The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-13
Miss Bette Proctor, and Her
Partner We're
Pronounced the Cleverest Walk
ers at the Cake Walk.
MANY SPECTATORS.
Largely White Folks, See the
COIOred Folks Contest.
An Amusing and Thoroughly In
teresting Performance.

'1ze a spectacle cullud lady, IL, an
don't have no coon man pick no roses
off'n my carriers, no ma'am. Cause
1'ze spectacle IL why I done won de
cake.''
Go on, gal; dat was jest one of de
little artifxes of de bisness. Jest cause
you Travelled with De South Befo' de
War you had to go an make a fool of
yO'se'f a cuttin' dem pigeon wings an
such like, an dem pore jedges didn't
know no better'n to give you de cake"
''Pze spectacle, liz
You's a fool, you H."
who you calm a fool, ga1?"
.Tze loozin, right at you, amt I?''
''Looky heah, GAL
Draw your partners for quadril1e' -
1t was a lucky interruption. The mu-
sic started and both the fortunate and
the unfortunate contestants in the cake
walk crowded out on the stage for the
Quadrille.
The girl of the white slippers had
taken exceptions to her lucky rival,
the girl in red ruffies and variegated
hosiery, and also to the decision of
the Judges. She was "all fused up
and spelling to get even some way. She
had been given the third prize, but she
was far from being satisfied, and de-
clared that to her and her partner be-
aonged the frosted cake and the crisp
ten dollar bill.
The girl in red had taken the cake by
a stretch, at least. Her double ShuffleS
and pigeon wings, pas-ma-laS and Pal
mer House had sent her far ahead of
her competitors in the estimation of the
audience. Her efforts were applauded,
and twice she was called back before
leaving the stage. 1t would have been
worth the necks of the judges to have
awarded the cake to any of her COM
petitors in the contest.
The audience was large. The promise
of ''coontown" entertainment had
drawn not only a large gathering of
colored folks, but many regular theater
goers. The seats in the forward portion
of the parquet were occupied almost
entirely by well known Topeka people,
intent on securing so cents worth of
enjoyment out of the affair.
They got their moneys worth before
the entertainment was over. In fact,
the sufficiency was so extensive as to
become tiresOme to the audience and
doubly tiresome to the musicians, who
exhausted breath and muscles keeping
Georgia Camp Meeting in the air.
These sleepy intervals, however, did not
occur while the girl in red was ON the
stage
There was a variety of motion in her
performance. She sprung surprises with
rapidity and executed fancy steps with
ease and alacrity. When she thought
the audience was firing of one motion
she switched to another. She gave her
rivals in the cake walk pointers and
then some. She was able to do it be-
cause of the accusation of professional
asm by the girl in white slippers was
correct. She Travelled with 1.-The South
in her career on the stage learned the
mysteries of rag time and the cake
walk
Her partner was labelled a." and
made good second to her performance.
He allowed her to take the lead, but
managed to keep within haiing dis
lance and faithfully worked out his
gymnastic salvation. He wore a broad
smile through it all, even when the pace
of his able companion became so fast
that to keep in sight caused big drops
of Precipitation to stand plainly in view
on his shining black face.
There were five couples altogether.
but no one of the other four was in it
for moment with the girl in red and
her coal black partner. No restrictions
were thrown around costumes, but while
the girls showed some ambition in this
regard the men made no pretense to
dress appropriately for such an occa-
sion. That is, none of the men but the
diminutive mo. g." who appeared in a
long spike tail reaching to the stage
floor, an overgrown stove pipe hat and
a pair of duck pants. Everybody felt