaimed the fat-stomached emperor. "They are so selfish they do
 not appreciate me and my marvellous voice"
 Don't let them know about It. Blame it on this new sect referred to as Christians. Really dear. the circus has been as dead a s a door nail for the past two seasons The high cost of slaves has nade it almost necessary to stop killing more than two or three an evening, You know when we had that last raasdue of Iphigenia, even Tegillius refused to give his lovely