Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-11-15


 der the load of groar pile of cases. Field stopped him, and the German said that he had iu the eases Il complete collection of the butterflies of North America. The collection was tho work of q lifetime, but he had lost his work and had to sell it to pay his rent. Field bought It on the spot for S50 and lug ged It home, promising himself to give It to museum, but he never did. As a collector of books MT. Field was more discriminating, and he has left 8 note- worthy library of first and rare editions
 Last spring MT. Field bought fino old mansion in Buena Park, one of the suburbs of Chicago. This house is filled With cabinets loaded down with eurios He had no particular preference, unless 1t was for books, but collected things lmpartially and indscliminately Two special treasures he had, and they hung side by side ill whatever home he had One was an ax which had been used by Gladstone. Field went to see the ia nous Enghshman at his place at Ha- warden, and Gladstone gave him an ax with which he had just finished cutting down tree. The other treasure was pair of shears which NIT. Charles A. Dana had used in his office and given to MT. Field at the Chicago man s re- quest.
 MT. Field used to say of himself that he was an aristocrat, but he was all aristocrat of q very democratic sort Ev- erybody in his neighborhood knew him, and everybody liked him. A visitor to his home ill Buena Park met all the people of the neighborhood. If it was ill the summer, the visitor was sure to find the lawn and porch crowded with callers and Field entertaining them all. He was remarkably witty and an inimi- table story teller, abounding with inces- sant fun. He always responded to call to help entertain people, and his neigh bors always called on him. He had way of coming home and saying to his wife, What you going to have for din nero If it was something he didn't like particularly he would go to the first neighbours ard ask there When he found what he wanted, he would stay, and no man was ever more wei come. He was gentle and cheery and everybody loved him. Children swarmed about him, and he told them wonderful stories, which he invented on the spot. Nine children were born to him, of whom five are still living.
 One incident will illustrate his pro- pensity for practical jokes: One after noon last spring he took to each of his neighbors i'll Buena Park little green slip of plant to which he gave won derful Latin name, and told him it bore a beautiful flower. With his own hands he planted the slips ill the gardens of his friends. It didn't take long to develop that the beautiful plants were Canada thistles, and there were many good na- tured railings at Field
 He was pestered so much few years ago for biographical data that he got up circular Of information about himself and sent it to all his friends It was an astonishing self exposition. He told his age, height, weight, color of hair and eyes, size of head, hands and feet. Said he loved women and children, believed ill religion, and was a Christian. Ad- mitted that he didn't dress well and said he didn't like to. Told the things that he liked and those that he didn't Said he used perfumery in spite of the fact that 1t was bad taste, and de- clared that he had written only one novel. That one he had rewritten each year for seven years, and meant to keep at 1t until he had made it satisfactory to himself. It said that he didn t drink, and smoked only in moderation. It didn't admit, what was the fact, that he was very hard worker.
 One of Field $ amusements was enter taining at the Chicago Union League club any persons of literary reputation who might be visiting Chicago. Usually he would invite some of the commercial lights of Chicago to dine with them and not infrequently he would poke fun at them without much mercy. The last time he was ill London he was at din- her where he was placed next to Mrs. Humphry Ward at table. She looked him over critically and devoted her con versation entirely to others until she no- ticed the attention that others were pay ing to Fiold. Then she turned to him and said:
 Tell me about the habits and char acteristics of your people.
 Field looked at her with extraordinary seriousness i'll his solemn face and re- plied
 "When they caught me, was up q tree ,"
 Then he went on to tell the whole table about his friend Red Leary the murderer, and about burglars and thieves and highwaymen in a way which amazed them, and many of the guests sought him out afterward to know if he told the truth.
 The work of filling his column of Sharps and Flats so wore on him that he was struggling to get out of it. He went about Il good deal as public en- tertainer, reading selections from his own work. In this way he added great dna1 fo hjS ipc0paa from, his hooLc xyhich