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Show EUGENE FIELD INTERVIEWED. That Is, He Fired Talk For Nine MInntet at "a Reporter. Eugene Field, the huporous poet, famous fa-mous for his beautiful children's ver3e, I was told, had just come in from Chicago Chi-cago and would be at the Authors' club that night. I reached the Authors' club about 1 0 o'clock and learned that Field bad gone. "Where?" "To Washington." "What train?" "Eleven o'clock. " I was in Jersey City and in that train at 10:50. "Whip out your notebook and write for all you're worth," said Mr. Field, throwing himself and his bag in the seat. "You've only niueminutes. Tims enough, though, for two uneventful biographies bi-ographies like mine. " "Never mind that. You're fond of the quaint and curious, Mr. Field. What'r' your fads, pets and so on?" "Well, listen for your life now. I'm fond of dogs, birds and all small pets. My favorite flower is the carnation. My favorites in fiction are Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter, ' 'Don Quixote' and 'Pilgrim's 'Pil-grim's Progress.' I believe in ghosts, in witches and in fairies. I should like to own a big astronomical telescope and a 24 tune musio box. I adore dolls. I dislike 'politics,' so called. I should like to have the privilege of voting extended ex-tended to women. I am unalterably opposed op-posed to capital punishment. I favor a system of pensions for noble services in literature, art, science, etc. I approve of compulsory education. I believe in churches and schools. I hate wars, armies, ar-mies, soldiers, guns and fireworks. I do not care particularly for sculpture or for painting. I try not to become interested inter-ested in them, for the reason that if I were to cultivate a taste for them I 6hould presently become hopelessly bankrupt. I dislike all exercises, and 1 play games very indifferently. I love to read in bed. I am extravagantly fond of perfumes. My favorite celor is red. I am a poor diner, and I drink no wines or spirits of 'any kind, nor do I smoke tobacco. I dislike crowds, and I abominate abom-inate functions. I am 6 feet in height and have shocking taste in dress, but I like to have well drp.sed people about me. I do not love all children. I have tried to analyze my feelings toward children, and I think I discover that I love them in so far as I can make pets of them. I believe that, if I live, I shall do my best literary work when I am a grandfather. " "And how did you become a humorist, humor-ist, Mr. Field?" I asked, while the porter por-ter besought me with tears in his eyes to leave the train before it started. "Oh, they're not made. They're born. " "All aboard!" And Eugene Field was gone. Demorest's Magazine. |
