The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-08-06
AN IRREvERENT JOKER.
He Drives a Team OF Mules Behind Cor
geous Coach. a. III

i
The coaching season was opened
Monday, says the New York Times,
when the red-bodied coach Tantivy was
driven by Frederic Bronson from the
Hotel Brunswick to the County club in
Pelham. +.le
At 3:45 the party left tho club house
for the return trip, which was made
without particular incident until the
drag had passed through Central Park
and started down Fifth avenue. Then
the Tantivy's glory departed. Tho guard
blew one merry blast and fell back OH
his perch Mortified. j. X. Roosevelt,
who was proudly handling tho lines,
blushed little rs he heard the shouts
of laughter which took the place of
the plaudits which should have greeted
the party. The ladies laughed irrever-
erently. So did some of their escorts.
Everyone on the avenue joined in the
laughter, which made the finish of the
Tantivy's first trip rather farcial. Ed
ward G. Gilmore, the manager of Nib
los Garden, and n notorious practical
joker, was Mt the bottom of the scheme
which made Fifth avenue roar, and led
all the dudes who had gathered at the
Brunswick to look upon him rs little
short of sacrilegious.
Trotting behind the swell Tantivy on
its course down the avenue were two
mules-mules with extraordinary ears;
mules closely clipped and with shining
coats; mules meek and lowly, but array
ed in heavily-plated harness, and hitch
ed in the most improved four-in-hand
fashion to a most thoroughly English
break. ''Ned" Gilmore held the lines.
and hourished most gorgeously deco
rated coachman's whip. Two eolored
grooms had seats of honor behind him,
and Gilmore had rs his only passenger
w. H. Ripley, of Chicago, who had
picked up the team of mules out in
Pennsylvania for aqueduct contractor
w. X. Howard, who is to use them as
fancy team at his country residence
this summer. Gilmore looked proud as
would rather be on the sidewalk. Be-
ing party to such practical joke
didn'tappear to be wholly to his taste
But he had to grin and bear it, and
Gilmore had to explain to him that it
wasn't his fault that the Tantivy should
get ahead of him and keep directly in
his way until the Brunswick was reach
ed. Ripley is still trlile sceptical re-
garding that explanation.
"Why don't you get horses, Nedp"
shouted an irreverent broker standing
in front of the Windsor.
Ten to five you can't pass the swell
bus" cried another, who had not that
respect for coaching that every we'll
regulated Fifth avenue frequenter is ex-
pected to have.
Gilmore paid no attention to these
rude people, but drove on, modestly ac-
cepting the applause bestowed. He
seemed at home in his triumphal pro-
cession and perfectly happy.
The Tantivy drove up to the Bruins
wick at precisely $50. The grooms
sprang out and led the horses in FROM
of the main entrance. An instant later
four mules halted in the rear, with their
Anglo-maniacs wondered. The Ameri-
can contingent enjoyed the burlesque
immensely. The coaching party sought
the seclusion of the Brunswick parlors
as quickly as they could gracefully do
so. So did Gilmore and his friends, but
the parlor they found had long bar
and free lunch in it.
1.-The only thing l regret about my
first coaching trip this season." explain
ed Gilmore, as he wiped his lips, ais
that it didn't take place last week. If
the season had only opened then l could
have had II party of The Black Crook
chorus girls us passengers, and then |
could have knocked out anything on
the avenue for style"