St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-12
A WEE GIRL BABY.
Story of Bottles Repeated in Real
Life at a Hotel in Chi
Cago.
A Soldier Takes Care of a Little
Stranger Which He
Found.

Chicago Times
Nearly every one is familiar with
that pretty little story "Bootles' Baby"
tits tale of life in an English barracks,
and the plot revolves around a baby
which deserted woman leaves at the
door of what she supposed was the
recreant lovers rooms, but instead. by
an unfortunate mistake, places it on
the threshold of the quarters of dash
ing young lieutenant, who, despite the
taunts and jeers of his fellow officers,
adopts the little waif, who becomes
known as 'Bootles' Baby"
Strange as it may seem, this story has
had a repetition in real life in Chicago
| during the past week with incidentally
| the same characterS-a deserted woman.
pretty few-months'-old baby and a
| dashing lieutenant-the scene being the
temporary quarters of the officers III
command of the Tattersall military
| encampment.
Every one who has attended the
| tournament has admired the soldierly
bearing, handsome face and wonderful
! skill of Lieut.. Rawson Turner, OF
the Royal Irish Dragons, and many of
| Chieago'S faireSt have lost their hearts
completely. Lieut.. Rawson Turner
is an ideal young officer, such as one
often sees pictured in novels. Tall,
| handsome. and generous, he is known
| throughout the British army as ''jolly
! good fellow, you know" and has al
ways been decided pet of the ladies.
! Unfortunately, the lieutenant is married
| and the proud father of noble boy, and
between his family and the army Lon
don society has been robbed of its idol.
Some time ago Lieut.. Rawson OBJ
tanned leave of absence for six months.
and came to America to take charge of
| the Tattersall tournament. During his
stay here he has made host of friends,
and they are all wondering now how
any one could be cruel enough to per,
| petrate joke upon so gallant an officer.
| Such seems to be the case, however.
One nighra heavily yelled young wom-
an bearing a baby in her arms APP
peared at the Southern, Twenty-second
street and Wabash avenue, and asked
for room. She was given one adjoin-
| ing Turner's apartments. Toward
morning this woman was observed to
leave the hotel without her baby, but
stating that she was going to the drug
store. and would return Immediately,
nothing was thought of the matter.
Promptly at 6:10 o'clock, as was his
custom, Lieut.. Turner arose, and, leav-
ing his door ajaI, prepared to take his
morning bath.
Scarcely had he left his room with a
bundle of towels under his arm than q
chambermaid came along the hall and
was startled to find prettily dressed
baby calmly sitting in front of the lieu
tenants door. AT first she was unable to
| trf fpr 70 md hA,, Il
| denly occurred to her thatas the lieuten-
ants door was open he had evidently
| gone out for the day, and the maid i'm
mediately caught up the crying child,
and, laying it in the soldiers bed, COW
cred it up and rushed down to the Office
to tell of her find. Also, as fate would
have it, the officer returned to his room
before she reached the Office, and, Slip
ping off his morning gown, jumped into
bed.
just what transplred between that
moment when the little stranger
planted her chubby cold feet right in
| the middle of the soldiers warm back
and the time he appeared in the office
| half-dressed. bowling mad, pouring out
volleys of good English "cuss" words
will perhaps never be known, unless
| perchance the baby repeats it some
nlgnt III ner dreams.
To say that the lieutenant was mad
| fails utterly in expressing his condition.
| The more the clerks endeavored to eX-
| plain the more the Englishman roared.
| 1t soon became evident that the mother
had deserted her child, as a note left
| in her room begged some one to
adopt it. The note was brief, but it told
| the same old tale. At last it was decided
| to call patrol wagon and arrest the
| little intruder, but this was considered
unnecessary, and the lieutenant, a
| clerk, two bell boys, porter and a
house detective made their way to the
| room. When they opened the door the
| little intruder was sitting ON the bed
| playing with the officers big sword, and
as the combined forces entered she
looked up with her big eyes full of sur
prise.
"Well, you are a bloomin' Joker"
| said the lieutenant. To this sally the
child merely answered: Mamma"
After the first shock wore off the officer
! decided the case was not as bad as 1t
might be, and. dIsmissing the employees,
| completed his toilet and left the hotel.
and few hours later returned. not
| looking nurse. The child--a pretty six
month-old girls now being taken care
of in a good South side family, and will,
| so the lieutenant states, be taken to
| England when he returns.
OF course the story got out, and of
| course all the officers numerically
| joked their fellow officer. said many
things, but they received no satisfac-
| tion.
II couldn't turn the bloomin' child
out in the streets, you know, especially
| in Chicago streets. they are so beastly
dirty, you know" said he to reporter.
aa RENZINE CAR