New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-30
A STAR AND A HORSE.
HER FIRST LESSON IN IMPERsoNATINe A
SOLDIER OF THE QUEEN.

HEM FIRST LESSON in IMPERSONAT1NG A
SOLDIER OF THE QUEEN
a. Bring forth the borser The horse was brought
I'm truth goody steed" 1t Miss Rose Coghlan's
horse that brought and II he had not been q in
truth goody steed," and trustworthy, witha dis
aster and ruin might have followed from the expert
ment which to be tried with him. A slight
parenthesis may be made Just here to say that an
impression has gained ground that Dorothys Dlcm-
MAJ Miss Coghan's play which she is to present
here late in the summer is farccal In its character
Such impression is largely incorrect and wholly mis-
leading. The play is from a German original and is
partly farcca in incident, but 1t Is written in the
style OF higher order Of comedy, and the dialogue is
said by some who have heard 1t read to recall such
playsas Scrap Of Paper" London Assurance" and
other recognized examples Of brilliant and pquant
dramatic writing. In the play Miss COghlan will have
TO assume the disguise Of British officer and In
certain scene she will have to mount horse and ride
away in great hurry This brings the narrative
back to the horse.
The horse Is that Miss COghan bought few DAYS
ago. in order 10 begin his training actor es ~
He Is handsome horse and his name is Pioneer. He
Is living and reheaslng at present at Miss Coghan
home at Fort Hamilton. 1t is popularity Of
the scene Of course that the actress has 10 ride Ike
man and not like woman, and this she never did or
tried to do till last night when the first rehearsal Of
this piece of stage business held. Miss Coghlan
is good horsewOman though she Is not good horse
man-that Is, not yet ride of ten miles in side
saddle does dsmay her. and she has had some ad-
ventures with horses, too. For instance, when she
was about dozen years old, she was one day riding
horse with no saddle at all. and the animal suddenly
chose to stand up straight his hind legs, so that 1t
was quite impossible for the girl to stay on his back
But she had notion of falling under his heels she
caught his neck with both arms, slid around under
1t and dropped beneath his forefeet whence she was
dragged by her brother while somebody else caught the
horse and forced him back. This is enough to show
that the actress is not afraid of horses.
Miss Coghlans home IS in a somewhat secluded
place Many visitors go TO Fort Hamilton, but they
do not stray far from the cluster Of hotels and booths
and the country little way of is as lonely, espe
cially in the evening, country need wish 10 be.
The streets have numbers Just in the city, but the
most OF the numbers have no streets. so 1t fell out
that there audience of only six at the rehearsal
namely, Miss Coghlan's mother, her niece and her
adopted daughter, the five years old and the other
a quarter before seven: her leading man, John T.
Sullivan, and two ofclous friends who knew much
about how a woman ought TO ride horse like
that seemed pity that they not the to do
it. Besides these there were Ginger the foxterrier
ard Pudgy,' the prize dog, whose tail cArls "once
and half times round"
When Miss Coghan came upon the veranda shifted
" all points like a man." II was the unanimous cry
that the imitation was perfect that she need not
have waited for darkness. Pioneer in the stable
yard and Mr.. Sullivan was ready TO play the same
part that he will play the stage. Miss Coghan was
told to put her left foot in the srrup and mount She
did promptly and then the astounding discovery was
made that she mounted just like One
Of the oficious friends said that would not do at ALL
as if anybody had supposed that 1t would do; the
mount was tried again. This time the position was
not like a woman, but was rather like man who
had never seen horse before. The horse started un
der protest and went out at the gate sdewise, and
he and his rider started at walk up the road with
Lnl1. -
finding each others society un>Sngenial, to say
nothing of the dog" which followed, with seeming
doubt of both its acquaintance and Of their sanity
Mr. sullivan also followed he seemed to know both
and to be anxious about both.
In moment voice sngulary unlike that OF
British officer cried out of the darkness "Oh, Pve
lost my stirrup," and the most of the audience 70
say nothing OF the other dog, hurried TO hunt for the
stirrup. 1t was found hanging from the saddle, quite
naturally, and ii restored to the foot that owned
it, so the experiment went on and by degrees the
rider gained a little In boldness and the horse just
a little In confidence, and thap he induced to go
little faster. Now and then &e decidedly dark
group seen through the comparative darkness would
suddenly panse and turn around and around and there
would come variety Of calls and replies from the
rider and the leading and the oficious friends /:
sob Oh Oo-ol Good gracious, I've lost the
stirrupsl"
"we stop himl
a can'tl"
Hold him nj"
There, whoa, boy. whoa"
"Hcre's your stlrrup; now where's the other one?
One OF you boys hold his head
"Those stlrTups too long; can't keep hold Of
them"
"No they're not. they're too short"
GOh never can learn this in the world.'
EYES, you can; you don't want to sell your play,
do y9ai' .on ron,ro 81 r,c,t. 10 .booo .O,,n. Cet
up, boylp -
When the horse had been brought into state Of
mind 10 be surprised at nothing few more expert
mente in mounting tried and he was led back TO
the stable IN an obviously perpleXed and thoughtui
mood while q discussion was engaged In, chiefly BY
the ocOus friends as TO whether Miss Coghlan ought
to mount awRwardy, as a woman probably would, o.
quickly and gracefully, as good horsewoman who had
watched cavalrymen possibly might II was decided ,1
that tho latter way would make the better scene The
rehearsals will accordingly go and anybody who
knows Miss Coghlan will assume that her energy and
pluck will not let her stop short OF perfection. IL
will be OF no use however for anybody to- try to at
tend the rehearsas, they will be feld at uncertain
times and always In the dark But the curious may
trust in this When they 90 to the play itself they
will uretfy q of soldier horse