It was a formal, stately group dance of the colonial period. Not usually
done at bars. I think they just needed something to rhyme with  'bill',
"fill",  "pill" and "still". "Dawnse" probably used as a slang burlesque of
"dance", due to the kind of person that would dance a quadrille.

David

>What kind of dance was the quadrille? Or is it slang and not really a
>dance? (See below)
>
>The Daily News
>Batavia, Genesee Co., NY
>Thursday Evening, April 7 1881.
>
>MERE MENTION.
>--The Cuba News is now engaged in writing up the "nice young men" of that
>place.  Their remarks in regard to the boys are unusually sharp.
>--Can you dance the quadrille?  My brother Bill can dawnse[sic] the
>quadrille, and goes to the bar and gets his fill, like any other pill--so
>be still.
>
>
>--
>Cindy Amrhein
>Town of Alabama Historian
>in Genesee Co., NY
>Experience the Town of Alabama in Genesee County, NY.
>http://www2.pcom.net/cinjod/historian/
>APHNYS (Association of Public Historians of New York State)
>http://www.tier.net/aphnys
>
>
>
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David Minor
Eagles Byte Historical Research
Pittsford, New York
585 264-0423
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