The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-11-08

line which he used to call "my own. y
He wrote his first verse for the Journal
1t was Christmas Treasures, begin
ming with the stanza:
count my treasures DER with care
The little toy my darling knew,
A little sock of faded hue,
A little lock of golden hair.
Then he went to the Kansas City
Times as managing editor, and there
he wrote the Little PEACH which
was set to music and sung all over the
country. In 1881 he went to the
Denver Tribune, where he stayed un-
til he Joined the Chicago News staff
in 1888 He went to the News under
contract to write what he pleased but
he was to furnish column a day OF
it. His work was seen in many de-
partments of the paper. but especially
in the column entitled "Sharps and
Flats" in which his fantastic and
whimsical humors had free play, and
whence they drifted all over the coun-
try. He had repeated offers from
eastern newspapers and magazines.
One great New York daily offered him
his own price to join its editorial staff.
Always, at least twice year, these
tempting offers were made to him, but
he steadily refused them. He was in
his element in the west, he used to
say, and he meant to stay there. There
was no element in the east, he said,
only an atmosphere, and that was
mighty thin. He wanted an element
in which he could tumble around and
yell without falling back in fit for
want of breath.
He published in all nine books. The
best known of them are: "A Little
Book of Western Verse, " A Little
Book of Profitable Tales, - "a Second
Book of Verse" and with Trumpet
and Drum" Besides these he pub
lished an introduction to "Stone's
First Editions of American Authors"
1.-The Holy Cross and Other Tales"
and Love Songs of Childhood" of
which the first edition was limited to
LOG specially prepared copies. A sec
ond edition of this has been made
since, and there has Just come from
the press the first public edition of
Echoes from the Sabine Farm, F"
which was brought out first by Fran
els Wilson, the actor, who was great
friend of Fields. in beautiful edition
only for private distribution.
Some of his work ranks with the best
that has ever been done. His poems,
those of childhood, have
been printed in nearly every newspaper
from Unalaska to Johannesburg. One
of them, "Wynken, Blynken, and
Nod" is ranked by many authorities
as the best child poem in the language.
He had much in common with the
ephemeral Photographer, being one
himself, in fact: but he had also
sweet and fine strain of that delicate
humor which blends with pathos, and
which made him sympathetic with
and the element OF the child
in man, and was emodied in prose
tales which reminded one of Hans
Christian Anderson and light lyrics
whose music sometimes touched the
fount of tears as we'll as of laughter.
His character was quaint and rare,
joining strain of the bohemian with
the beautiful domestic virtues, and
charming individuality.
He was a most enthusiastic collector
of everything that for any reason might
be regarded as worth collecting. This
to refuse to buy ANYTHING
said to be curios gave rise TO some
ridiculous stories about him, but this
one he himself told to one of his
friends. He met in the street one
day an old German who was stagger
ing along under the load of great
pile of cases Field stopped him. and
the German said that he had in the
,A,,N,,lnt. ,.pllnnftnn of fhn
of North America. The
collection was the work of life time,
but he had lost his work and had to
sell it to pay his rent. Field bought it
on the spot for $50, and lugged it
home promising himself to give it to
but he never did. As a
collector of books Mr.. Field was more
and he has left a
library of first and rare
editions.
Last spring he bought fine old
in Buena Park, one of the
of Chicago. This house is
filed with cabinets loaded down with
curios. He had no particular pref
erence, unless it was for books. but
collected things impartially and indis-
Two special treasures he
had, and they hung side by side in
whatever home he had. One was an
axe which had been used by Glad
stone. Field went to see the famous
at his place at Hawarden,
and Gladstone gave him an axe with
which he had just finished cutting
down tree.
Mr.. Field used to say of himself that
he was an aristocrat, but he was an
lristocrat of very democratic sort. !
in his neighborhood knew |
him, and everybody liked him. A
visitor to his home in Buena Park met
all the people of the neighborhood. Ii
it was in the summer the visitor was
sure to find the lawn and porch crowd /
ID with callers and Field entertained
hem all. He was gentle and CHEEKY
md everybody loved him. Children
about him, and he told them
wonderful stories, which he invented
IN the spot. Nine children were born
20 him, of whom five are still living. i
One incident will illustrate his pro-
,ensity for practical jokes, which he
lad even to the extent his uncle, |
Charles X. had. One afternoon last !
pring he took to each of his neighbours
n Buena Park little green slip of a
,lant to which he gave wonderful !
latin name, and told him it bore a
flower. With his own hands |
he planted the slips in the gardens of
lis friends. 1t didn't take long to de- I
-elop that the beautiful plants were ,
canada thisiles, and there were many ,
rood -natured ratings at Field. I
The last time be was in London he ,
- DE MO-