Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-08-04
EUGENE FIELD.
Boyhood Days at Fayetteville.


His own Career
McClure's Magazine, the new publica-
ton, which, as the New York Sun declares,
is immensely readable, contains as the
frontispece of its August number a por-
trait Eugene Field in his study at Chicago.
The second contribution to the magazine
under the head of "Real Conversation is
dialogue between Eugene Field and Ham
lin Garland. as recorded by Mr. Garland.
Mr.. Fields home is described as a mu-
scum of old books, rare books, Indian
relics, dramatic souvenirs and bric-a-brac
indescribable, but each piece with his
tory This home, Mr. Garland says, is in
a part of Chicago which the traveller never
sees, green and restful and dignifed, the
lake not far off.
The host was tall, thin-haired man
with a New England face of the Scotch
type, rugged, smoothly shaven, and gen.
orally very solemn - suspiciously solemn
in expression. His infrequent smile curled
his wide, expressive mouth in fantastic
grimaces which seemed not to affect the
steady gravity of the blue-gray eyes. He
was stripped to his shirt sleeves and sat
with feet on a small stand He chewed
refectvely upon a cigar during the open
ing of the talk. His voice was deep but
rather dry in quality
Mr.. Garland states to Mr. Field that he
is there for the purpose of interviewing
him, and after suggesting that they begin
with MI. Fields ancestry the latter replies
"Well, was born in st. Louis"
SIS that so?' the interviewer showed
an unprofessonal surprise. why,
thought you were born in Massachusetts,"
NO" said Field, refectively. "No,
I'm sorry of course, but | was born in St.
Louis; but my parents were Vermont peo-
pie" He mentioned this as an extenuat-
ing circumstance, evidently. my father
was a lawyer. He was precocious boy
graduated from Middlebury college when
he was II. and when he was 10 was made
states attorney by special act of the legis-
islature; without that he would have had
to wait till he was 21 He married and
came West. and | was born in 1850
$50 you're 43? Where does the New
England life come in?'
"When | was seven years old my mother
died, and father packed us boys right off
to Massachusetts and put us under the
care of a maiden cousin Miss FRENCH
she was fine woman too
Garland looked up from his scratch-pad
to ask, This was at Amherst?'
eyes. l stayed there until was 10,
and they were the sweetest and finest days
of my life. l like old Amherst" He
paused moment, and his long face slowly
lighted up. "By the way, here's something
you'll like. When l was nine years old
father sent us up to Fayetteville, Vermont,
to the old homestead where my grand
mother lived We stayed there seven
months" he said with a grim curl of his
lips, land the old lady got all the grandson
she wanted. She didn't want the visit re-
peated.'
He sat moment in silence, and his face
softened and his eyes grew tender. 81 tell
you, Garland, a mans got to have layer
of country experience somewhere in him.
My love for nature dates from that visit,
because l had never lived in the country
before. Sooner or later a man rots if he
lives too far away from the grass and the
trees
you're right here, Field, only l didn't
know you felt it so deeply. l supposed
you hated farm life"
"Oh, yes. Well, my grandmother was a
regular old New England Congregational
list. Say, I've got a sermon l wrote when
was nine. The old lady used to give me
ten cents for every sermon I'd write. Like
to see it?'
"Well should say. A sermon at nine
years. Field, you started in WE'LL
Didn't -" he replied, while getting
the book. and you bet it's a corker."
He produced the volume, which was a
small bundle of note paper bound beauti-
fully. 1t was written in boys formal
hand. He sat down to read it:
Il would remark secondly that conscience
makes the way of transgressors hard; for every
act of pleasure, every of Guilt his conscience
smites him. The last of his stay earth will
appear horrible TO the behoder Some times
however he viii be stayed in his guilt A death
in family of some favorite object or be at
tackled by Some disease himself is brought to the
portals OF the grave Then for a little time per-
haps he is stayed in his wickedness but before
long he returns to his worldly lust, Oh it is in
deed had for sinners to 90 down into perdtiou
over all the obstacles which God has placed in his
path But many am afraid co 90 down into
that leadeth to destruction and many there b.
that go in thereat"
SIS this the first and last of your SER
mons?' queried Garland, with an amused
smile.
"The first and last Grandmother soon
gave me up as bad material for a preach
er. She paid me So for learning the ten
commandments"
fare you a college msn?" asked Gar
land. 81 noticed your deplorable tendency
toward the classics"
health was bad, or l should have entered
right off. l had pretty nearly everything
that was going in the way of diseases"
this was said with a comical twist voice,
$50 didn't get to Williams till l was Is.
My health improved right along, but I'm
sorry to say that of the college did not"
He smiled again, a smile that meant very
great deal
"What happened then?"
''Well, my father died and l returned
West. / went to live with my guardian,
Prof. Burgess, of Knox college. This col
lege is situated at Galesburg, Ill. This is
the college thai has lately conferred A. NJ.
upon me. The professors guardianship
was merely nominal, however. l did about
as l pleased.
81 next went to the State university at
Columbia, Mo. 1t was an old slave hold
ing town, but | liked it. I've got a streak
of southern feeling i'm me-" He said
abruptly, "I'm an aristocrat I'm looking
for a Mecenas. l have mighty little in
common with most of the wealthy, but l
like the, idea of wealth in the abstract"
He failed to make the distinction quite
clear, but he went on as if realizing that