The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-11
A STORY OF EUGENE FIELD
LWoIfe Londoner in The Printer Jour
nall

LWolfe Londoner in The Printer Jour-
nal
An inert Gene Field was an impoSsi-
bility Activity personifed, he was ever
restless and only supremely happy when
busily engaged in playing some prac-
tical Joke on his ever SuSpecting but
chairman of the Republican County
Central committee and working zeal
ously to carry every point for the party
1 was especially delegated TO Work up
enthusiasm among the cOlOred voters
of the city. I undertook my task ana
personally interviewed many of the lead
ers and called them into caucus, and
everything was moving along smoothly
toward success. In an untoWard mo-
ment the following appeared in howl
ing scare heads in the morning dailleS;
Wanted! Every colored man IN the
city to call at Wolfe Londoner's store.
A carload of Georgia WatermeIonS just
received for especial distribution among
his colOred friends. Call early and get
your melOni'
Needless to say that when the store
opened in the morning an ever 1ncreaS-
ing cloud of dusky humanity gathered
about the entrance until business IN the
store and travel in the street came to
a standstiI. No explanations could ap-
pease the fast gathering d1spleaSure OF
the crowd, and eXpoStulationS were
taken as only SubterfugeS to avoid 1ul-
filling the tempting promises of the
morning papers, for whose juicy Sug-
gestions numberlesS mouths were wat
eringly waiting. 1 was at my wits end
what to do or which way to turn. NO
thought of melons had arisen in the
market. 1t was early in the season. 1t
was possible that melons might exist
somewhere, but certainly had ordered
none and expected none. In despair 1
flew to the telephone, and after many
failures to locate a single melon nm
ally got track of carload which had
Just arrived. I was saved. The price
was exorbitant, but 1 paid 1t gladly,
and with savage delight distributed
the entire carload to my duslzy friends,
all the while berating the tardy railway
for not delivering my long-expected
supply on the day before. The melons
did the trick and the campaign was a
success.
few days afterward came my hour
of revenge and I never had greater
relish in getting even with a friend.
Burglars had attempted the Impossible
feat of purloining something from Mr..
Eugene Ffeld-that only Field, VINO,
whatever he might appropriate to him
self of the property OF others IN his re-
gardlesS way as to exact ownership,
was nevertheless proof against any such
thing happening in his own case, by
reason of his never keeping anything
long enough to be burglarized- How
ever, the stupid burglars made the at
tempt. Next day the papers recountlng
the affair also had an advertisement
slyly inserted as follows: 'Wanted-Io
buy a dogi Highest price paid for good
watch dog! Apply to E. Field" The
dog came, but he came so numerouSIy,
he came in so many different kinds,
colors, manners and forms that nc
bench show ever held nigh so number
less and ever increasing crowd The
building was alive with dogs, the hall
ways were running full Of dogs and
more were seeking admittance. Cries
howls, swapping, biting and fierce fight
ing ran riot among the canine con-
glOmeration, ami when the general tu-
multi and battle had extended to the
owners as well as the brutes them
selves the police department was called
to ouelI the uproar and inform the
venders of dogs that Mr.. Field had all
the dogs he wanted. He certainly ought
| to have been satisfied with the assort-
| nent I sent him