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Show ELSIE JUS IS DIG HER BIT a mm American Actress Gives an Open-air Performance for Benefit of Boys Just Out of the Trenches. ALSO SHOWS THEM NEW DANCE STEPS Soldiers From This Side of Ocean to Decorate Graves of Fallen Comrades Next Thursday. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN PRANCE, Thursday, May 23. (By the Associated PreBB.) Seldom has a theatrical theat-rical entertainment been stagod in a more unusual setting than one given this afternoon in a location which enabled Beveral hundred hot and dirty American troopers just out of the trenches to get back for an hour or so to the atmosphere atmos-phere of Broadway. An open-air prize ring was the stage. Airplanes purred overhead and the booming of the guns on the front was plainly heard. The ring is located at a cross road on a hill from which tho Herman border- land opposite the Toul sector can easily be seen. On it of an evening some of .the energetic youngsters of the American Ameri-can army are wont to while away the hours of rest between trench tours by putting on tho gloves. Sang and Danced. Tho performer who today trod the boards of this unique stage was Miss Elsie Janis, now on a visit to the front to give entertainments for the fighters. fight-ers. She told stories, sang new songs and danced. When a German airplano soared in the sky not so far away, and the American anti-aircraft guns began bursting shrapnel around, tho performance perform-ance stopped for a moment while Miss Janis looked up and asked if there was any chance of her being killed, because she didn't want to be, as she had her work to do tomorrow. Work Appreciated. The assembled doughboys, thick on the ground around the stage and perched on the housetops everywhere within hearing and seeing distance, yelled in chorus, "No, keep onl " Cheers and applause were frequent during the show. At the Conclusion Miss Janis offered to show the men the new dance steps, and several accepted, including one "mule skinner," who caused much amusement by his eccentricities. Miss Janis will remain in the vicinity vicin-ity of the Toul front for two days, entertaining en-tertaining at various rest camps. |