Eugene Field, A Study In Heredity And Contradictions
by
Slason Thompson
Part 5 out of 5
love. He had a religion. His religion was kindness. He belonged to
the church--the church of the common brotherhood of man. With all
the changes that came to his definitions and formulas, he never lost
from his heart of hearts the reverence for sacred things learned in
childhood, and inherited from a sturdy Puritan ancestry. From that
deep store of love and faith and reverence sprang the streams of his
happy songs, and ever was he putting into his tender verses those
ideas of the living God, the blessed Christ, the ministering angels
of immortal love, the happiness of heaven, which were instilled into
his-heart when but a boy.
Those who gathered at his house on the day of the funeral and looked
upon the form of the "Good Knight" in his last sleep saw a large white
rose in one of his hands. There was a touching story connected with
that rose: On the preceding afternoon a lady, who was a friend of
Field's, went to a florist's to order some flowers for the grave. A
poorly clad little girl was looking wistfully in at the window and
followed the lady into the store.
"Are those flowers for Mr. Field?" she asked. "Oh, I wish I could send
him just one. Won't you, please, give me one flower?"
The florist placed a beautiful white rose in her little hand. Then she
turned and gave it to the lady, with the request: "Please put it near
Mr. Field with your flowers." And the little girl's single rose--the
gift of love without money and without price--was given the place of
honor that day beyond the wealth of flowers that filled house and
church with the incense of affection for the dead.
The funeral was a memorable demonstration of the common regard in which
Field was held by all classes of citizens. The services took place in
the Fourth Presbyterian Church, from which hundreds turned sorrowfully
away, because they could not gain admission. The Rev. Thomas C. Hall,
who had recently succeeded Dr. Stryker, one of Field's intimate
friends, who had been called to the presidency of Hamilton College,
conducted the formal ceremonies, in which he was assisted by the Rev.
Frank M. Bristol, who delivered the address, and the Rev. Frank W.
Gunsaulus, who embodied his tribute to his friend in a poem remarkable
for the felicity with which it passed in review many of the more
noteworthy of Field's lyrics. Its opening stanzas read:
_'Midst rustling of leaves in the rich autumn air,
At eve when man's life is an unuttered prayer,
There came through the dusk, each with torch shining bright,
From far and from near, in his sorrow bedight,
The old earth's lone pilgrim o'er land and o'er wave.
Who gathered around their dear poet's loved grave.
With trumpet and drum, but in silence, they came--
Their paths were illumed by their torches' mild flame,
Whose soft lambent streams by love's glory were lit;
And where fairy knights and bright elves used to flit
Across the wan world when the lights quivered dim,
These watched at the grave, and were mourning for him._
That the spirit of those funeral services was neither local nor
ephemeral is proved by the following poem, which, by a strange
coincidence, came in a round-about way to my desk in the Record-Herald
office from their author in Texarkana, Texas, the very day I
transcribed the above lines from Dr. Gunsaulus's "Songs of Night and
Morning" into the manuscript of this book:
_EUGENE FIELD
1.
Sleep well, dear poet of the heart!
In dreamless rest by cares unbroken;
Thy mission filled, in peace depart.
Thy message to the world is spoken.
2.
Thy song the weary heart beguiles;
Like generous wine it soothes and cheers,
Yet oftentimes, amid our smiles,
Thy pathos melts a soul to tears.
3.
In "Casey's Tabble-Dote" no more
Thy kindly humor will be heard;
In silence now we must deplore
The horrors of that "small hot bird."
4.
The "Restauraw" is silent now,
The "Conversazzhyony's" over;
And "Red Hoss Mountain's" gloomy brow
Looks down where lies "Three-fingered Hoover."
5.
Our friend "Perfesser Vere de Blaw"
No longer on the "Steenway" prances
With "Mizzer-Reery" "Opry-Boof,"
And old familiar songs and dances.
6.
Old "Red floss Mountain's" wrapped in gloom,
And "Silas Pettibone's shef-doover"
Has long since vanished from the room
With "Casey" and "Three-fingered Hoover."
7.
Yet will they live! Though Field depart;
Thousands his memory will cherish;
The gentle poet of the heart
Shall live till life and language perish.
C.S.T._
The initials are those of Mr. Charles S. Todd, of Texarkana, Texas; and
the poem, besides testifying to the wide-spread sorrow over Field's
death, bears witness to the fact that his western dialect verse had a
hold on the popular heart only second to his lullabies and poems of
childhood.
From the Fourth Presbyterian Church Field's body was borne to its last
resting-place, in Graceland cemetery. It is a quiet spot where the poet
is interred, in a lovely little glade, away from the sorrowful
processions of the main driveways. Leafy branches wave above his grave,
shielding it from the glare of the sun in summer and the rude sweep of
the winds in winter. The birds flit across it from tree to tree,
casting "strange, flutterin' shadders" over the grave of him who loved
them so well. And there, one day in the early summer, another
bird-lover, Edward B. Clark, heard a wood-thrush, the sweetest of
American songsters, singing its vesper hymn, and was moved out of his
wont himself to sing:
_THE TRIBUTE OF THE THRUSH
A bird voice comes from the maple
Across the green of the sod,
Breaking the silence of evening
That rests on this "acre of God."
'Tis the note of the bird of the woodland,
Of thickets and sunless retreats;
Yet the plashing of sunlit waters
Is the sound of the song it repeats.
Why sing you here in the open,
O gold-tongued bird of the shade;
What spirit moves you to echo
This hymn from the angels strayed?
And then as the shadows lengthened,
The thrush made its answer clear:
"There was void in the world of music,
A singer lies voiceless here."_
Thus endeth this inadequate study of my gentle and joyous friend, "the
good knight, _sans peur et sans monnaie_."
APPENDIX
The two articles by Eugene Field which follow here are not to be taken
as particularly illuminating examples of his literary art or style. For
those the reader is referred to his collected works; especially those
tales and poems published during his lifetime and to "The Love Affairs
of a Bibliomaniac." These are given to illustrate the liberties Field
took with his living friends and with the verities of literary history.
There was no such book as the "Ten Years of a Song Bird: Memoirs of a
Busy Life," by Emma Abbott; and "The Discoverer of Shakespeare," by
Franklin H. Head, was equally a creation of Field's lively fancy. I
reproduce the latter review from the copy which Field cut from the
Record and sent in pamphlet form to Mr. Head with the following note:
DEAR MR. HEAD: The printers jumbled my review of your essay so
fearfully to-day that I make bold to send you the review
straightened out in seemly wise. Now, I shall expect you to send me
a copy of the book when it is printed, and then I shall feel amply
compensated for the worry which the hotch-potch in the Daily News of
this morning has given me.
Ever sincerely yours,
EUGENE FIELD.
May 21st, 1891.
WHO DISCOVERED SHAKESPEARE?
Mr. Franklin H. Head is about to publish his scholarly and ingenious
essay upon "The Discoverer of Shakespeare." Mr. Head is as
enthusiastic a Shakespeare student as we have in the West, and his
enthusiasm is tempered by a certain reverence which has led him to
view with dismay, if not with horror, the exploits of latter-day
iconoclasts, who would fain convince the credulous that what has
been was not and that he who once wrought never existed. It was Mr.
Head who gave to the world several years ago the charming brochure
wherein Shakespeare's relations and experience with insomnia were so
pleasantly set forth, and now the public is to be favored with a
second essay, one of greater value to the Shakespearian student, in
that it deals directly and intimately and explicitly with the
earlier years of the poet's life. This essay was read before the
Chicago Literary Club several weeks ago, and would doubtless not
have been published but for the earnest solicitations of General
McClurg, the Rev. Dr. Herrick Johnson, Colonel J.S. Norton, and
other local literary patrons, who recognized Mr. Head's work as a
distinctly valuable contribution to Shakespeariana. Answering the
importunities of these sagacious critics, the author will publish
the essay, supplementing it with notes and appendices.
Of the interesting narrative given by Mr. Head, it is our present
purpose to make as complete a review as the limits afforded us this
morning will allow, and we enter into the task with genuine
timidity, for it is no easy thing to give in so small a compass a
fair sketch of the tale and the argument which Mr. Head has
presented so entertainingly, so elegantly, and so persuasively.
Before his courtship of, and marriage with, Anne Hathaway,
Shakespeare was comparatively unknown. By a few boon companions he
was recognized as a gay and talented young fellow, not wholly averse
to hazardous adventure, as his famous connection with a certain
poaching affair demonstrated. Shakespeare's father was a pious man,
who was properly revered by his neighbors. The son was not held in
such high estimation by these simple folk. "Willie, thee beest a
merry fellow," quoth the parson to the young player when he first
came back from London, "but thee shall never be soche a man as thy
father."
Down in London his friends were of the rollicking, happy-go-lucky
kind; they divided their time between the play-houses and the
pot-houses; they lived by their wits, and they were not the first to
demonstrate that he who would enjoy immortality must first have
learned to live by his wits among mortals. It was while he led this
irresponsible bachelor life in London that Shakespeare met one
Elizabeth Frum, or Thrum, and with this young woman he appears to
have fallen in love. The affair did not last very long, but it was
fierce while it was on. Anne Hathaway was temporarily forgotten, and
Mistress Frum (whose father kept the Bell and Canister)
engaged--aye, absorbed--the attentions of the frisky young poet. At
that time Shakespeare was spare of figure, melancholy of visage, but
lively of demeanor; an inclination to baldness had already begun to
exhibit itself, a predisposition hastened and encouraged doubtless
by that disordered digestion to which the poet at an early age
became a prey by reason of his excesses. Elizabeth Frum was deeply
enamoured of Willie, but the young man soon wearied of the girl and
returned to his first love. Curiously enough, Elizabeth subsequently
was married to Andrew Wilwhite of Stratford-on-Avon, and lived up to
the day of her death (1636) in the house next to the cottage
occupied by Anne Hathaway Shakespeare and her children! Wilwhite was
two years younger than Shakespeare; he was the son of a farmer, was
fairly well-to-do, and had been properly educated. Perhaps more for
the amusement than for the glory or for the financial remuneration
there was in it, he printed a modest weekly paper which he named
"The Tidings"--"an Instrument for the Spreading of Proper New Arts
and Philosophies, and for the Indication and Diffusion of What Haps
and Hearsays Soever Are Meet for Chronicling Withal." This journal
was of unpretentious appearance, and its editorial tone was modest
to a degree. The size of the paper was eight by twelve inches, four
pages, with two columns to the page. The type used in the printing
was large and coarse, but the paper and ink seem to have been of the
best quality. A complete file of The Tidings does not survive. The
British Museum has all but the third, eleventh, twelfth, and
seventeenth volumes; the Newberry Library of Chicago has secured the
first, seventh, sixteenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth volumes, and
the Duke of Devonshire has half-a-dozen volumes. Aside from these
copies none other is known to be in existence.
Wilwhite was an ardent and life-long admirer of Shakespeare. It is
not improbable that after her marriage Elizabeth Frum, proud of her
former relations with the poet, encouraged her husband in those
cordial offices which helped to promote Shakespeare's
contemporaneous fame. At any rate, The Tidings was the first public
print to recognize Shakespeare's genius, and Andrew Wilwhite was the
first of Shakespeare's contemporaries to give public expression to
his admiration and abiding faith in the talents of the poet.
"We print in our supplement to-day a sonnet from the pen of Willie
Shakespeare, son of our esteemed townsman, Squire John Shakespeare.
Willie is now located in London, and is recognized as one of the
brightest constellations in the literary galaxy of the
metropolis."--The Tidings, May 18th, 1587.
"Mistress Shakespeare laid an egg on our table yesterday measuring
eleven inches in circumference. The amiable and accomplished wench
informs us that her husband, whose poetic genius frequently
illuminates these columns, will visit our midst next month. William,
here is our [hand pointing to the right]."--The Tidings, June 13th,
1587.
"The gifted W. Shaxpur honored this office with a call last
Thursday. He was smiling all over. It is a boy, and weighs ten
pounds. Thanks, Willie, for the cigar; it was a daisy."--The
Tidings, July 9th, 1587.
"The fireworks on Squire Shakespere's lawn last Fourth of July night
were the finest ever witnessed in the county. They were brought up
from London by the Squire's son William, the famous poet."--Ibid.
"If you want to make Bill Shaxpeare hopping mad, just ask him how
much venison is a pound. All joking aside, Willie is the leading
poet of the age."--The Tidings, July 16th, 1587.
Two years later the following references were made by Wilwhite to
the dramatic prodigy:
"We would acknowledge the receipt (from Isaac Jaggard and Edward
Blount, the well-known publishers) of a volume entitled, 'The First
Part of King Henry the Sixt,' the same being a dramatic poem by
Willie Shaxper, formerly of this town. Critique of the work is
deferred."--April 23d, 1589.
"Our London exchanges agree that Willie Shaksper's new play is the
greatest thing of the season. We knew that Willie would get there
sooner or later. There are no flies on him."--April 23d, 1589.
"The Thespian Amateur association of the Congregational church will
give a performance of 'King Henry Sixt' in the town hall next
Thursday evening. Reuben Bobbin, our talented tinsmith, enacting the
role of his majesty. This play, being written by one of our townsmen
and the greatest poet of the age; should be patronized by all.
Ice-cream will be served inter actes."--November 6th, 1589.
"We print elsewhere to-day an excerpt from the Sadler's Wells Daily
Blowpipe, critically examining into the literary work of W.
Shakspeyr, late of this village. The conclusion reached by our
discriminating and able exchange is that Mr. Shackspeere is without
question a mighty genius. We have said so all along, and we have
known him ten years. Now that the Metropolitan press indorses us, we
wonder what will the doddering dotard of the Avon Palladium have to
say for his festering and flyblown self."--December 14th, 1589.
In 1592 the Palladium reprinted an opinion given by Robert Greene:
"Here is an upstart crow," said Greene of Shakespeare, "beautified
with our feathers, that supposes he is as well able to bombast out a
blank verse as the rest of you, and, being an absolute Johannes
factotum, is, in his own conceit, the only shake-scene in the
country." Another contemporaneous critic said of the scene between
Brutus and Cassius in "Julius Caesar": "They are put there to play
the bully and the buffoon, to show their activity of face and
muscles. They are to play a prize, a trial of skill and hugging and
swaggering, like two drunken Hectors, for a two-penny reckoning."
Shakespeare's contemporaries--or, at least, many of them--sought to
belittle his work in this wise. Why, even in later years so acute a
critic as John Dennis declared that "his lines are utterly void of
celestial fire," and Shaftesbury spoke of his "rude, unpolished
style and antiquated phrase and wit."
In the year 1600, having written his _chef d'oeuvre_, the poet
retired to Stratford for a brief period of rest.
"Our distinguished poet-townsman, Shakespyr, accompanied us on an
angling last Thursday, and ye editor returned well-laden with
spoils. Two-score trouts and a multitude of dace and chubs were
taken. Spending the night at the Rose and Crown, we were hospitably
entertained by Jerry Sellars and his estimable lady, who have
recently added a buttery to their hostelry, and otherwise adorned
the premises. Over our brew in the evening the poet regaled us with
reminiscences of life in London, and recited certain passages from
his melancholy history of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, the same being
a new and full mournful tragedic of mightie excellence."--The
Tidings, May 13th, 1600.
In the London News-Letter, September 6th, 1600, there occurred this
personal notice: "At the Sweet Briar coffee-house Mr. A. Wilwhite,
from Stratford-on-Avon, sojourneth as the guest of William
Shack-speyr, player." About the same time Ben Jonson wrote to Dick
Craven at Canterbury: "Andrew Wilwhite hath been with us amid great
cheer and merriment, the same being that he saith he was the one
that discovered our master, Will Shackpur, and that I do for a
verity believe, for that Shakspur is vastly beholden unto him, and
speaketh of him as he were a twin-brother or one by some great
office bounden unto him."
Wilwhite went on Shakespeare's bond in 1604, in certain property
transfers involving what was then regarded as a considerable sum of
money. The same year an infant Shakespeare was named after Wilwhite,
the second daughter in the family having already been christened
Elizabeth Wilwhite. From 1605 up to the time of the poet's death,
eleven years later, nearly every issue of The Tidings bristled with
friendly notices of "our eminent townsman," "our world-famed
Shakespeare," and "our immortal poet." Shakespeare lived in
Stratford those last years; he was well-to-do; he had prospered, and
his last days were passed serenely. The musty files of that rurally
candid little paper bear pleasing testimony to the Arcadian
simplicity of the noble bard's declining years. They tell us with
severe brevity of the trifling duties and recreations that engaged
the poet. We learn that "a new and handsome front gate has been put
up on the premises of our famous Shakspear"; that "our honored
townsman-poet hath graciously contributed three-and-sixpence toward
the mending of the town pump"; that "a gloom hath been cast over the
entire community by the bone-felon upon Mr. Shaikspur's left thumb";
that "our immortal Shakespeere hath well discharged the onerous
offices of road-overseer for the year past"; that "our sweete
friend, Will Shakespear, will go fishing for trouts to-morrow with
his good gossip, Ben Jonson, that hath come to be his guest a little
season"; that "Master W. Shackspur hath a barrow that upon the
slaughtering did weigh 400 weight"; that "the laylocks in the
Shaxpur yard being now in bloom filleth the air with delectable
smells, whereby the poet is mightily joyed in that he did plant and
nurture the same," etc., etc.
"Sweet were those declining years," writes the essayist; "sweet in
their homely moderate delights, sweet in their wholesome
employments, sweet in their peacefulness and repose. But sweeter and
holier yet were they in the loyalty of a friendship that, covering a
long period of endeavor, of struggle and adversity, survived to
illumine and to glorify, as it has been a quenchless flame, the
evening of the poet's life. An o'erturned stone, upon which the ivy
seeks to hide the ravages which time has made, marks the spot where
Wilwhite sleeps the last gracious sleep of humanity. Now and again
wayfarers, straying thence, wonder whose dust it is that mingles
with the warmth of Mother Earth beneath that broken tablet. And
while they wonder there amid the hush, which only the music of the
birds profanes, and with the fragrance of wild flowers all around,
love is fulfilled and loyalty perfected; for beyond the compass of
years they that wrought together and were true abide in sweet
companionship eternally."
EUGENE FIELD.
May 20th, 1891.
The review of Miss Abbott's fictitious autobiography needs no further
introduction, save the statement that the only parts of it that are
based on fact are those which refer to the high esteem in which its
subject--or shall I say its victim?--was held by Field and the names
and relations of the parties mentioned. If the reader cares to compare
some of the phrases used in this autobiography with others quoted from
the proceedings in the Vermont litigation in the early chapters of this
book, he will find striking evidence of the persistence of literary
expression in the Field family:
REVIEW OF THE MEMOIRS OF MISS EMMA ABBOTT.
The advance sheets of Miss Abbott's biography have been sent to us
by the publishers. This volume, consisting of 868 pages, is
entitled, "Ten Years a Song Bird: Memoirs of a Busy Life, by Emma
Abbott." It will be put upon the market in time to catch what is
called the holiday trade, and we hope it will have that enormous
sale to which its merits entitle it. It is altogether a charming
book--it reads like a woman's letters, so full is it of confidence
couched in the artless, easy, unpretentious language of femininity.
The style is so unconscious that at times it really seems as if,
attired in wrapper and slippers, the fair narrator were lolling back
in an easy-chair talking these interesting things into your friendly
ear.
Miss Abbott is a lady for whom we have had for a number of
years--ever since her debut as a public singer--the highest esteem.
She is one of the most conscientious of women in her private walk,
conscientious in every relationship and duty and practice that go to
make the sum of her daily life. This conscientiousness, involving
patience, humility, perseverance, and integrity, has been, we think,
the real secret of her success. And no one who has watched her
steady rise from poverty to affluence, and from obscurity to fame,
will deny the proposition that the woman is genuinely successful;
and successful, too, in the best sense, and by hard American
methods. However, it shall be our attempt not to suffer our warm
personal regard for this admirable lady to color too highly our
professional estimate of the literary work now before us.
Although the "Memoirs of a Busy Life" purports to be a review merely
of the period of Miss Abbott's career as a prima donna, there are
three prefatory chapters wherein are detailed quite elaborately the
incidents of her girl-life and of her early struggles. This we view
with particular approval, the more in especial because, since Miss
Abbott's achievement of fame, a number of hitherto obscure
localities have claimed distinction as being the place of her birth.
Miss Abbott records this historical fact: "It was on the first day
of June, 1858, the month of flowers, of song and of bridals, in the
then quiet hamlet of Peoria, whose shores are laved by the waters of
the peaceful Illinois river and whose sun-kissed hills melt away
into the clouds--it was then and there that I was ushered into
life." The old family nurse, one Barbara Deacon (for whom the
grateful cantatrice has abundantly provided), recalls that at the
very moment of the infant's birth a strangely beautiful bird
fluttered down from a pear-tree, alighting upon the window-sill, and
caroled forth a wondrous song, hearing which the infant (_mirabile
dictu!_) turned over in its crib and accompanied the winged
songster's melody with an accurate second alto. This incident Miss
Abbott repeats as one of the many legends bearing upon her infancy;
but, with that admirable practical sense so truly characteristic of
her, she adds: "Of course I repose no confidence in this story--I
have always taken this bird's tale _cum grano salis_."
In early childhood Emma exhibited a passion for music; at three
years of age she discoursed upon the piano-forte in such a manner as
to excite the marvel of all auditors. The teacher of the village
school at that time was one Eugene F. Baldwin, who, being somewhat
of a musician and an accomplished tenor singer of the old school,
discovered the genius of this child, and did all he could to develop
and encourage it. When she began to go to school Emma indicated that
she had an apt, acquisitive, and retentive mind; she progressed
rapidly in her studies, but her health was totally inadequate, so at
the age of twelve years she was compelled to abandon her studies.
Shortly thereafter she removed with her family to Chicago. In this
city Emma lived for four years, during most of which time she
received instruction in vocalism from the venerable Professor
Perkins. On several occasions she sang in public, and the papers
complimented her as the "Child Patti." When she was sixteen years
old Emma went East with the determination to make her own living.
All she had she carried in a homely carpet-bag--"nay, not all," she
adds, "for I had a strong heart and a willing hand." Her mother had
taught her to do well whatsoever she did." I could cook well, and
scrub well, and sew well," she says, "and now I was resolved to
learn to sing well. At any rate, I was going to make a living, for
if I failed at all else I could cook or sew or scrub." That's pluck
of the noblest kind!
Emma was a devoutly religious girl; she joined the Rev. Dr. Bellow's
church soon after her arrival in Brooklyn, and presently secured a
position in the choir of the church. The members of the congregation
soon began to take more than a passing interest in her, being
attracted more and more by the sweetness of her singing and the
saintliness of her beauty and by the circumspection and modesty of
her demeanor. One member of the congregation (and we now come to an
interesting period in our heroine's life) was a young druggist named
Wetherell--Eugene Wetherell--who became deeply enamoured of the
spirituelle choir-singer. He was handsome, talented, and pious, and
to these charms Emma very properly was not wholly insensible. With
commendable candor she told young Wetherell that she had certain
high ambitions or duties which she was determined to follow at the
sacrifice of every selfish consideration; if he were willing to wait
for her until she saw her way clear to the accomplishment of those
duties, she would then link her destiny indissolubly with his. To
this the young druggist acceded.
In 1877 Emma was enabled to go to Paris to perfect her music
studies. Certain wealthy members of Dr. Bellow's church provided her
with the financial means, which she accepted as a loan, to be paid
in due season. In chapter four of the memoirs we are regaled with an
instructive record of Emma's voyage across the Atlantic, her
admiration of the magnitude of the ocean, her consciousness of man's
utter helplessness should storms arise and drive the ship upon
hidden rocks, etc., etc. In the next chapter she laments the
exceeding depravity of Paris, and expresses wonderment that in so
fair a city humanity should abandon itself to such godless and
damnable practices. These things we refer to because they show the
serious, not to say pious, trend of the young woman's mind. In one
place she says: "I thank God that my Eugene is tending a drug-store
in Brooklyn instead of being surrounded by the divers temptations of
this modern Babylon; for, circumspect and pure though he may be by
nature, hardly could he be environed by all this wretchedness
without receiving some taint therein."
While she was in Paris she became acquainted with the great Gounod
and with the brilliant but erratic Offenbach. Gounod introduced her
to many of the greatest composers and singers. Among her friendliest
acquaintances she numbered Wagner and Liszt. The latter wrote her a
sonata to sing, and Wagner tried to get her permission for him to
introduce her into the trilogy he was then at work upon. Meissonier
made an exquisite study of her, and the younger Dumas made her the
heroine of one of his brightest comedies, "La Petite Americaine."
There was one man, however, whom our heroine would not suffer to be
introduced to her; that man was Zola. She would never recognize in
her list of acquaintances, so she told Gounod with an angry stamp of
her tiny foot, any man who debased his God-given talents to smut and
lubricity.
In 1879 Miss Abbott returned to her native land, fully prepared to
engage in the profession of a public singer. Her first tour of the
country was a continuous round of ovations. The public hailed her as
the queen of American song; the press was generous in its
appreciation. The next year she embarked in opera. This cost her a
season of severe self-struggle. She dreaded to expose herself to the
temptations of the stage. In her memoirs she assures us with all
gravity that she prayed long and earnestly for courage to put on and
wear the short dress required in the performance of the "Bohemian
Girl." We may smile at this feminine squeamishness; yet, after all,
we cannot help admiring the possessor of it wherever we find her.
Miss Abbott says that she was particularly fortunate in having
secured Mr. James W. Morrissey for her manager. This young man was
full of energy and of device; moreover, he was personally acquainted
with many of the journalists throughout the country. He was with
Miss Abbott three years, and she acknowledges herself under great
obligations to him. "It is pleasant," she writes, "to feel that our
friendship still exists, as hearty and as generous as ever; and that
it will abide to the end I doubt not, for, by naming his little son
Abbott in honor of me, my dear, good, kind Jimmy Morrissey has
simply welded more closely the bonds of friendship uniting us."
These words are characteristic of honest Emma Abbott's candor.
In these memoirs there is a chapter devoted to the newspaper
critics, and it is interesting to note the good-nature with which
the sprightly cantatrice handles these touchy gentlemen. Not an
unkind word is said; occasionally a foible or a trait is hit off,
but all is done cleverly and in the most genial temper. Considerable
space is devoted to the Chicago critics--Messrs. Upton, Mathews,
McConnell, and Gleason--who, Miss Abbott says, have helped her with
what they have written about her. Messrs. Moore, Johns, and
Jennings, of St. Louis; R.M. Field, of Kansas City; William
Stapleton, of Denver; Alf Sorenson, of Cincinnati, are prominent
among the western critics whom she specifies as her "dear, good
friends." She calls upon heaven to bless them.
There is a chapter (the thirteenth) which tells how a public singer
should dress; we wish we had the space for liberal quotations from
this interesting essay, because this is a subject which all the
ladies are anxious to know all about. Miss Abbott ridicules the idea
that the small-waisted dress is harmful to the wearer. Women breathe
with their lungs, and do not enlist the co-operation of the
diaphragm, as men do. So, therefore, it matters not how tight a
woman laces her waist so long as she insists that her gown be made
ample about the bust; nay, the fair author maintains that the singer
has a better command of her powers, and is more capable of sustained
exertion, when her waist is girt and cinched to the very limit. Of
course, knowing nothing whatsoever of this thing, we are wholly
incompetent to discuss the subject. It interests us to know that
Miss Abbott's theory is indorsed by Worth, Madame Demorest, Dr.
Hamilton, and other recognized authorities.
Of her married life the famous prima donna speaks tenderly and at
length; she is evidently of a domestic nature; she says she pines
for the day when she can retire to a quiet little home, and devote
herself to children and to household duties. An affectionate tribute
is paid to her husband, Mr. Wetherell, to whom she was wedded just
before her debut in opera; he has been a constant solace and help,
she says, and no disagreement or harshness has ruffled the felicity
of their holy relation. In the appendix to the memoirs are to be
found letters addressed at different times to Miss Abbott by Patti,
Gounod, Kellogg, Longfellow, Jenny Lind, Nilsson, Wagner, Dumas,
Brignoli, Liszt, and other notables. Numerous fine steel portraits
add value to the volume.
In a word, this book serves as a delightful history of the time of
which it treats. It gives us pictures of places, manners, and
morals, and chats with distinguished men and women. Better than
this, it is the reflex of an earnest life and of a stanch, pure
heart, challenging our admiration, and worthy of our emulation.
INDEX
Abbott, Miss Emma, a friend of Field, i., 228, 346;
Field's review of her imaginary autobiography, ii., 332-340
"Ailsie, My Bairn," ii., 129
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, i., 134
"Alliaunce, The," ii., 124-126
"An Appreciation" of Eugene Field, i., 201
"April Vespers," i., 129, 130
Archer, Belle, i., 249
Arion Quartette, formed by Field and others, i., 113
Armour, George A., ii., 173
Auer, Louis, ii., 294
"Aunt Mary Matilda Series," ii., 28, 35
"Auto-Analysis, An," i., 51, 99, 106;
reference to Field's early verse, 135, 227;
origin and publication of, ii., 234-240
"Awful Bugaboo, The," i., 152, 153
Baker, Thomas C., i., 113
Ballantyne, John F., i., 206;
his relations with Field, 207, 208;
his office, 215;
hero of "How Mary Matilda Won a Prince," ii., 36;
married, 89, 90
"Bar Harbor: A Reminiscence," ii., 212, 213
Barrett, Wilson, ii., 276, 277
Barnes, Charles A., ii., 173
Barnum, P.T., ii., 153
Barren, Elwin, i., 285
Bates, Mrs. Morgan, entertains Field, ii., 84-86
Bates, Morgan, i., 216, 282;
suffers from his political attitude, ii., 223, 224
Below, Mrs., i., 101, 105
Bernhardt, Madame, i., 173, 243
"Bibliomaniac's Prayer, The," ii., 170, 171
Bikens, Judge, i., 27
Bingham, Joseph, ii., 226, 227
Blaine, James G., ii., 10, 11, 217;
defeated in his campaign for the Presidency, 221
Blair, Montgomery, i., 44
Bristol, Rev. Frank M., ii., 173;
delivers address at Field's funeral, 315
Broderick, Mr. and Mrs. George, i., 249
Browne, Francis, proposes to publish Field's writings, ii., 56
Burdette, Robert J., i., 134
Burgess, Professor John W., i., 78
Burke, Judge Henry W., association with Field, i., 115
Buskett, William C., hero of "Penn Yan Bill," i., 112;
describes Field's life in St. Louis, 112-114;
receives letter from Field, ii., 161, 162
Cable, Ben. T., ii., 173
Cable, George W., ii., 265
"Camille," i., 241-245
Capel, Monseigneur, his meeting with William J. Florence, i., 231
"Casey's Table d'Hote," i., 112
Charless, Joseph, i., 41
Chicago, Field comes to, i., 189;
description of, 194-197
Chicago Daily News, description of editorial rooms of, i., 211-218
"Christmas Treasures," i., 135
Clark, Edward B., ii., 320
Claxton, Kate, her reputation as an actress, i., 260;
biography of, 261, 262
Cleveland, Grover, ii., 217;
elected President, 221
Cleveland, Miss Rose, retires from editorship of Literary Life, ii., 106
Comstock, Miss Carrie, i., 104, 113
Comstock, Edgar V., visits Europe with Field, i., 98-100, 104, 113
Comstock, Miss Georgia, i., 104, 113
Comstock, Miss Gussle, i., 104, 113
Comstock, Miss Ida, i., 104
Comstock, Miss Julia Sutherland, i., 104;
married to Eugene Field, 109
Cooley, Judge, responsible for some of Field's poems, i., 331-337;
ii., 112
Cowen, E.D., characterizes Field, i., 143;
accounts for inspiration of Tribune Primer, 147;
describes Field's bottomless chair, 159;
tells of Wickersham's methods, 163;
writes of Field's ill-health, 185;
assaulted, 209, 210;
analyzes Field's dramatic relations, 227;
bowls against Field, ii., 74, 76;
attends ball-game with Field, 77-79;
an experience with crickets, 86, 87;
receives letters from Field, 119, 120, 139-142, 144-146, 148, 149,
158, 159
Crane, Mr. and Mrs. William, acquaintance with Field, i., 235-241;
"Mrs. Billy Crane," 237-239
Crawford, Thomas L., joins Arion Quartette, i., 113
"Culture's Garland," i., 338;
description of, ii., 108-113;
Gen. A.C. McClurg's objection to, 175
"Current Gossip" becomes "Sharps and Flats," i., 201
Curtis, George Ticknor, i., 44
Dana, Charles A., visits Denver, i., 179, 180;
assists Field in a hoax, 337;
subscribes to the "Little Books," ii., 132
"Danger that Threatens, A," i., 339, 340
Davis, Jessie Bartlett, i., 255
Davis, Mrs. Will J., i., 254
Davis, Will J., i., 61
Dawson, R. L., ii., 101
"Death and the Soldier," ii., 101
"Delectable Ballad of the Waller Lot, The," ii., 269
De Koven, Reginald, ii., 240
Denver, description of, i., 144, 145;
centre of railway interests, 162
"Der Niebelrungen und Der Schlabbergasterfeldt," ii., 23, 24
"Dibdin's Ghost," ii., 195, 190
"Divine Lullaby," i., 337
Drew, Cyrus K., ii., 276
Du Chaillu, Paul, ii., 197
Earle, Alice Morse, i., 1;
letter from Eugene Field, 56
"Echo from Mackinac Island, An," ii., 57, 58
"Echoes from the Sabine Farm," i., 2;
dedication of, 93, 94;
publication of, ii., 155-157, 165, 166
Ela, John W., a Mugwump, ii., 218-220
Ellsworth, James W., ii., 173
Emerson, Dr. John, owner of Dred Scott, i., 37
"Eugene Field," a tribute by a Texan, ii., 318, 319
"Eugene Field in His Home," i., 101
Evans, Governor, i., 147
"Fickle Woman, A," i., 332
Field, Charles Kellogg, uncle of Eugene Field, i., 2;
education, 5, 9, 10;
studies law, 10;
capacity for mischief, 48;
his memoir of Roswell M. Field, ii., 262, 263
Field, Miss Kate, her acquaintance with Eugene Field, i., 174, 175;
subscribes to the "Little Books," ii., 132
Field, Eugene, ancestry, i., 2;
birthplace, 50, 51;
doubt as to date of birth, 51, 52;
death of mother, 52, 53;
cared for by Miss French, 53;
early youth in Newfane and Amherst, 54-60;
fondness for pets, 60-65;
religious training, 66-69;
sentiments toward Vermont and New England, 69-71;
education under Mr. Tufts at Monson, 73-78;
enters Williams College, 78;
anecdotes of college life, 79-84;
lack of interest in studies, 79-81;
leaves Williams, 81;
summoned to deathbed of father, 84;
enters Knox College, 84;
joins brother at University of Missouri, 85;
severs connection with the University, 85;
indication of literary genius, 86-90;
life in St. Louis, 91-98;
fascination for the stage, 95-97;
inherits $8,000, makes a tour of Europe, and squanders his
patrimony, 98-100;
returns to St. Louis, 100;
descriptions of his trip, 101, 102;
affection for the fair sex, 103-106;
courtship and marriage, 105-109;
honeymoon, 109, 110;
investment of $20,000 on experience, 111;
goes to work as reporter on St. Louis Evening Journal, 112;
description of early married life in St. Louis, 112, 113, 121;
love of fun, 113-117, 118;
members of household, 113;
fondness for singing, 114;
his children, 114, 121, 122, 191; ii., 255-258, 261, 278, 279;
city editor of St. Joseph Gazette, i., 114;
returns to St. Louis and continues writing for the Evening Journal,
115, 116;
lack of business ability, 116;
attack by the Spectator, 117-119;
reply to the same, 120;
becomes managing editor of Kansas City Times, 122, 136;
his home relations, 122-125;
method of reporting, 126, 127;
whimsical verses and fancies, 128-131;
misreports and plays practical jokes on Carl Schurz, 131-133;
character of his early journalistic work, 133-135;
revels in Kansas City, 130-138;
writes "The Little Peach," 139;
Greek translation and English equivalent of same, 140-142;
moves to Denver and becomes managing editor of The Denver Tribune,
143-145;
writes "Odds and Ends," 145-151;
his "Tribune Primer," 146-152;
his views on journalism, 149, 150;
creates the "Bugaboo," 151-153;
his friendship for Madame Modjeska, 154;
writes "The Wanderer," 154, 155;
credits "The Wanderer" to Madame Modjeska, 154-157;
anecdotes of his life in Denver, 158-182;
description of his office, 158, 159;
his acquaintance with "Bill" Nye, 159-161;
his inability to keep money, 162;
the Wickersham episode, 163-171;
impersonates Oscar Wilde, 171-172;
his dramatic qualifications and acquaintances, 173;
his relations and correspondence with Miss Kate Field, 174, 175;
his disposition, 175, 176;
plays pranks on Wolfe Londoner, 176-180;
gives a single-handed entertainment at Manitou, 181, 182;
his hatred of hypocrisy, 182; ii., 314;
failure of health, i., 183-185;
accepts position on the Chicago Morning News and leaves Denver,
183-189;
ambition to achieve literary fame, 190;
his home and family in Chicago, 191;
introduces himself to the public, 191, 192;
his favorite child, 192;
means of increasing salary, 192, 193; ii., 7;
reasons for staying in Chicago, i., 193-195;
his objections to Chicago, 196-201;
begins "Sharps and Flats," 201-203;
his scholarship, 204, 205;
held in check by John F. Ballantyne, 207-209;
writes on assault of Edward D. Cowen, 209, 210;
description of the editorial rooms of the Chicago Daily News, 211-
217;
his office described, 218-220;
his personal appearance and characteristics, 220-223;
meets Christine Nilsson, 224-227;
his fondness for stage folk, 227;
invents tales respecting Emma Abbott, 228;
his friendship with Francis Wilson, 229, 230;
his relations with William Florence, 230-235;
his friendship with the Cranes, 235-241;
mutual friendship between Madame Modjeska and himself, 241-249;
enjoys "The Mikado," 240-251;
his favorite prima donna, 251-254;
dedicates three poems to the Davises, 254-261;
satires Kate Claxton, 261-262;
impersonates Sir Henry Irving, 263, 264;
his association with Sol Smith Russell, 264-270;
lack of literary education, 271-274;
studies early English literature, 275-278;
makes acquaintance of Dr. Reilly, 279-280;
inspired by Dr. Reilly, 282-293;
his debt to Father Prout and Beranger, 282-288; ii., 116;
tributes to Dr. Reilly, i., 289-293;
his method of work, 294-300;
love of the theatre, 300, 301;
describes Billy Boyle's Chop-house, 301-305;
partakes of midnight suppers, 307, 308; ii., 5;
exposes Rutherford B. Hayes, i., 309;
while absent from Chicago, learns a lesson, 310-313;
derives profit from his play, 314-317;
his aim in life, 315;
evolution of his life and writings, 317;
his keen appreciation of humor, 317-319;
an international hoax, 320-323;
foisters the authorship of "The Lost Sheep" on Miss Sally McLean,
324, 325;
involves Miss Wheeler in a controversy, 326-328;
methods of calling public attention to own compositions, 329-331;
makes Judge Cooley responsible for some of his poems, 331-337;
hoaxes Chicago critics, 337, 338;
prophecies a danger, 339, 340;
characterized by E.C. Stedman, 340, 341;
comments on Mr. Stedman's visit to Chicago, 341-345;
his companionship with Slason Thompson, ii., 1-14;
presents a cherished wedding gift to Mrs. Thompson, 1, 2;
condition of his finances, 6, 7;
obtains advances on his salary, 7-9;
embarrasses Slason Thompson with postal-cards, 9-11;
plays a Christmas prank. 12-14;
character of handwriting, 15, 16;
origin of use of colored inks, 16-18;
reproduces Corot's "St. Sebastian" and other pictures from written
descriptions, 18-22;
composes a German poem, 23, 24;
his means of obtaining, and using, colored inks, 24-32;
corresponds with Miss Thompson, 27, 28, 33, 34;
two artistic efforts, 28-33;
writes "Aunt Mary Matilda" series, 35, 36;
character of his letters, 45;
sends letters and poems to Slason Thompson, 47-58, 65-70, 77-105;
dines at Thompson's expense, 53-55;
dedicates two ballads to "The Fair Unknown," 59-64;
his interest in baseball, 71-73;
participates in the game of bowling, 73-76;
describes a ball game, 77, 78, 80;
plays a practical joke, 80, 81;
verses to two of his friends, 82-84;
celebrates Mrs. Morgan Bates' birthday, 84-80;
his first appearance as a reader, 101, 102;
discusses pronunciation of Goethe's name, 102;
induces Miss Cleveland to retire from an editorship, 105, 106;
publishes his first book, 107;
description of "Culture's Garland," 108-114;
resolves to master prose writing, 114, 115;
writes a column of verse a day, 116-120;
origin of "Little Boy Blue," 121;
contributions to America, 122;
invents "The Shadwell Folio," 122-129;
proposes to privately publish two books of his verses and tales,
130, 131;
responses to his appeal, 131-133;
publishes his "Little Books," 133-137;
his struggle with dyspepsia, 138;
writes to E.D. Cowen concerning his proposed visit to Europe, 139-
142;
and to Melvin L. Gray, 143, 144;
arrives in London, 144-146;
tells a story on James Whitcomb Riley, 147, 148;
places his children in school, 148, 149;
writes to Mr. Gray of his life in London, 149-153;
tells yarns to Mrs. Humphry Ward, 153-155;
publication of the limited edition of "Echoes from the Sabine
Farm," 155-157, 165, 166;
collects rarities, 158;
death of his eldest son, 159-161;
his return to Chicago, 161;
prepares other books for publication, 162, 163;
describes burial of his son, 163, 164;
ill-health, 166;
writes Christmas stories, 166-168;
becomes a bibliomaniac, 169-171;
frequents McClurg's store, 171;
originates the "Saints' and Sinners' Corner," 173-175;
his relations with William F. Poole, 175-177;
saves a coveted book, 178;
reports two imaginary meetings in the "Saints' and Sinners' Corner,"
179-190;
his theory regarding the buying of curios, 190-192;
entertains the Saints and Sinners, 193-197;
his politics, 198-201;
his skill in writing political paragraphs, 202, 266;
specimens of his political writings, 203-207;
embarrasses a politician, 208, 209;
plays pranks on General Logan, 209-212;
assists General Logan, 213, 214;
lampoons Judge Tree, 214-217;
ridicules the Mugwumps, 218-222;
becomes a Democrat, 221, 222;
unburdens his feelings upon the subject of his political
martyrdom, 223-229;
describes M.E. Stone before and after Blaine's defeat, 224-226;
writes a parody on "Jest 'fore Christmas," 229, 231;
his description of politics and business in a country store, 231-233;
his whimsical attitude toward serious questions, 233;
demands for biographical data concerning himself, 234, 235;
the result, "An Auto-Analysis," 235-240;
inaccuracy of his statements, 240-242;
his favorite authors, 242, 243;
his aversion to brutality, 244;
his love of music, 244, 245;
starts to write a comic opera, 246-251;
his tobacco habit, 252-254;
love of children, 254-258;
interviewed by Hamlin Garland, 259, 260;
becomes aware of his failing health, 262-264;
his struggle to provide for his family, 264;
reads in public, 265;
affected by beautiful weather, 266, 277;
enjoys the World's Fair, 267, 268;
his desire to own a home, 269-271;
recovers from pneumonia, 271;
visits California, 272-276;
and New Orleans, 276-278;
embarrasses Miss Jeffries, 277, 278;
letters to Mr. Gray, 278-290;
buys and remodels a house, 281-283;
delayed by repairs from taking possession of his new home, 284-286;
experiments with gardening, 286, 287;
describes his home, 287-289;
entertains Edward Everett Hale, 291-293;
his desire to lead a more quiet life, 293-296;
his strange collection of curios, 297-301;
his autographs and books, 301;
his taste in jewelry, 301, 302;
stays at home, 302-304;
gathers material for "The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac," 305,
306;
specimens of his later paragraphs, 306, 307;
spends an evening with Slason Thompson, 307, 308;
defends "Bill" Nye, 309;
feels sick, 310, 311;
his death, 311-313;
a true knight, 314;
his religion, 315;
his funeral, 316, 317;
tributes by his friends, 314-320;
his resting-place, 319, 320;
reviews of two imaginary books, 321-340
Field, Eugene, letters of,
to William C. Buskett, ii., 161, 162;
to E.D. Cowen, 119, 120, 130-142, 144-146, 148, 149, 158, 159;
to R.L. Dawson, 101, 102;
to Mrs. Earle, i., 56;
to Melvin L. Gray, 120; ii., 118, 119, 143, 144, 149-153, 162-165,
166, 270, 274, 278-290;
to Edith Long, i., 64, 65;
to Collins Shackelford, 217;
to Miss Thompson, ii., 27, 28, 33, 34;
to Slason Thompson, 47-58, 63-70, 77-105
Field, Henry, appreciates Field's artistic efforts, ii., 22
Field, General Martin, grandfather of Eugene Field, i., 2;
letter to daughter Mary, 8, 9;
troubles with sons, 4-8
Field, Mary, aunt of Eugene Field, i., 5, 8, 9;
assumes care of Eugene and Roswell Field, 53;
description of, 54;
lives with Eugene Field, 113
Field, Roswell Martin, father of Eugene Field, birth-place and
parentage, i., 2;
brother Charles, 4, 5, 9;
education, 5, 9, 10;
sister Mary, 8, 9;
practices law, 10, 11;
accomplishments, 11;
first love-affair, 13-22;
secretly married, 23-33;
marriage annulled, 33, 34;
emigrates to Missouri, 35;
opinions on slavery, 37;
defends Dred Scott, 37-44;
tributes by his associates, 45-47;
marries Miss Frances Reed, 49;
children, 49, 50;
death of, 84;
memoir of, by his brother, ii., 262, 263
Field, Roswell Martin, Jr., brother of Eugene Field, birth, i., 50;
early education, 54-60;
student at University of Missouri, 85-86;
advice from father concerning property, 111;
his "Memory of Eugene Field," ii., 1;
wishes to leave Kansas City, 142;
contributes part of "Echoes from the Sabine Farm," 157, 162;
becomes editorial writer on Times-Herald, 290
Fiske, John, his imaginary autobiography, ii., 238;
his death, 238, 239
"First Christmas Tree, The," ii., 102
Florence, William, a friend of Eugene Field, i., 230;
his meeting with Capel, 231;
his love of good living, 232-235
"For the Little Folks," i., 147
Forrest, Edwin, i., 95, 96
French, Mary Field, i., 8, 9
"Funny Fancies," i., 130, 134
Garland, Hamlin, i., 155;
reports an imaginary conversation with Field, ii., 259, 260
Gaston, George, i., 137, 138
"George Millard is Home!" ii., 172, 173
Gilbert, William S., receives credit for Field's "April Vespers,"
i., 129
"Golden Week, The," ii., 117, 129
"Good Knight and His Lady," i., 121-124
"Good Knight and the Fair Unknown, The," ii., 59
"Good Knight's Diplomacy," ii., 45, 46
"Good Knight to Sir Slosson, The," ii., 3, 4
"Good Sir Slosson's Episode with the Garrulous Sir Barbour, The,"
ii., 50, 51
Gray, Mrs. Melvin L., i., 71, 92, 03, 103; ii., 274
Gray, Melvin L., i., 92-94, 99;
financial difficulties with Field, 116, 117;
letters from Field, 120;
ii., 118, 119, 143, 144, 149-153, 162-163, 166, 270, 274, 278-290;
assists Field to buy a home, 281 _et seq._
Greene, Clay M., i., 203
Griffin, Solomon B., describes Field at Williams, i., 82, 83
Gunsaulus, Rev. Frank W., ii., 173;
describes the "Saints' and Sinners' Corner," 178;
writes for the "Sharps and Flats" column, 305;
tribute to Eugene Field, 317
Hale, Edward Everett, entertained by Field, ii., 291, 292
Hall, Rev. Thomas C., ii., 316
Hamilton, Judge Alexander, i., 40, 41
Harrison, Alice, i., 249, 250
Hawkins, Willis, i., 282;
bowls with Field, ii., 74, 76;
attends ball game with Field, 77, 78
Hawthorne, Julian, writes introduction for "Culture's Garland," ii.,
110, 112
Hayes, Mrs. Rutherford B., admired by Field, i., 310
Hayes, Rutherford B., exposed by Field, i., 309
Head, Franklin II., his imaginary book reviewed by Field, ii., 321-331
"Holy Cross and Other Tales, The," ii., 265
Hopkins, President Mark, i., 79
"House, The," ii., 281, 282
"How Mary Matilda Won a Prince," ii., 35-43
"How the Good Knight Attended Upon Sir Slosson," ii., 62-64
"How the Good Knight Protected Sir Slosson's Credit," ii., 53, 54
Howells, William Dean, i., 134
Hull, Paul, i., 282
"Hushaby Song, A," 254, 255
Irving, Sir Henry,
his tribute to Eugene Field, i., 263;
mimicked by Field, 263, 264
James, Henry, i., 134
Jefferson, Joseph, i., 230;
relates a story about William J. Florence, 234, 235
Jeffries, Miss Maude, embarrassed by one of Field's jokes, ii., 276-278
"Jest 'fore Election," a parody, ii., 229-231
Jewett, Miss Sara, i., 260
Joy, Major Moses, i., 24
Joyce, Colonel John A., i., 326-328
Kelley, Michael J., star of the Chicago Baseball Club, ii., 71-73
Kellog, Esther Smith, grandmother of Eugene Field, i., 2;
character, 57;
picture of, by Eugene Field, 57-59
Larned, Walter Cranston,
describes the Walters gallery, ii., 16-21;
Field reproduces his descriptions in colored inks, 18-21;
presented with a work of art, 22
Lathrop, Barbour, ii., 51
Lawson, Victor F., i., 185, 186; ii., 132;
acquires control of the Morning and Daily News, 222
"Little Book of Profitable Tales, A," i., 316;
concerning publication of, ii., 130-137
"Little Book of Western Verse, A," i., 8, 93, 112, 157, 317, 337; ii., 1;
concerning publication of, 130-137, 147
"Little Boy Blue," ii., 112;
origin of, 121
"Little Peach, The," i., 139-141
Livingstone, John B.,
accounts for title of "Sharps and Flats," i., 201-203
Logan, General John A.,
victim of Field's pranks, ii., 209-212;
"The Spy," 210, 211;
"Logan's Lament," 212;
aided by Field, 213-216;
re-elected to the Senate, 216
Londoner, Wolfe, describes Field, i., 175, 176;
victimized by Field, 176-179;
story of his meeting with Charles A. Dana, 179, 180
"Lonesome Little Shoe, The," title-page of, ii., 35
Long, Edith, letter to Eugene Field, i., 63, 64;
reply to same, 64, 65
"Lost Schooner, The," ii., 127, 128
"Lost Sheep, The," il., 324
"Love and Laughter," i., 326
"Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac, The," i., 317; ii., 305
"Love Plaint," i., 228, 220
"Love Songs of Childhood," ii., 265, 278, 280
"Lyrics of a Convalescent," ii., 276
McClurg, General A.C., ii., 56;
knowledge of rare books, 172;
disapproves of "Culture's Garland," 174, 175;
as a Mugwump, 218-220
McClurg, A.C., & Co.'s bookstore, i., 275; ii., 56;
gutted by fire, 177, 178
MacKenzie, Sir Morell, prescribes for William Florence, i., 233
McLean, Sally Pratt, alleged author of "The Lost Sheep," i., 324, 325
McPhelim, Edward J., ii., 4
MacVeagh, Franklin, ii., 218
"Maecenas," i., 285, 286
"Margaret, a Pearl," ii., 115
"Markessy di Pullman," ii., 112
"Marthy's Younkit," ii., 117;
dedicated to E. D. Cowen, 141
Mason, David H., his small handwriting, ii., 15, 16
"Merciful Lad, The," ii., 113, 114
"Mikado, The," i., 249, 250
Millard, George M., ii., 171, 172;
"George Millard is Home!" 172, 173
Modjeska, Madame, i., 154;
her attitude toward "The Wanderer." 156, 157;
her friendship with Field, 242, 249;
"To Helena Modjeska," 246, 247
Moon, Mrs. Temperance, i., 50
Morgan, Edward B., gives origin of "Odds and Ends," i., 146, 147
Morris, Clara, in "Camille," i., 243
"Mortality," i., 332
"Mountain and the Sea," ii., 115, 202
"Mr. Peattie's Cape," ii., 82
"New Baby, The," i., 128
Newfane, village of, i., 2-4
"Night Wind, The," ii., 308
Nilsson, Christine, meets Eugene Field, i., 224-227
"Noontide Hymn, A," ii., 245
Norton, Colonel J.S.,
a victim of Field, i., 320;
"To Eugene Field," 323;
makes a presentation speech, ii., 22
Nye, "Bill,"
meets Eugene Field, i., 159-161; ii., 265;
defended by Field, 309
"Old English Lullaby," ii., 129
"Old Sexton," i., 113
"Ossian's Serenade," i., 114
"Our Two Opinions," i., 267
Peattie, Mr. and Mrs. Robert, objects of a practical joke, ii., 80, 81;
verses to, 82, 83
"Penn Yan Bill," i., 112
"Piteous Appeal of a Forsooken Habbit, Ye," ii., 2, 121
Plumbe, George E., i., 212
Poole, William F., i., 212;
his relations with Field, ii., 175-177
"'Possum Jim," i., 167, 169
"Proposed Cure for Bibliomania," ii., 182-190
Ralph, Julian, describes Field's curios, ii., 298
Ranney, Mrs. Deacon, i., 58
Reed, Miss Frances, i., 49
Reed, Roland, i., 240
"Reform," ii., 199, 200
Reid, Whitelaw, ii., 132
Reilly, Dr. Frank W., becomes a helpful friend to Field, i., 279, 280;
benefits Illinois, 281;
his accomplishments 283-285;
"To Dr. Frank W. Riley," 289, 290;
"To F.W.R. at 6 P.M.," 293;
Field complains of, ii., 86, 88
"Return of the Highlander, The," ii., 83, 84
Rice, John A., i., 263
Riley, James Whitcomb, Field tells a story at his expense, ii.,
147, 148;
reads with Field, 265
"Robin and the Violet, The," i., 317; ii., 102
Robson, Stuart, ii., 132
"Rose, The," ii., 106
Rothacker, O.H., editor of Denver Tribune, i., 144, 189
Russell, Sol Smith, one of Field's best friends, i., 264;
his mimicry, i., 265, 266, 292
St. Joseph Gazette, i., 114
St. Louis, Field's father dies in, i., 84;
Field's home, 91-98, 112
"Saints' and Sinners' Corner," origin of, ii., 173-175;
described, 178;
description of entertainment given by Field, 193-197
Sandford, Alexander, i., 41
Schurz, Carl, misreported by Field, 131, 132
Sclanders, J.L., i., 218
Scott, Dred, statement of his case, i., 38;
first petition to the Circuit Court, 39, 40;
complaint against Alexander Sandford and others, 41, 42;
Justice Taney's decision, 42, 43
"Second Book of Verse," i., 53; ii., 264
"Seein' Things," i., 153
Sembrich, Madame, a favorite of Field, i., 251;
her genius and accomplishments, 252, 253
Shackelford, Collins, i., 217;
wheedled into advancing money to Field, ii., 7-9
"Shadwell Folio, The," ii., 122-129
"Sharps and Flats," i., 53, 97, 114;
beginning and origin of, 201-203;
mention of William Crane, 235, 240;
ii., 56, 119, 254
"Singer Mother, The," i., 255, 256
Skiff, Fred V., i., 144;
advances money to Field, 162;
subscribes to the "Little Books," ii., 132
Smith, Harry B, ii., 250
"Songs and Other Verse," ii., 129
"Sonnet to Shekelsford, A," ii., 8
"Souvenirs from Egypt," ii., 179-182
"Statesman's Sorrow, A," ii., 231-233
Stedman, Edmund Clarence, writes an appreciation of Eugene Field, i.,
340, 341;
visits Chicago, 341-345
Stevenson, Adlai, ii., 207, 288
Stone, Melvin B., establishes the Chicago Daily News, i., 185, 186;
first meeting with Field, 187;
offers Field a position, 188;
accounts for "Sharps and Flats," 203;
a Mugwump, ii., 218-220;
retires from the Daily News, 222;
described before and after Blaine's defeat, 224-226;
bears expense of painting Field's house, 288
Stryker. Rev. M. Woolsey, ii., 173
"Symbol and the Salut, The," ii., 167
Taney, Chief Justice, decision in Dred Scott case, i., 37, 38, 42, 43
"Ten Years of a Song Bird: Memoirs of a Busy Life," ii., 321, 332-340
Terry, Ellen, i., 264
"The Eugene Field I Knew," i., 96
Thompson, Mary Matilda, receives illuminated letters from Field, ii.,
27, 28, 33, 34;
"How Mary Matilda Won a Prince," dedicated to, 36
Thompson, Mrs., i., 156
Thompson, Slason, personal relations with Field, ii., 1-14;
his marriage, 1, 2, 120;
bombarded with postal-cards, 9-12;
receives a Christmas stocking, 12-14;
his rooms pictured by Field, 28-31;
letters and poems from Field, 47-58, 65-70;
publishes "The Humbler Poets," 56;
receives twelve more letters from Field, 77-105;
retires from The Daily News to join America, 121;
letters from John Wilson & Son concerning publication of Field's
"Little Books," 133-136;
receives two letters from Francis Wilson about publication
of "Echoes from the Sabine Farm," 153-157;
a Mugwump, 218-220;
his last evening with Field, 307, 308
Thorne, Charles H., Jr., i., 260
Ticknor & Co., ii., 107
Tilden, S.J., ii., 253
"To a Blue Jay," i., 334-336
"To Clara Doty Bates," ii., 85, 86
Todd, Charles S., ii., 319
Tree, Judge Lambert, lampooned by Field, ii., 214-217
"Tribune Primer," i., 146;
not Field's first book, ii., 107
"Tribute of the Thrush, The," ii., 320
Tufts, Rev. James, i., 54;
educates Eugene Field, i., 73-78
"Valentine, A," ii., 129
"Vision of the Holy Grail, The," i., 333
Walters Gallery, The, described, ii., 16-21
"Wanderer, The," i., 154-157
Ward, Mrs. Humphry, believes two of Field's yarns, ii., 153-155
Warner, Charles Dudley, i., 134
Waterloo, Stanley, i., 98
"Werewolf, The," ii., 115
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, involved in a controversy over "Love and
Laughter," i., 326-328
Wilde, Oscar, impersonated by Field, i., 171, 172
Wilson, Francis, i., 96, 148;
made fun of, 229, 230;
issues "Echoes from the Sabine Farm," ii., 155-157, 165, 166;
buys Sir Walter Scott's chair, 190, 191
Wilson & Son, John, letters to Slason Thompson concerning Field's
"Little Books," ii., 133-136
"Winfreda," ii., 129
"Wit of the Silurian Age," i., 291
"With Trumpet and Drum," ii., 264
Wood, Mrs. Hanna, i., 24, 25
"Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," ii., 116
"Yvytot," ii., 146, 147
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