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 > > > >__________________________________________________________________ >Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. >Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop@Netscape! >http://shopnow.netscape.com/ > >Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at >http://webmail.netscape.com/ David Minor Eagles Byte Historical Research Pittsford, New York 585 264-0423 [log in to unmask] co-Webmaster for Canal Society of New York State page at http://www.canalsnys.org/ To be put on the mailing list for the weekly TimeMaster radio scripts (WXXI-FM 91.5), as well as news of updates to my homepage and a URL of the week, e-mail me at the address above. http://home.eznet.net/~dminor includes NYNY, a series of timelines covering New York City and State, from approximately 1,100,000,000 BC to 1990 AD. "I would undertake to supply your demands if your generosity is equal to them." -John Bartram, U. S. naturalist