The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-03-22
TRIUMPH OF THE BELLIES.
THE LADIES OF THE CoTERIE SCORE A
SUCCESS IN BURNT CORK.

LongwelPs Opera House Packed to the
Doors - Standing Room at Premium
The Blackville Beauties Given Royal
Reception - Fun and Frollc Galore.
Long before the time had arrived for
opening the doors of the opera house,
Tuesday evening, large crowd had
gathered in front of the building for the
purpose %! making sure af = seat IN the
gallery, as the sale of seats had closed
early in the day, but not until the last
foot of space in the lower part of the
house had been sold at least once.
In seating the throng, the ushers met
with considerable difficulty by finding
in several instances that two or more
parties held checks for the same seats,
and it required quite Bit of diplomacy
and no little engineering skill on the
part of the young gentlemen to shrink
thirteen people into nine seats, but they
did il, or at least they did something
that gave satisfaction and made every
one feel that he had acquired slight
bulge over the other fellow in the deal.
That's why they are always character
lied as "gentlemanly ushers
The stage fittings were neat and the
costumes of the dusky bellies gorgeous.
The Germania orchestra of Battle
Creek rendered several selections be-
fore the curtain went up, and were we'll
entitled to the rapturous applause ac-
corded them; indeed, most of their Sc
lections were of high order of merit.
Mrs. Maude Sellick presided at the
piano as accompanies, and her skilled
touch of the keys aided materially in
the successful rendering of the pro-
gram.
The 'four young bellies" who were de-
tailed TO dispense flor considefa-
tom North Carolina popcorn" found
themselves without an avOcatiOn or an
opportunity to "mash" with their elab-
crate outfits, as it was a physical inn
possibility for them To move one way or
the other once the audience was i'm
place, SO they were compelled to con
tent themselves with standing bolt up
right i'm the aisles and being guyed un-
mercifully 10y the boys in the gallery.
The first part of the program was in
the stereotyped style of standard min
strelsy-end ''men." interlocutor, flank
ers and wallflowers. This part con.
sisted of thirteen numbers, interlarded
of course with the regulation amount
of chatting and the perpetration of the
uSUal nullDeI' Oh cOUuUFUmS-SOmc OF
which latter were too Opaque for the
point to he discernible. But the audi
ence knew that the dear girls intended
tn be funny, whether they were or not,
and that was just as good as though
they had been successful The num-
hers were literally applauded as they
came along until the concluding one,
the anvil chorus, was reached. Here a
treat was expected, hut the audience
was somewhat disappointed, for the
"blacksmiths" could hardly he classed
as Al workmen. and the number failed
of being the gem of the program.
The second part, consisting of ten
numbers and concluding with grand
cake-walk, went through without a jar.
several of the pieces being excel!ently
well rendered and applauded to the
echo.
All in all, the ladies of the Coterie
are entitled to much credit for the
painstaking manner in which they put
their entertainment upon the boards.
and the only wonder we heard expressed
was, how and when they ever found
time To acquire the perfection in drill
evidenced in the rendition of their
program.
Financially, it was of course most
gratifying success.