The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-02-08
STONES OF eUosN5 FED
Tales Of the Poet That Are Toll AEsons
Mis- Chicago I'rlssd.

Tales sf the Poet That Are Iuii Akauns
Mis- Chicago Triesd.
During one financial crisis That
was especially severe Eugene Field
could see 10 way out of his difficult
ties except to ask for a raise of sal
airy, and that was as abhorrent to
his fine nature as it would have been
to do Il mean action. Several days
in succession he came to the office
resolved to make appeal to Mr..
Stone, and each Gay he went home
having failed to nerve himself up TO
the speaking point. Finally he
formed Il thoroughly characteristic
resolution, and for a week was not
seen in tina Office at all. Then one
afternoon he marched into Mr..
Stones office followed by four Of lis
little children, the five of them pre-
senting such Il pitiable appearance
as would havewrung tears from his
employer had his heart and his name
been synonymous, which vi far
from being the case, Father and
children were dressed in rags and
tatters from head to foot; the chill
drcn's toes were sticking out bare
through holes in their shoes; their
faces were unvashod and their Eyes
red. as if they had been crying.
Field himself was in no better
plight, and there the five stood in
front Of Mr.. Stone, speaking not a
word, but looking at him with APP
pealing chances. All this Of curse
had been carefully ~reIIenrscd by
Field during tho week Of conspiracy,
and the result was simply vcr-
whclming. At last Field broke tho
silence, looking at his employer, who
was also his best friend, out Of those
biz eyes so full Of human Kindness,
and said:
do you think you can see your
way, Mr.. Stone, to raising my sal
nry?'
Needless to say no got tho raise.
Fields eccentricity showed itself
in tho books he purchased, many of
which had no possible bearing upon
his work and indeed had small in
trinsic value. My library he
| used to say, lis full of fool books"
and there wa some truth In this.
For example, he had hundreds of
volumes containing the works Of
unknown and OF the most part IN
worthy poets. Nothing pleased him
more than to buy some little volume
of excCrallo verse produced by .
poet in Peoria or Coldwater or any
other insignificant place. and these
he would range proudly with the
others and sometimes turn ove the
pages lust to see how bad thoy
were" He said that things had to
be either very good OF very bad III
order to please lam.
Ono Of tho queer things ho did at
Tho News office was the establishing
Of what he called the Field no.
mortal window" really a portion CT
a glass door over which he had an
artist draw q cherub with tho ortho-
dox wings attached to his WI head
ana face. Under this cherub's head
he took delight in FASTING MI the
diSagrecablo clippings he could gath
er from newspapers and periodicals
regarding any onc i'll the Office and
especially about himself. This win
dow camc to be regarded as q regu-
lar bulletin board Of spleen, and
many a quiet chuckle Field would
have watching the long faces Of lis
companions as they read sarcastic
or facotious remarks about them.
Field never cared how much fun
was made Of him, and be was the
first to applaud when tho laugh was
at his own expense Now York Sun.