The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-17

| Wall" with little sets of dice and llt- tie sets of counters, heaven and earth, male and female.
 "Mah Jongg" translated means "The Sparrow" and it is the aristo- crat of indoor sports" we are told in China. and as the game unfolds the players may get
 "A moon from the bottom of the
 sea-"
 Or
 "A plum blossom in unreasonable
 timee."
 "It is almost deliciously sen suous," writes my friend from New York, who is ''up" always on all the new games and tricks and clever novelties most alluringly Oriental .
 Which reminds me of such an adorable little story:
 Mrs. Van Rensellar Cruger, who used to write those charming hooks of hers, Puritan and Pagan, "A Diplomats Diary and others decided to take a trip around the world. ,
 This was just before her disas- trous marriage to young FranA !iiN Chance, and she came back with Il the most wonderful stories to tell.
 So-
 Her friends gave her sumptuouss dinner and during the well-served menu. they asked her to tell them which country of all those she Vis- tied she liked best and the people
 Said Mrs. Cruger:
 "France is delightful; the women have Ia beaute de diable;' the men are debonnair charming. The Italians gre simply delightful and make wonderful lovers. but to be really loved one must be loved by a Russian, for them it is to surrender or die"
 A clever wag sitting at the end of the table said in his subtlest man ner:
 "Mrs. Crueer, so glad you re turned to us"
 My Friend Milton Mobiles
 It is very tempting for an or dinary, everyday person to refer to this distinguished person as my friend" and that one as my friend" and often it is merely put on"
 But
 When I say "my friend Milton Nobles," it is really true, for this wonderful man, this loveable char acter. this prince of the stage, IS "my friend" and I like to say so.
 There are few people who have ever trod the histronic boards whose names give us more to eonjure with z than Milton Nobles and his lovely wife, Dolly Nobles.
 Back wonder when they played in rs aThe Pheonix," and the expression And the villain still pursued, came down in history as by word" Milton and Dolly NobleI were among the most distinguished N characters in the theatrical profes- sion. :.
 For awhile they disappeared as | were; at least they were not as ac tive as formerly, when suddenly lol and behold! A character arose upon the histronic horizon sIightnin' Bill Jones' which suited Milton Mobiles to CT" and the lat beloved Frank Bacon coaxed him t' play it. .f.
 old man" of the stage, Milton Nobles, in this character here yea or so ago, recall his sweet gentl' personality, his marvellous interpre tation of the character Q
 "Lightnin' Bill Jones'" and whil it may seem like Hes majeste,' don't think Frank Bacon could toucl Milton Nobles in the part and say them both several times. ,., = Milton Nobles is "Lightnin bll l. Jones'" he just is, and there yo' are; no acting is necessary, JusI z l. be himself is the story, that's all.
 And we are to have him as al e anti Christmas visitor this season again giving us his delightful char P acterization of the beloved Fran Bacon's character, in the play o "Iiphtnin' still continuing its ii1e " although it's creator has joined "th mute majority" q This time Milton Mobiles bring with him his adorable wife, Don L. Nobles. the two of them marchln over the highways and byways Q $ life until each has reached the als tant milestones. Dolly Noples WI WI play the role of "Lightnln bi r. Jones' wife in the play.
 When talked with Milton Noble Is m one of the several occasions wnel I had that pleasure when he wa n here last. I recall so vividly how m stead of trying to "shirk' his age 1t he was proud to acknowledge n was fin the early seventies.
 It was Dr. Osler, you remember is lwho stirred up the world some tiin ago with the statement tnat me Is were ready for the booby hatch 0 ash can at 60 years of age. ?, Milton Nobles filings back the US n ler;sno and makes the physician ca crows. Why he is just beginning ' "a live, this seventy-ard-tnen-soihe-oi t. actor.
 "But that doesn't mean any thing" said MT. Nobles, when W were discussing this theme. T tel vou that a mans as old as he feels T. The thing to do is to be in iov 1t with your work and be in love wit n your wife. 0 ways loved it and love my wife s and the same wife, mind you-jus as did Al years ago. when she be e came Mrs. Nobles. She was young e ster then and was almost twice he if age. but we've managed, somehow e to remain in the theatrical bushes d all these years without swapping fc d somebody else. You see, it can b done. There's another piece o s gabble knocked squarely in tn j. head, too--a man shouldn't b :. much older than his wife. A threa