Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-10-19

course and with a final ''See!' goes off
to reappear as a skirt dancer, having
discarded her shabby makeup. Once
more she disappears, and, in response
to an encore which was not heard by
anybody but herself, again capers on
the stage. She has abandoned some
more of her raiment. Her entire ap-
pearance seems to say: Il know that /
am abandoned, and am proud of it."
After waving her limbs about in the
air, like those of tree, she becomes
utterly reckless and turning somer-
saults disappears through the wings.
This sort of thing must take great
deal of training, but she has had plen-
ty of time to train. Her dancing days
were not confined to the springtime of
life
The next attraction is supposititious
colored lecturer, so to speak. There is
quite an army of negro delineators in
New York, and two or three are real
artists. This one was not of them.
There was nothing but burnt cork
and not enough of that, on his hands
to indicate that he was representing a
negro at all. He did not even use the
negro dialect in his tedious rigmarole.
It was a relief to see him no longer on
the stage.
He was followed by Mr.. Raymond
More, who is not only ballad singer Of
note-no pun intended-but also COM
poses his own songs. He is responsible
for Sweet Marie" which he sang and
delighted the audience. For an encore
he gave "Dear Louise" something in
and in some measure compensated for
the suffering undergone in the effort to
feel amused over his predecessors.
Although parodied and burlesqued
scores of times, this song, like perspira-
ton in the theaters Sunday nights, has
a great run.
Then followed couple of contortion-
lists, who performed feats that were
almost incomprehensible, taking it for
granted that they actually had bones
in their bodies. AS somebody behind
me remarked: ''How easy it must be
for them to trim their corns.
The contortionists were succeeded by
two brothers, so it was stated on the
programme, but they were probably
brothers with different fathers and
mothers. They played on great va
riety of strange and peculiar musical
instruments. All executions are more
or less painful, but the execution of a
solo on an exaggerated trombone was,
l think, the most painful execution /
ever witnessed, and l have reported
half dozen hangings. 1t was simply
murder without any mitigating circum-
stances. If, as has been stated, music
e 4
this was really music, there is a pretty
hard time in store for us hereafter.
From the way he acted inferred that
the gifted child of genius, while he did
not appear in tights, was drunk, never
theless.
The next performer was a dog of re-
! markable intelligence. However, he
had his trainer with him on the stage.
Cards on which were the letters of the
alphabet were SO arranged that the dog
| could pick them out and bring them to
his trainer.
"Will any gentleman suggest word
of three or four letters, asked the gen.
eral manager of the intelligent animal.
Somebody got up and said: Rats"
Thank you," replied the smiling
manager, writing the word on a black.
board. ''Now, Fido, how do you spell
| 'ratsr"
Fido walked slowly to the cardboard
| letters, picked out the letters in their
| proper succession and laid them at the
feet of his business manager, whereat
a howl of delight went up from the
cannot imagine.
- Al
much on the same lines, but with su'
perior artists.
There was one incident which was
not down on the programme, but which
| struck me as being irresistibly funny.
| There was a very serious-looking col.
ored gentleman in the audience, not
| far from me. lady banjoist on the
| stage was singing a negro camp-meet-
| ing song with great fervor. The
| Afro-American in the audience, who
was about the color of the inside
of a box of blacling, became very
| much excited, and at last he jumped up
| and shouted: ''Glory! Hal1elujahI'
| The audience roared, but an usher, in
a sort of naval uniform, pounced upon
| the helpless African like duck upon a
| June bug, grabbed him by the collar,
| and after humping him on the wall a
time or some, propelled him toward the
exit with great violence. ''Luf me
! go, or dischile's gwinter make trouble
expostulated the indignant Afric.
an. Look out for his razor!" said
some one in the audience. A second
naval officer reinforced No. 1, and the
effusively-pious gentleman Of color
was ANONYMOUSLY hustled into the
street.
With the rest of the audience, en-
| ioyed this more than anything on the
stage, and next dav told friend, an
| old New Yorker, all about it.
| Why" he said, with superior
smile, that's done at every perform
ance. 1t is done to make talk, just as
| you have told me about it. The darky
is paid for that"
l went next day, and sure enough the
same scene was enacted, but the star
/ performer was another negro. several