Show THE BILL WAS PAID How Eugene Field Recalled an An dent Custom New York Press PressA A friend or the late Eugene Field tells a new one on the poet as follows Before Field was famous as a poet h frequently visited one of the prominent cafes in Chicago In due course of tIme he became acquainted and made frien fast He then joined the fraternity in the evenings would sit in the lobb and tell stories to the men He was interesting and his stories so that they generally would sit there and listen to them until the hour hand of clock had crept around the face to the small hours of the mornIng Everybody began to know the new corner He was the whole show sad considered a highly esteemed erna about the place As time i iran ran an account at the place and sU would have to do when he wanted adrin was to summon a waiter They knew his favorite It happened that Field went bro and having a small bill chalked against his name he thought It would b advisable to make himself about the place until he could py the amount He tried the experiment In the mean meantime time trying to put himself on his again On the first night Fields absence was at once noticed and the men asked each other why Field was away from the circle This was very unusual for any night in the week he could be in the lobby with a number of men elus about him listening to his tales A week passed and no Field Wonder and surprise were expressed and a few ot the members also failed to congregate at the usual meeting place A month and Field More men stay away The proprietor was beginning in inget get alarmed and wondered what the shrinkage in attendance it huzi business Suddenly he became coraM and tried to locate the absentee NiMy had seen Field In a month and no ee knew where to find him His existence was nearly forgotten The proprietor was walking down the street one bright afternoon when he lurk ily bumped into the man who was later to be known as a famous poet Hello there Field Thero von keep keeping ing yourself these days be ed You are never around any more moreField Field gave no answer but simply stared blankly at the ground It that little bill troubling ling you Field admitted that It was wast t Oh dont a little thing like that bother you old man Tho boys are ious to hear your stories and are lone lonesome some without you You come tomorrow and well straighten matters out Before he left Field he made him prom me him that he would be around at the cafe the following evening true to his promise did as the proprietor asked him himAs As he entered the cafe he called Field aside and asked him to stem into the adjoining room The owner went to his desk and after looking over hi books made out a bill billYou You see that he said after record recording ing the last your bill Field looked at him with intense in interest terest I Mr FIeldS you have paid your bill the owner said handing Field a slip of paper with the word Paid written over the face facea a l have paid my bill Mr W Wa a we are square said Field looking longingly over toward the bar its a pretty poor poorhouse house that sot em up when a aman man pays his bill The proprietor quickly and produced the goods admitting that the joke was on |