New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-14
A WOMAN AT THE FAlh.
TIE STORY OF TIE EXCHANGED BAD'f''


She SAYS that she dreamed that she 'o"' ,,or
L., In auy place where there such prePa.
r,ode for wheels. she has computed ''"' -.
man and child. with an occasional woh"'' . moi,
IN n "machne" there would still he rooh' Nv .,
for ir what direction travel we come "p =,
new sheds labelled TINS Bicycles ch'cN'" ~" -
conts" There are places where you can wv
,vtocl checked for 10 cents. but probably IL """ -
hc checked nearly rs well. So that wii'e W"
.,rollinc about I'm the Fair yon may Lave uie "
sciousness that your bicycle Is resting sa!e!! "
do not know but that II may he ealing o""' ,,
withstanding all this preparation. however "" ,,,s
seen very few people indeed riding I" the "a" =, {,
WAY. Perhaps they are coming later wheh
cooler and not so cxhausting TO drive their Sp''"
Speaking Of checks, you may also ch'ch s'
here. and the baby may be deposited wrhin Wv -,
c,,c,s Of the Fair itself I'm the Womans hhnu'hs' ."
nlcase don't stay away from the Exposition '''
Won cannot tell what TO do with the BABY p'"'e
lut please be careful not 10 mix yor chc'N' W.
those OF somebody else. because the nt'oh"an'' " -"
creche are naturally instructed TO act accoFu'hs " va
checks In view Of the story OF the mixed UP o"V''
witch was related 10 me- | did not know but tha'
II might be good plan to have piac"rd Oh NV
something like this Mothers and auIts are rcq"''
10 avoid mixing checks" Am
Nv friend Gertrude Is frequently talking WIN u
cnt kinds of people whom she meets aoou' Wv
grounds She says she likes TO sample their minus
II that is what a person likes to do there Is 'hc We
kind OF chance to do It at the Columbian EXPOSITION
II was by means Of this habit Of Gcrtrudes tha' w
knew OF the little incident OF the babies She o'r'
GOES to the Fair before go In the morning, anu s'
,hcre. She says she enjoys her nina extremely "N''
she Is sitting on the Wooded Island or 10 the "ih'"
Cour and great many different people In the course
Of half an honr come and sit beside her, ana they are
from all parts OF the globe. She talks 10 'he"' 9nc
saws II is easy enough TO begin conversation WIN
oLc oh
the Fair 7" When q person has a certain appearance
she puts the question IN different forn--"Nha' -
your impression Of the ExpostonP
Then they tell her, and before they get through
they usually tell where they come from ana some Vi
their strong personal preferences sometimes even go
ing so far as state whether they like their peci
steak rare or we'll done. and II they are "fohd OF
c.rta,n vcrcablcs Gertrude is interested In all this
sbc saws she really likes TO know that this or that
stranger always did prefer cabbage TO onions ohe
thinks that there are more people VINO Ike Capp"sc
than there are who like onions. She has even iearheu
from the wives what the incinations. In the mat
tor ~ vegetables Of various husbands In dlhereht
parts OF the United states.
But this is not what going to write about.
was going to relate the anecdOte concerning Tie
middlc.aged woman who came to where Gertrude WAS
sitting not far from the hunters Camp on the Island
She hud "a large brown paper bag In one hama ms
BAG showed such signs OF grease on the outside ta'
Gertrude decided that there were In 1t doughnuts OF
4, NAV be best to call them crlllcrs. She bsd also
nm umbrella and pasteboard box this latter OF about
the capacity Of half peck. There were no means OF
s,ossinc what WAS IN the box and the woman did not
state She was very warm and very Mustered she
walked up quickly to the bench partially occupieu by
Gertrude and sat down heavily.
She gazcd round her all the time eagerly and per
sistcntly. Presently my friend put her question:
allow do YOU like the Fart"
IL think It's Jest grand as II can be-" was Inc
answer But evidently the stranger was not thinking
u, the Fair She turned now to Gertrude and told
her she thought when she first her that she WAS
somebody else Gertrude dlscaimcd being somebody
else and then the other woman explained tlat, seem
woman kind Of old and Kind Of plain sctn' there
with n bunnit trimmed with green. II Jest made her
heart lump right up for she thought Tor sur" III hS
that 1, must be the who Ind got the check for
her baby She went In n fast and excited manner
n say that when she heard that they were son
IN have crash" here at the Fair she made up her
mind that she could come She s'posed uicy knew
why they called 1t "crash" But now she didh'
know AS she should believe In nothing again
Here she got up and walked quickly here ana there
for a few moments But she came back and sat down
ar ain rcmarking that she didn't know which way u
turn. and that It was like looking for needle In
haymow but she certainly saw the wOmun come onto
tho Wooded Island and she had hurried across the
bridge to lind her She said they told her al VI"
era ,h- that the other woman wOhld l" sure 10 come
right back when She found she had go, The wrong
baby for that no one wanted the wrong baby. how
ever much they might bc attached 10 the right one
At the Woman 5 Building they Lad advised her strong
IL TO walt But the person with the leather bag ana
p1stebOard box said she Jest nervous as
witch and could no set down there In the
crash and whit than CHE could ny. III TACT I'll"
thought she could 6y sooner. She'd got to be- NOV
ing But she was going back to the Womnn's Build
ing in few minutes.
"By tbs time" remarked Gertrude In relating thi,
experience 70 me- Il was what she would have called
all worked up myself. You know, we went into that
place whore they take care OF children. II was 50
encouraging to see all the little tots with their play
things having such "A good time. And TO think too
that the various parents and guardians were improv
ing their minds somewhere In the grounds. We'll
the amount OF 1t was there were two babies that were
mixed up by means OF their checks. She supposed
that when the checks handed out that either she
had taken the one that belonged to the woman who
was getting one at the same time or the attendant
had made n mistake In giving them. Any way, when
she 10 present her check the wrong baby was
given her she said she told 'cm she guessed she
knew her baby, and she'd take II. Bnt come to
find her own baby wasn't there; somebody had
taken 4, with the check"
"Bui' Interrupted, didn't the other one know
her own baby too You ought to make your stories
more reasonable If you expect them to be believed"
"YOu Just walt" said my friend. "Ill give you
the conclusion directly. yOu are 10 impatient. Ih"
one who had gone Off with the wrong baby was not
acquainted with II. but friend who had been
sent by its mother for II. with the check. II you
had paid n little respect to my powers Of nara
tive should have given you all the details OF In"
dramatic story Of the second visit to the nursery and
fine unmxing Of the checks the babies. which took
place within half an hour from my meeting with tl'
woman. was curious that went with her. The
other had already returned. All needed was a red
ligh, burned at the left entrance to the stage. The
attendants did not notice much about the affair in
decd. all over quickly. you know. Have !
ever told you that II strikes me that this nursery
would he an excellent place In which 10 leave child
that YOU wanted TO desert Just deposit the poor
little thing there and never present the check. you
know. ! asked che Of he nGrr,. orrl,S. or what
eyer they called II they cld not have children left
on their hands and II they did they disposed Of