The sun., 1898-01-02
PARTED BY a CAKE WALK.
an IOToR,s LAST MEETING WITH
AN LCCoMPLIsHED DRESSER.

10 Flash. ana LED TO n Rush for Lie.
IF It were not for my dresser, Dave White,
don't believe that would have half as many
calls In my dressing ROOM" Joe Belgium used
to say frequently. Belgium has played leads
and star parts for dozen years. Belgium is
| not the name by which he is advertised on tho
three.sheet posters. but 1t Is geographically
near It, and as Dave White is presumably still
alive 1t would be unfair TO the actor to give
| him q clue.
white is tho blacklist whito man and tho
whitest black man that ever lived" was tho ex
| pressed sentiment Of Belgiums friends after
| thoy had tasted one Of his celebrated cocktails
Dave was an expert dresser. and he could
pack q trunk so that not a single garment
would bo wrinkled. He had been with Belgium
for several years when the break came. tho
| memory Of which hangs over Belgium like q
bad dream. To this day the announcement
| that colored man wants to see him In his dress.
ing room Is the signal for Belgium to take a
| strategic position where he may act the
defensive. Whites admiration for tho actor
whom he served was equalled only by the hos
| pitality with which he served Belgium's liquors
| to tho thirsty who called Belgium himself is
| an abstemious man, but he found It convenient
| for his friends to have something for their re.
| freshment when they happened to call on him
| In his dressing room at the theatre, and Dave
| White dispensed tho refreshments with tho
| air Of one who had como into his own and
wanted all his friends to share it. Belgium
| is a big. athletic fellow, and Dave frequently
asserted, when in the company of other dress.
ers. that his gentleman could whip Corbett in
two rounds, and being something of n scrappcr
himself, he carried conviction with his asser-
ton on several notable occasions. Dawes
good humor, however, was SO inexhaustibo
that al. of Bclgium's friends liked him. and
when, one night, after Belgium had made his
last change and was waiting with several
friends for his call to 60 on in the last act,
White said that he had little favor to ask, the
visitors told him to ask and 1t should be granted.
"You are all very kind" said Dave, IAN
jes' want to extend to you all q respectful In
| vitation to attend the annual ball an cake
walk Of the Stage Dressers' Aid Society this
evening at IL in our hall in West Twenty. sew
! enth street"
Your respectful invitation is unanimously
accepted" said Belgium, very politely.
the tickets admitting gent Ia an ladies Is 50 cents
| Including hat check"
said Belgium. and that was as how vi the % trouble
b'Es5ne @5en Belgium and hi, friends, including in
| the party q young man who has since made his
| name as play wright. react ed the address given
by the dresser, they found a narrow, dark hall;
people was struggling to reach a flight Of stairs
That ran up to tho dance hall on the second floor.
shouted a man at the foot OF the stairs who had
been stationed there to act as picket, and rs
worked @ their He way upstairs. They @ found m them: %
selves in long narrow dance hall which had a
| the musicians at the other end. In the latter
inclosure a colored orchestra was playing senti-
mental airs and around the sides Of the room
OF Sear Of tho
men present were in fancy costumes and tho
grotesque costumes. Conspicuous above the
| crowd was a colored man, fully seven feet high,
Dave White wore an old evening suit of Bel.
| GUMS which fitted him loosely, and across the
front Of his:shirt was broad bright red ribbon
letters White led his guests into the inclosure
opposite the band, and, stops ing the musicians
In the middle OF piece, he made this announce
Ladies an gentlemen an friends. it gives
ths evening" Mr. Joseph ssd
Beisium and bis friends We're fabbergasted
on q razor. said the playwright dramatically, j.,
we acted as Judges" said another.
Dave was summoned to the inclosure to ex. ex
a razor. In the crowd. and that no matter what
the decision might be no trouble would follow.
Dave explained that all the candidates for the
| cake would walk around the hall to music until
the finish. It was the. duty, of the judges. to
weed out the unlikely candidates and tell them
wedding only the stars would be left in the ring.
This looked like dangerous work, put the judges
ss bSnd mSrch wh
| dous crash. Mr.. Dave White led off with Miss
Patty Willow, II very stout colored woman IN q
| ballet dancers costume made from yellow
| calico. and behind them came seventy Ave more
couples. From the judges stand it was q
| changes, accompanied by the shutting of many
feet in time 70 the music. There werc long
| men mated with short women, and short men
mated with long women, and had they
been automatons moved by wires their
%a the music ' Ths % of the
| ers stood around the outside edge of the ring
a solid black. bowling mass They yelled en- en-,
music got into full swing and quickenod its
time bit they began to shuttle and sway In
her muscles TO put in extra steps, and as tho
procession swung around the corners each one
Some Of them did it with military precision.
Others executed u few steps from wing dance,
the then as they ore ietSd
to the next turn. Tho dust arose from the
floor. and the booming of the band and tho
| Dave White was not the same man. lie and
Miss Patty Willow had won the previous cake
Tho muscles in their faces twitched and their
| eyes seemed to be. popping out OF their heads.
| Dhve nau tne EXPRESSION OF u nan VINO WAS
hypnotized, and he sprang into the air auto
| matically whenever the cymbals cashcd The
| novelty and noise OF the show staggered the
judges, and i was not until the walkers began
to glare at them expcctantly that they awoke
| to their duties.
Let's weed out few and settle the dust"
said Belgium. and tho other judges agreeing, he
called ten couples off tho floor.
The disappointed ones yielded to tho decision
| reluctantly, and when their friends who had
been roofing for them realized what had hap
shouts of approval Of those still In the ring
| drowned tho sounds of dissent. There was u
little moro space between the couples, and those
who we're left began to inject more fancy steps
for half an hour, but none OF them 1 showed
signs OF fatigue. The band played one march
over and over. but 1t had lots OF action in 1t.
Billy McGlory's last cake walk in his old Hester
street hall had been walked to this same music.
| until O Western man shot out the lights at day.
break and the police entered without tho
around the ring shuffled the dancers. and from
time TO ime the judges plucked up courage
| to tell q couple to drop out AS the walkers
became fewer the excitement of the spectators
| increased.
| II think that there Is going to be trouble