The Washington herald., 1908-05-02
Son of the President Deals
in Eggs at Columbia.
GIVEN THEM BY PRETTY GIRL
Conjurer's stage Act Enables Young
est of Roosevelt Family 40 Make
First Appearance ia Playhouse as
one of the PerfOrmers-Presem
20 Little Miss Florence.

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for the populaee at the Columbia Theater
last night With the assistance Of IA
pretty little girl. head shorter than aim
self, but quite as self -possessed-a dainty
little girl named Florence, who awoke
this morning to find herself famous for
having done an act on the stage with
President Roosevelt's son-he helped
conjurer to take eggs out of a hat.
That is, the conjurer took out the eggs,
-ave them TO Florence. and she handed
them demurely to Quentin. Eggs, There
we're nothing but eggs. Fresh eggs; real
hen's eggs-there could be no doubt about
that. for try as he would Quentin could
not possibly hold all that came out of
hat magic hat. and when he dropped
.hem-lor how he bIushed when he drop
per one!-it squashed, very genuinely on
ne floor
Responsible for Debut.
It was Howard Thurston the conjurer,
vao is responsible for Master Quentin's
debut before a Washington audience. He
aad finished his card tricks and had
taken a live goose from down a perfect
strangeT's back, and he had his audience
we'll uystifed- 1t WAS a me audience.
too. There were many diplomats and SO
ciety folk in the audience, and in one
box there was Mr. John c. Wilkie, chief
Il the Secret Service, with his family,
and right opposite them in another box
vas Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Miss Ethel
and Quentin.
Well, when the time came, Mr.. Thurs
ton stepped to the eggs-I mean the edge
of the platform, and said;
For my next trick I want the assist
ance Of the smallest little girl and the
smallest little boy in the house He
looked at the audience expectantly, and
soon down the aisle came toddling a nice
little girl, with nice staring eyes and
nice auburn hair and a nicely starched
white dress and nice little smile
though it was little frightened, that
smile. also
That much was settled. Once more the
weaker sex was ahead.
Now 7 want a little boy" said the
conjurer.
There was signs Of a consultation in
the Roosevelt box Miss Ethel was
laughing, Master Quentin was pleading
evidently, and finally Mrs. Roosevelt
smiled and nodded her head and Quentin
scrambled out Of the box onto the stage.
stood in Stage Center.
The two children stood in the center
of the stage and gravely shook hands
with the conjurer, who bowed to them.
Then he asked the little girl her name.
Florence" was the answer.
And your name, little MANI asked
Mr.. ThuTston.
Quentin" was the reply,
Very WELL" said the conjurer, still
very gravely Miss Florence. may
present Maste ..c'i>.- .2'
And then. With a smile-ztul bit timid
on both sides-Jhe children shook hands.
You are now standing en- a magic
carpet" said the Conjurer. and the chill
dren took this rather seriously and were
for moving way from the magic.
Don't be afraid said The c0niurer.
1T shan't hurt you. You are now IN
the land of the magic egg" he went on.
He showed them his hands. They were
perfectly empty Quentin looked on both
sides Of them, but then, before you say
Jack Robinson" there WAS an egg in
the conjCrer's hand.
Quentin looked startled!
That's nothing pooh. said the con
jurer.
Then he took a hat. I was q perfectly
empty hat. for both Florence and Quentin
looked in it carefully, and then they
looked up the conjurer's sleeves, and
quentin surreptitiously felt his pockets.
But there was nothing there.
So then the conjurer stood Quentin to
cne side and asked Florence To stand
by him, and to blow in his hand. She
stood on tip-toe to blow. and then, 10
and behold the conjuFer found an ege
IN the hat, He took it out, gave it Il
Florence, and she passed it on to Quentin
who looked quite happy
Why, this was going to be easy!
Florence blew in y hand again An
other. egg That " cne in each Of
QEentins hands. 4 other blow and an
ether egg, QuentiI soon had two large
hens eggs in each and, and Florence
she of the aubJnh ,urls-was still blow
ing, and every time she blew. out came
an egg! When he could hold no more
Quentin thought TO solve the problem OF
this plague OF fresh-laid eggs by put
ting them In his pocket, but as his clothe.
were evidently new, the oonjurer mildly
advised against this plan.
Handed Him More Eggs.
But, in the meantime, Florence was
handing him more eggs. Indeed. the con
turer was getting them so fast from no
where in particular that even she was
worried = little and sometimes was hold
ing three At a time and would stamp hel
foot a little impatiently at her clumsy as.
sistaut.
By this time Quentin had his arms
folded, and in every fold and in every
crease there were eggs. Really he could
not possibly hold any more. Worse than
all the large audience was roaring
with laughter at his plight, but ever
worse that that was that when he turned
to his mother for sympathy she was
laughing so much also, that there was
no help there.
Squash.
Down went a juicy egg and the con.
1urer looked reproachfully at the boy
These magic eggs are very valuable -
he said, and Quentin blushed deeply
while little Florence looked in a shocked
way at the mass Of yellow destruction or
the stage. Still the eggs came out OF the
hat, and manfully Quentin racked his
brain for a suggestion as TO where 10 pat
them,
"Smashi" down went another egg.
Florence looked ready TO cry, and Quen-
tin, holder Of the eggs. looked as if he'd
like to drop them all. But then the man
had said they were valuable.
''Scrunch,' down went another It was
too hopeless and, besides. all the people
out in front were laughing. and there in
the second row was sister Alice and Mr.
Longworth. a lot of gTown-up people
laughing at a little boy. just because he
couldn't hold an armful Of eggs. He'd
show EN-!
Squash There went another; and nov
they came faster and faster from the hat
and the little arms could hold no more
and they rolled of and smashed on the
stage until people could laugh no more,
until Florence was hopeless as to the egg.
holding merits of the boy to whom she
had just been introduced, and the conjurel
came TO the rescue.
One or two more were broken in the