Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-19

deliciously fascinating about Birdie. In her
first appearance she gives sort of clog dance,
noisy but graceful, and for English woman
she handles her arms with onishing ease and
statuesque grace. Most of the time her hands
are busy with the edges of her dIaphanous
skirts, which she lifts. twiris, twists, swings
and waves in hundred different poses, running
with lightning-like rapiiity into one another,
so that the eye has scarcely time to find delight
in one ere 1t must busy itself with another. In
her second act she is very much like Ellsler in
some OF her motions and attitudes Now her
feet are in white satin slippers with long.
pointed toes, such as were worn fifty years ago;
and now she fits about the stage
with exquisite ease, her hands still
toying with her gauzy skirts which enyelop
her limbs like ieecy clouds, now and then roll
ing aside to give you a momentary glimpse of
her charms. SO momentary that you half wonder
whether you saw anything not But Birdie
doesn't dance with her legs and feet alone. Her
body, which is as the French say. magnihcently
gaTnl, has mucn OF the wonderful suppleness
possessed BY Carmencita and Otero. Oply Biruie
uses it differently. Her backward and side
movements are not wriggly as the Spanish
cancers, they are more delicate and persuasive,
ana when she sinks into posture of reverence
at the end of her act, crouched there so like a
huge white rose dropped upon the floor, my male
escort assured me that he was deeply n wed and
felt like calling out: Rise up, BIZ g. for
nore?"l
Well, there is no dsputing the fact that Birdie
irving is quite as well worth seeing cit her
Carmencita or Oeero, hut we will like her only
Tor brief week or two, and then demand some
thing new and different.
Artists are among the worst crazed among all
absurd devotees of this new lot of stage dancers.
IT was 10 one Of them that l, sand. as we sat
eally perfect foot on woman?''
81 once saw" was the reply, ga foot that
was at least perfect enough to be cast for a
statue without any subsequent remodelling. l
went out with B., the sculptor. few months
ago in search OF q girl with handsome feet.
First we went to leading photographer and
asked him il he knew of fine foot in New
York. He said it had never been his fortune to
find one worth putting into marble. We visited
all the artists without success. Not foot that
was not misshapen or blemished, and at the
end OF the day we gave up the hunt in despair.
ABOUT aweeS later entered tiny and tidy lit
tie store in Grand street where knew excellent
draught beer Was sold. The place was deserted.
save for the stout German who stood polishing
glass behind the bar. and who gave me hearty
upon series of marks upon the clean hard
wood floor. The marks had been made by a
wet foot that was certainly small, and. as far as
could bs judged from such proof. Quite shapely.
Who made those footprints on your foore'
] asked.
1.-THE German looked hard at the marks and
then gleefullv shouted Vat, dose? Wy dose
vas der foot brints auf my dorder, Clara. She
shoost vas run in from der beck room minute
we're she dake a bath, ding.
by careful explanation of my reasons for be-
ing inquisitive on so delicate a subject, / pre-
vailed upon the nan to ask his daughter if she
would not allow me, as an artist to look upon
her bare foot in order TO see If it suitable to
BE- used In marble statue. He went into the
room at the back of the shop and presently re-
turned, bringing ia II and slender young blonde
woman, with wonderfully frank eyes, fine
shoulders, deliciously poised chin and long
limbs. She was dressed would expect
the daughter of n Grand street beer merchant to
be. The girl eyed me carefully, and then said
that she was willing to show me her foot suit
ing the action to the word and thrusting it. all
white and bare, from under the edge of her
dress. was anna ed at the loneliness of that
foot. In the half light of the room it was fully
as delicate and as shapely anything / have
ever seen on canvas. Needless to say made an
appointment for her at my friends studio for
the following day, and she kept it,
Copyright, 1890. CLARA BELLE.