Weekly commercial herald., 1886-02-26

wheeled by It's nurse in a baby-earriagt
about the barrack square or along the road
/ outside the Broad Arrow boundaries And
50, as the weeks rolled by and wore intt
! months, it began to toddle about, and could
. say "Bootle5n as plain as a pike-staff.
In April the Scarlet Lancers were moved
, from Idleminster to Blankhampton, where
: Bootles had to undergoa new experience, for
every one there took him for widower on
account of the child.
Bootles would explain. 'Take her about
with met Yes; she likes it, Always wants
to go when she sees the trap. A botherl
Not bit Of it; the jolliest little woman in
creation, and as good as gold What am /
going to do with her when she grows upl
Well, Lacy says he is going to marry her.
If he don't, somebody else will-no fear"
Taking it all round, Miss Mlgnon had re-
markably good time of it, and seemed thor
oughly to appreciate the pleasant places in
which her lines had fallen. 1t was wonder
ful, too, what an immense favorite she was
with ''the fellows" At first she had been
''Bootles' brat" but very soon that was
dropped, and by the time she could toddle,
which she did in very good time no one
thought OF mentioning her or Of speaking 10
her except as "Miss Mignon." Scarcely any
Of the officers dreamed for moment Of re-
turning after a few days leave without
taking along as the Americans say, a box
of sweets or a bundle of toys for Miss Mig
non Indeed, the young lady came to have
such a collection that, after a while, Mrs.
Nurses patient soul arose. and, with Capt.
Ferrers' permission, all the discarded onec
were distributed among the less fortunate
children of the regiment.
But Miss Mignon's favorite plaything was
Bootles himself-after Bootles, Lacy. People
said it was wonderful, the depth of the
affection between the big soldier of S5 and
the little dot of child, scarcely 2. BOTTLES
she adored, and where BOTTLES was she would
BE-, if by hook or by crook she could convey
her snail person into his presence. Once
she spied him turn in at the gates on the
right hand Of the colonel, when the regiment
was returning from field day, and escaping
from her nurses hand set off as hard as she
could run in the directicn Of the band, which
imme lately preceded the commanding off
Ger. Mrs. Nurse gave chase, but alas! Mrs.
Nurse was stout, and had the i'll luck, more
over, to come crOpper over a drain tile
lying conven' n'entlv in her way, while the
child, unccnscioul Of danger, ran straight
for Bootles. Nei her Bootles nor Lacy, who
was on the colon ELS left, perceived her until
she was close upon them, waving her small
hands and shouting, in her shrill and joyous
child's voice, "Bootles! Bootlesl"
1t seemed to Bootles, as he looked past tho
colonel, that the child was almost under the
hoofs Of Lacy's charger. "LRcyr' he called
out-"Lacyw But Lacy was already on
the ground, and caught Miss Mignon out Of
harms way; but when he turned round he
saw that his friends face was as white as
chalk.
As for the colonel when he saw Mrs
Nurse gathering herself up with rueful looks
at the drain tile, he simply roared, and Miss
Mignon chimed in as if it were the finest
joke in the world.
''Tbat ,CaS a smash" she remarked, from
her proud position on Lacy's shoulder, ''just
like Humpty Dumpty"-a comment which
gave that estimabIe person the name oi
Mrs. Humpty Dumpty as long as she re
manned with the regiment.
A few weeks after this the annual inspec
ton came off, and Miss Mignon, resentinl
the heightened absence Of her Bootles, agai1
managed to escape from her nurse, AM
pattered boldly, as fast as her small fee
would carry her, right into the me5s-room
where Bootles was sitting, just opposite tn
general at the late lunch. Miss Mignon
Il not seeing him at first wandered coolly be
hind the row of scarlet-clad backs until sht
, spied him at the other side Of the table
Then, having no awe whatever Of inspecting
, officers, she wedged herself in between his
/ chair and the colonels with a triumphant
, and Joyous laugh
The general gave great start, and the
colonel laughed Bootles, in ndismay, jumped
. up, and came quickly round the table tC
take her away
, "Well, you little rogue" said the colonel
reaching a nectarine for her. "What d.
q you want2"
= 81 wanted Bootles sir,n said Miss Mignon
a confdentially. "And nurse failed asleep, s.
l looked French leave" Almost the onll
popularity in her speech was the habit o
a making all verbs regular.
'And who are you, my little maidP' th
. general asked, in extreme amusement.
+ "Oh, Pm Miss Mignon," with dignity.
The old general fairly chuckle1 with de
, light, and as he had put his arm round tn
child Bootles, who was standing behind
could not very well take her away.
''Oh, Miss Mignon-heyl And whom
d you belong tor
+ "Why, to Bootle5," in surprise at his ig
o noranCe.
" ''To Bootles2 And who is BootlesF'
l. 'Bootles is Bootles and love him." Mis-
) Mignon replied, as if that settled everything