Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-09-17
a POETS TREASURES.
Eugene YieId'. Queer Room and Ia stor'
Of Strange Things.


of Strange Things.
Before we go up stairs to Eugene
Fields room, the one which holds
his choicest treasures, it is necessary
to remind you again that he has q
child's love Of grotesquo toys and OF
barbaric colors and effects. He was
especially fond Of red. The room IN
which he died IS papered with a fan
tastic, swirling pattern on q red
ground which Is absolutely exaspor-
ating to those people who prefer soft
browns and dull reds Few persons
understand what his idea was IN Sc
lecting this red paper with its gro
tesque yet conventional swirl. In
Henry q. Fuller's With the Pro
cession" that author tells about a
Chicago woman named Susan Bates,
who furnished her whole house mag
nifcently except one little room.
Upon this room she spent great
deal Of money and visited many old
fashioned stores in order to furnish
it like primitive one she had occu-
pied when a girl - her father
house. Now, this was partly Eugene
Field idea IN furnishing MS own
room. He was fond Of grotesque ef-
fects, he loved red passionately, and
he wanted a reminder Of the fur
nishings Of century ago. Who're he
found that gorgeous red paper or the
old fashioned calico for the red cur
tain would be difficult to tell, but be
had knack for discovering quaint
things which other people pass by
without notice. When it is added
that the rugs on the floor are also
red, perhaps it may be imagined
that bis room is hideous. But ii *
not. The long bookcase on one side,
the white column in the middle
AROUND which are arranged shelves
holding Mr. Fields treasures and
gray screen, repeating, with slight
variation, the same singular swirl
that is upon the walls, relieve the
eye TO such an extent that the effect
is harmonious.
AS you enter the room you are
confronted with two hideous figures
An outlandish japanese figure j.
suspended from the wall by one
arm. In the other it holds three Jap
anese gongs fastened together so as
10 make loud sound when struck
with the red stick. The other is the
face Of hobgoblin attached to the
headboard of his bedstead Field
pretended that he bought it to fright
en- away his babies when they in
sisted upon interrupting him while
he was writing, but. Ike their ia
Their, they were SO fond Of the ludi
crous that the strange faces the
monster would make when certain
strings were pulled only made them
laugh, so the intended bugaboo but
added to theattractions of the room.
On the shelves one may find n
strange collection of quaint bottles
of every conceivable shape and size,
and Mr.. Field hunted many shops
for those candelabra which our
prandmothors loved - those with
glass pendants through which
child may distinguish the seven col
ors of the rainbow He also had a
queer collection Of canes, candle
sticks and baby shoes Not alone the
first shoes his own babies wore, with
the toes and heels worn out, but
wooden shoes and even glass shoes,
reminding one of Cinderella's glass
slipper. There arc also two strange
wooden horses, one used by Mr..
Toole, the English actor, when no
played "The Cricket on tho Hearth, "
and tho other, daubed with few
spots of paint, used by Mr.. jefferson
In the same play. Neither must one
forget Mrs Hawthorne s ginger jar,
nor the AK Mr. Gladstone gave Eu-
gene Field The NIX Is suspended
above the window.-Mary j. Reid
and Hcnrietta Dexter Field in St.
Nicholns