Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-09-05
a POETS TREASURES.
hAgene Fields 0ncrr Room and Its Store
Of Grange Things.

Of Strange Things.
Before W. go up stairs to Eugene
Fields room, t':n one win III holds
his G.. ,c,isttreasrros, it is necessary
to remind you Hgain that h. has q
Ghild's loto Of sru;osquc toys and OF
burblrio colors and effects. Ho was
especially fond of rcd Tho Dom in
which he died is papered vita fam
tastio, swirling pattern on red
ground which is absolutely exasper-
ating to those people who prefer soft
browns and dull rods. Fow persons
understand what his idea was in Sc
lecting this red paper with its gro
tesque yet conventional swirl. In
Henry B. Fuller's with the Pro-
cession" that author tells about q
Chicago WOMAN named Susan Bates,
who furnished her whole house mag
nificently 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 girl in her fathers
house. Now, this was partly Eugene
Fields idea in furnishing his own
room. He WAS fond of grotesque Of
fects, he loved red passionately, and
he wanted reminder of the fur
nishings of IL century ago. Where he
found that gorgeous red paper or the
old fashioned calico for the red our
tain would be difficult to tell, but he
had u knaok for discovering quaint
things which other people pass by
without notice. When it is added
that the rugs on tho floor are also
red, perhaps it may be imagined
that his room is hideous. But it is
not. Tho long bookcase on one side,
the white column in the middle
around which arc ARRANGED shelves
holding Mr.. Fields treasures, and a
gray screen, repeating, with slight
variation, tho same singular swirl
that is upon the walls, relieve the
eye to sue, i'm extent that the, effect
is harmonious.
AS you enter the room you are
confronted with two hideous figures.
a., outlan,:ish Japanese figure is
suspended from tho wall by one
arm. III the ether it holds three jap
nnese gcrgs fastened together so as
to make loud sound when struck
with the real stick. The other is the
faco Il I. lobgoblin attached to the
hcadboard If his betlStead. Field
pretended that ho bought it to fright
ell away lis babies when they in,
sistcl upon interrupting him while
he WAS writing. hut, like their fla
thor, they were SO fond of the ludi-
crous that tho strange faces the
monster would mako when certain
strings wero pulled only made them
laugh, SO tho intended bugaboo but
added to tho attractions of tho room.
On tho shelves one may find a
strange collection of quaint bottles
of every conceivable shape and size,
and Mr.. Fold hunted many shops
for those cnndelabrn which our
grandmothers loved - those with
glass pendants through which a
child may distinguish the seven COL
ors of tho rainbow. Ho also had a
queer collection CT canes, candle
sticks and baby shoes Not alone tho
first shoes his own babies wore, with
the tees and heels worn out, but
wooden shoes and oven glass shoes,
one of Cinderella 's.elaSs
slipper. There arc also two strange
wooden horses. one used by Mr..
Toole, tho English actor, when no
played "1'ho Cricket OIL the HEARTH"
and the other, daubed with u few
spots of paint, used by Mr.. Jefferson
in the same play. Neither must one
forget Mrs. Hawthorne's ginger jar,
nor the ax Mr.. Gladstone gave Eu-
gene Field. The AK is suspended |
above the window.-Mary j. Reid !
and Henrietta Dexter Field in st.
Nicholas. 49,. -....