A BLIND DANCER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 11

A BLIND DANCER.

trrrA " — I ' f ROMANCE OF PLUCK. 7 : - : ■ / lingtonpaiid -tlio Empress . TK|trei Bn^on, ,: . London; - the • 'iebt'/of --AY alto an J . . /:' ■ • :ttmndera:;of,-ipi)lansii. ■; ~'./ . - , ' u„„ ; . „„',i - /l/i'lia .Avoniaiv comes., forward -'to boj : w .. emile.' .Tho./ min's, ; roaiii/over,'-tho; house •. >.-. ciatKliithb-dioker :of ,ofcry, ftlappmg,luind. . "■. But hcWcan'scß f° r M r^ : . lnc 'j. . , v::Thn;f]ftheing'of Waljw-.'™. i • any ieasb.Sbo:. amaan&;K. l^-is. almost ;_tu- ~ :accountal'iliv when o'C« khOWfl vlihat :t.he man .'"' (laiicci- ih'<ntter'-'dartness.-.r ■ > ■ ■ 'iv- ■myvdarknoss there .is ; ■■■■ hidden: aY story' 'of; 'amnzmg -pluck and. - stoicism/-;i-.\Valkof: always.danccd. • l(ivenm. \ ' tliu days' ivlion /he was it piccaninny tlicro was Uanghtoivu his.jliiot.; - Eo':danced t as one v/no lowd dancing ""Ho hnti ? genius loi ilmc- ' ' ■ UV maffe-'a". reputation lor dancing in tM'liomisplioKs. . ."■/' ; ~ • ,' ; •'"'7.TJieiti i suddnilyi :'wfe)i,-lio;was,-in. Australia >■'' 1 in thb H6yM;of,hisrprosparity, all.thoJight. an'd :h:s ! itX'<?mcd^. a.H the dancing of ;'his iifdV^'f?® >suddcaily shut out-.-: Atrophy of ■ thb' blindod him almost instanUy. It \va"s j» : tho : ; brilliant lights, of .> ■ tho ; th&'rb.'hadllicon' suddenly turned down and-Inj.wtts dancing in darkness behind an ■ iinponSrable fireproof curtain. ; ;V: '" 7 - : fWa iow hours he suffered unspeakaole ■ - !'aKoiv''V ; -It Seemed to him -that; his profes- ; sion'was gone'iand;. that; starvation could-bo. . -- v; ho ; had. amused 1 ' pwplo.' : No' 0110 had been ablo'to . resist .... ; light-hearted ease of his . .dancing. ' #It!had.been. in his heart t-o-go'on dancing -./ ;.ind' daiising-. delight-/SO long ,as -ho could '•-. SPLENDID COURAGE. •. But in tho darkness .that encompassed so suddenly ho'wrcstky. with himself, . ' • 'a:ui* in ..spite of-: his blindness, he,had tho • courage,- ,tlie ' audacity,. to determine to. go on being•• "ninny." . . ;• ;v ' :.'Ho'fiad: engagements . - at.- several-,music- -,- balls that no y manager j would 'engage 'him if :h'o,,.knew the . '/, secret/of' his blindness he-made - iip his mind ■ not to-giyo.it-aivay',;and;he did not, : in fact,. / ; .,V :tcll::his.';wife..untilr . crossing.-, tho; gangway frbm .'tho.,ship ;on . which!, he ':idr ; '..JLng-. land. -Whilo on.the vov.ige he found Jus ' w{iy ''by.''k46piftg. closo .to'- her and: touclung , :;... her' elbow with his, ancrwheiV he blundered . ; into ; pedpl6'he;mako, a joko pf ..it. ! - There was nothing to show-, that r.a;w'as.. ~ ! ' blind, i.silis,--''eyes' had the .look .of-, drdmary. • ■ . 1 eyes, jiud-lii3,sniilo : '_wai! as ready, as'ever.,. 1 ' ''Soon'after.his arrival.in,England:he went ■ - to tho Brixton Music ; Hall,! and, without any. . . practice gi>vo. his,usual -Hp,:\valkccr quite niturally'. to tho-stiigb. by. tho; sido of ■ . . his'. jvife;' aild danced elaborate-coon dances !•. 7,' ; vahd cake-jyalks^^witljout. ; ; a' ; Tlib • /j!:•;sccbiid "ipSlrof ;tho turn wife, .•> ;• " iand'-hero agaih'h'oraccomplished-.tho, feat.of ' - - dancing aitd. singing and talking humoimia ;, -.dialogubs; mthout:' any : ono_;in; the A aiidierico, > . knowing-lie was-'blind.. . 1 1 , His wifo.-helped liiin by '.saying cccasson-, . \ally,-iih£ler.'her breath: 'fOrie;step thi3 wiy," ;.' or-,'.'No'ti s'o;.;far back," , and ;;,also/by lightly ' touching.him to :show-:him"!whei'B she .was. :■ Any; ono.'.whp/sbutii; liis; eyes; and 'tries. to, ' ': .' BingV'and ;i d'arice "arid,'c'arryiion'.;an\ animated \ v" humbrbiis! 1 dialogii'owith. ; somo-; one . elso!, in '. . 'a: confined.-'space'"willrealise . : ,tlie''difficulty, of 1 :''thisJ-!;': v: ,' V 1 ;. HELP FROM, THE ORCHESTRA. ' ; For eighteen months He earned.a,,living.in ~' ' I this,Way V ; arid no one .up:to then..knew tli.it ; ho was blind. . Ho \yas ablo to do it by . knownhg; the!"position ;_of /every;. musical in- '. 1 oMhestra: 1 ! Whilo- 'tho . orchestra;;was;i)laying': bo; felt:: safb,;:as hp! .. ' - knew - frofii,the,;sound? nf tho musical instru- . . ; ;; nie*nts';exactly'.'where.'he was.;; 1 '-When, tho ■■■■:■ orchestra,was;silent die moved about as lit- .; ' tie as possible. As'ho got.on the stage he .fappefl.'thb ; drop -. :' curtainv.w'ith.'hisv^handj.. and'.' :then boldly.. walked . forward- ' into darkness —smiling. . .'And. for;! nearly ...a. quarter 'of'-an :hour ho , ',!.,. danced '-..'about;'tlveV. stage, and walked back-V';:/-wards and -forwardsV and; laughed,arid sang : —in darkncss.ii . . .Sit at- thb;eiid of' eighteen.nrcnths ; that he,toldithby;;9ianager.. : of ,':a:';inusic-liall 1 i-;-- that';ho.-iffas.'/;'l>l,u>a;''."ln:- .'Jiis•!' : siinylioity iio .: -. i had. never -thoughtr!that, as a'bliiid ..comedian 1 •. .he was wortn moro money.-,'. ■. .-, ■■ t, • ' Tho"result :is. that .\Valker, now appears : : ' 'franklyVas i fblind. 1 'i\ , But 'Ro.-:orre..in tho, audi- ■<. enca detect!:it. ~And 'any day in Lbndon ho ean : be seen ! stumbling : along , thb' ' ; ;i Btree.ts iodjby. an attendant—aipatlietic/ ser- , • iou.i figure; •; • • .'Sv | ; : .- : ;-;..;.--;^ the.stago.door and His-'attendant' ' dresses him .and-.tak'es|hiiii')x)'tho;'nMiig3^;. : VThenitis that , his faco lights up, and lie . strides: quickly on > ,;:: ; thb:stpge, ; ito,.laugh and 'iing 1 and . dance—in' ! •' darkness. . : . ,