The Washington times., 1901-12-29


was "NoHpy." though Sir Slosson" was
also a name frequently employed. He was
in the habit Of dressing up some Of the
commonplace occurrence CT life in elabo-
rate and whimsical fashion. People who
DO not Ike nonsense should not attempt
10 read this book. Let them peruse the
following extract from Fields private
correspondence with his fellow-worker
aud take warning:
TIE GOOD KNIGHTS DIPLOMACY.
One evening in hi- normal nj eht
lhe good uIt ilGpccuHldus hnlght
AGdrysiu. Thompson lgiG.
AethirAs a great incIta.ia fame
Shall add ncW glur, 20 tHy name,
And cluster round tiy hcac.
..The-c is no luiglt lr,t lie vi yield
Before thy yalor IN ihy Held
ur ~ cyiloits 81 aims:
And al admit tie pleasing force
OF thy mot cloqacnt discuurse-
Such arr tly soeial cha ms.
..AiiFe to lord ard sal dear
Thou uost incline pityiug car
To &c ioS-fucn IT pain,
And Ia be vCsudef. sick or broke.
~ i-clhtr might doth C'rr invoke
Thy Lngiiilg aid IN vain.
'srels-sr.h rciltie knight thou art,
AID Il j. solace to my heart
To have 90 fai7 friend
No bC-tgr. sWgetCr boon pay
Tan iiy s;fccti.n-hv the way.
Hast tlUa stamp 10 leudf
"Ayc. marry. It's ny sweet delight
To succor sulh an honest kaiglt'
Sf Thompson straight replied.
Iield calsht the rFpfeFcd Treasure up,
J1en tossing OF stirrur-rup
July .. IsS5.
The man who could waste all that rhythm
and rhetoric on borrowing a stamp, could
one may well Imagine spare a consider
able amour. Of ingenuity for his letter
writing. And he did. He also delighted
in practical jokes Of ere sort or another
Thompson describes one Of them as fol-
lovs:
We had spent Christmas Eve. 1884, to-
gether. and as usual had expended our
last dime in proSiding small tokens Of
remembrance for everyone within the cir
Gle cf our immediate friends parted
from him al the midnight car, which he
took for the North Side Going to the
sherman House. caught the last elevator
for n.y room on the top foCr, and IL was
not long ere ! was oblivicus of all sub
lunary things.
Before it was fairly light the next
morning was disturbed and finally awak-
ened by the sound of voices and subdued
tittering in the corridor outside my door.
Then there came knock, and / was told
that there was a message for me. Open
ing the door, my eyes were greeted with a
huge home-lnit stocking tackled 10 ::
with two-prongod fork. and filled with
collection Of conventional presents for
boy-a fair idea Of which the reader can
CLEAN from the following lines in Fields
handwriting dangling from the tee:
pIitirc gentle reader pause
And view the work Of Santa Claus.
Behold this sock that's trimming y'or
With good things near Slasc. Goor.
Before he went 70 bed ia>t night
lie Padded out in robe of white
Aud hung tbs sock upon the wall
Prepared 5or Santa Clans call
And said: "tome. Santa Ciaus. and b.ing
Some tfiick 10 MI this cmpt. thing
Then hack De went and locled the door
And scUn vas lost IN cream and snosc.
The Saint ar-ivsd at hsls-rsst ono
Behold how NcIl lis work i. done.
See what wealth # food aud toy
He brought unio The sleeping boy:
An apple ~. and orange too
4 iumpne-iacE a cafmilc hue.
A book. souac ,angy, and car.
Two athletes 70 a Wrestling sfat
A LcIvcus moiEfy on a stick.
hnd honey cake that's hard and thick.
on, what wealth ~ SOY 10 here
To th-iil ile foui of 81 on dear.
Touch not thing. hiH leave thesl all
Within tnis sock upon tie wall.
So when De wake and comes De may
Find al thc.c tols and triuhets gar,
And thank Old Santa that Dc came
u al these stairs with all This rlne,
III have succeeded in conveying any
true impression of Eugene Fields nature
TIE reader can imagine the pleasure he
derived from this game in planning IT,.
in providing the old-fashioned sock. TOYS.
and eatables. and in toiling Up six flights
OF stairs g;ter he knew / was asleep. 10
see that everything was arranged so as
10 attract the attention OF the passing
traveller. The success Of his game vas
fully reported to him by his friend. the
night clerk, and nightly he enjoyed the
report that J had been routed out by the
early wayfa9or before the light Of Christ
mas broke upon The Numbering city"
OF Fields motives in selecting Chicago
rs place Of residence the biographer
fays:
ut is moro than probable that Eugene
Field chose Chicago for the place Of his
permanent abode after deliberately weigh
ing the adva ltages and limitations CT its
situations w.h reference 10 his literary
career. Eo felt that It was as far East
rs he could make his home without com
ing within the influence OF those social
md literary conventions that have
squeezed so much Of genuine American
favor out Of cur literature
He had received many tempting offers
from Now York newspapers before COM
ing 10 Chicago, and after our acquaint-
nnce do not believe a year went By that
Field did not decline an engagement. per-
Eoually rendered by Mr. Dana, to 20 to
the New York suD5 az a galar- nearly
double that he was receiving here.
But, as he told Julian Ralph on one oc-
cssior, he would not live in or w-ite for
the East. For, as he put it. there was
more liberty and fewer literary fellcra'
out West and a man had more chance 10
he judged on his merits and grow up with
the COUNTRY"
These extracts. however, can give but
a faint idea CT the sollity Of the book
itself its grotesquerie. its realism. its ac-
curate reproduction OF the slightest char
scteristie whimsicalliy Of the one and
only Eugene Field. These who Ike this