The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-10
"REMINISCENCES OFFIELD
s,xsY8sxRTs BgArREsPoNsIOE TO
THE TOrcH OFHrs TENDER LINES.
Uac Sweet singer OF Prattiing Babyho"d-
Some Of His Practical Jokes-"fi''
pat and Tippytoc."


those whose hearts have beat responsive
90 the touch Of his rythmic words. But
boy nd any question as 10 his position IN
literature the mans personality TO those
who knew him well was OF The most en-
raging character He was not an cthe-
rial but entirely a human being. hating
sham. despising pretensc. holding in con-
,eanot all literary fakrs. who spread the
ecant butter OF their knowledge over
vast surface OF bread. How his gorge
would rise II he could read some OF the
falsely fnlsomc aduiati0n which has been
frickled over his memory. How he would
.'cuss." The work he most loved was ms
newspaper toll. and the men whose
friendship ne most valued were newspaper
workers.
When he was last In this city--that was
"a LITTLE more than one year ago when ne
v.as engaged I'm a dual reading tour win
James Whit comb Riley. appearing IN inc
walnut .Street Theatre under the auspices
of me Pen and Pencil C1ub-hc was gwen
n luchcon at the Union League ny John
Russell Young. There were asseinDIea
,,oon that occasion a company oil apou'
nifty men. nearly all OF whom were man mar
srs Of newspapers. but they were niai'i'
+he r,,blishers and the big editors; All pc,
,ures ~ prosperity: not what Gene flelp
would call "tho boys As ne STOUT DC
side his host his tall. gaunt figure win an
almost hairless glistening poli iis'hs aDo'
The vel-conditioned form oil the e~-Nn'
,s,ar ~ china. he appeared an image OF
woe. late conner who grecteu hi'ii We
,,vsteriouslv taken 10 one Sue AM '-o
nx,o,s fnouiry made: WHO are these
To,tso thought / was 10 meet TOT ol
newspaper people. ...s.o. "a
so Won have" was the reassurns ~
.., .Srhose are the most distinguished
nnx~naper men in philadelphia
ooh" said the poet. with sign Oh ~
lief that's all right 1hey LOOM"
rarnnahlv rich that ] was AFRAID hau
a,s 10, of bankers" During the
,nov,table speech-making which ioiio"es
a. luncheon. after nearly all had 'o'u
,'-ha, a Great poet he was, one gentleman
na,d tribute to his newspaper WORK II, o'io
,1sharns and Flats column In the Chi-
go News. and IT was that speech wnich
gave Field the greatest pleasure oi 'Ne
day.
ua was an inyeterate practical joker
..,,hough he never INDUCED in mat pas
enc M the expense of anyone's feeiiIiss'
-, one occasion, about ten years dso'
,hara came TO the philadelphia postolnce
tho most curiously inscribed enVeiope ''a'
mad ever puzzled the officials OF ,hae pOi
lion Of Uncle Sans householu oi :.
was portrayed what was eVidehuy 4eS
~ rear view Of the head OF man
,,,,,h red hair and an enormous ero"N'
s,da-uhislers The hair was de-
,,ctsd nv the stroke of pen Whicn nau
- ainned in red ink. but the sue
rniskers were represented by sutches Oh
IA ill very carefully executed anu
uhch had evidently occupied SEVERE.
80. % some ones time. Beneath IL was
siuDlv these words:
"A, EDITOR. philadelphia, Pa
After much cogitation the pos'oli'oe
49, dateruined 10 deliver the mis-
s,va 10 NJ. l.. Handy. then editor OF ,he
nit Nevs Surely enough. when IL was
-.naned II was found that IT was ih'ehueu
g. him Within was no letter, but IN 'he
ioi microscopic handwriting OF
1900 p'ield was delightfully."- funny
poem beginning ,,a.,oh
stood on the bluff at Long Braneh
While the chips ioated quichy
I, was a poker Renaissance Major
Handy. who is now in Chicago, mas peeh
selected as one of those who VIII carry
Field 10 his last resting-pace.
f'N -
III. u%s a facile humor. He was pes
,nrad er much n few years ago ior Do
Graphical data'that he got UP circular
IF Information about himself ana sem II
10 all his friends. 1t was an astoh'snins
xpociflOn. lie lOlu IAiS oSNf
o,.,ght color of hair and eyes, size Oh
80 hands and feet: said he IoVeu
,,.cmen and children, believed in rehgloh'
"a Was a Christian; admitted tndt nc
admit dress well. and SAID ne oluii INV
49,. ,o,d the things that he liked ana those
mat he didn't: said he used perluihels
In spite of the fact tnat IL was DdI
taste and declared that ne hau "fi'' witt.
only one novel That one he had re"il'
fn wears. anu Iutdib
e. reen at IL until he had made IL satis-
too,orw IN himself IL said that he dldh
ar,nk and smoked only in moderation
rbe last time he was In London ne was
Of, n dinner where he was placed next 10
Mrs. Humphrey Ward at table. she
Hooked him over critically and devoteu
her conversation entirely 10 others u''ii
she noticed the attention that othe's W. ~
naving 10 Field. Then she turned 10 MN
and said: 49,, ,ro,
.sreu me about the habits and charac-
terIstics of your people.
yield looked at her with extraordinary
seriousness in his solemn face anu re-
piled:
"When they caught me / was up
tree" 80.
shout his friend Red Leary, the murderer
and about burglars and thieves and hlSh-
xyavmen. I'm "A way which amazed them,
and many OF the guests sought MN OUT
oftervard 10 know If he told the truth
In the many references which nave
hoen made TO his child-verse those beau
,,fullv babtling words which must nave
s,,nk into many a mothers heart, nave
econ no reference 10 a few exquisite hnes
n,hich we're found to-day, ragged with
,nnch use in a well-worn pocket-book
They are these:
All day long they come and go
PluyDat and 1ippytoe;
Footprints up and down the hall,
Playthngs scattered on the floor,
Fingcrmarks along the wall,
Tell-tale smudges on the door
BY these presents YOU shall know
Pttypat and Ttppytoe.
How they riot at their play.
And a dozen times day
In they troop demanding bread
Only buttered bread will do.
And that butter must be spread
Inches thick with sugar. too.
And | never can say mo.
Pittypat and Tipgytoe!
Sometimes there are griefS 10 soothe.
Sometimes rufiied brows 10 smoothe;
For III must regret 10 say
Tippytoe and Pittypat
Sometimes interrup; their play
With an internecine s2at,
Ia FOR hor IA, rrel