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Show Farmer's Lesson to Comedian A- . How Billy Florence Learned His Pigeon-Wing Dance In "The Mighty Dollar" From Old David Gray of New York. One of the most successful characters charac-ters created by the famous comedian, Billy Florence, was that of Bardweil b.ote, in the play entitled 'The Mighty Dollar;" and if any of the elders who read this ever saw Mr. Florence as Bardweil Slote they will probably recall re-call that Slote made his big "hit" when, In the course of an old-fashioned square or country dance, he executed a most amazing pigeon-wing, provoking simultaneously both extreme wonder and hilarity. In the early winter of 1S80, when Florence, who died in 1891, was filling a week's engagement with "The Mighty Migh-ty Dollar" at a theater in Albany, N. Y., I had the pleasure of renewing our friendship. "It's a good part I've got," said Mr. Florence, "but I'm not quite satisfied with It, though nightly It seems to please well, and especially when I execute exe-cute my dance. It's the dance that worries wor-ries me. Ever since I have been doing ' It I have been trying without success to recall a remarkable pigeon-wing that I remember In my boyhood days to have seen introduced In a country dance by some rustics. Nor can I find any dancing teacher who can make that flourish for me. It was little short of wonderful, and I am sure that if only I could recall and master it. it would make my dance in the play perfect." "Why, Mr. Florence," 1 said, "1 think Uncle David Gray can teach you that step if anybody can." "Who Is he?" Mr. Florence asked, eagerly. "He's the quaintest, most original, most delightful and humorous man that the New York legislature has known for many a day," I replied. "He has a peculiar and delightful philosophy of his own. His theory of life he expresses ex-presses in the proverb, 'Fair play and half the road.' He must be over seventy, but he keeps himself young by associating with the young, and he knew rural New York before DeWttt Clinton began to build the Erie canal." Mr. Florence was delighted. "If he can teach me that pigeon-wing, I shall be your debtor forever," he said fervently. ferv-ently. I went out and hunted up Mr. Gray. " Jncle David," I said, "did you ever cut pigeon-wings when you were a young man?" The old fellow's eyes danced. "By Jocks," he exclaimed, "every one of 'em, and 1 can dance 'em all even to this day. 1 used to b? a great beau when I was a young man, and you had to dance pretty well to be a beau in those days." So I took Uncle David to Mr. Florence's Flor-ence's hotel, and the two speedily warmed up to each other. At last Mr. J.orence asked Uncle David if he vould teach him the pigeon-wing In question. "By Jocks, as sure as you're born, I can," Uncle David chuckled, as he husked his coat and took his stand at one end of the room. Mr. Florence shed his coat and went to the other end of the room, while Mrs. Florence picked up a guitar and began strumming strum-ming on it. Then Qncle David started In. He executed pigeon-wing after plg--!on-wing, with Billy Florence eyeing him Intently. Finally, he stopped and looked inquiringly at his pupil. "All of those steps I know," said Mr. Florence. "You haven't done the one I want." Unc'e David meditated for a moment, mo-ment, of a sudden struck an attftade, whirled clear around, and then executed exe-cuted the most extraordinary gyration of legs and heels I had ever seen, all the while keeping perfect time to Mrs. Florence's strumming. Mr. Florence was fairly beside himself him-self with joy. "That's it!" he shouted. "Do it again, won't you, when you get your breath? I want to watch you." Uncle David obliged, and for the next half hour those two men pranced up and down the room. At the end of that time Florence had mastered the step. "I'm going to introduce It Into my dance tonight," he cried. "It'll make a hit, I'm sure; and Mr. Gray, you're go ing to be there in a box as my guest." A few hours later, Uncle David, sitting sit-ting in state in a box, beamed with de-light de-light when Mr. Florence, with all the deftness of a master, introduced the newly-acquired pigeon-wing into hie dance. And as the comedian finished that truly wonderful flourish of legs and heels Uncle David stood up in his Lox, clapped his hands, and leaning far over the railing in the direction of his talented pupil, cried gleefully above the roar of merriment that was sweeping sweep-ing the house: "That's right, sonny! You've got lt-you've lt-you've got it! " (Copyright, 1910. by E. J. Edwards.) |