Show answered james T fields the boston publisher had a good memory and his knowledge of english literature was well known to be both accurate and extensive an exchange relates an amusing story of a would be wit who once tried to entrap him the the incident occurred at a dinner party part y before mr fields arrival one of the gentlemen gentgen gent men informed other guests that he be had written some lines which lie he intended to submit to mr fielis fields as Sou theys and to ask in which of that authors works they could be found at a lull in the conver conversation aaion after the dinner was in progress ress the would be wit began mr fields I 1 have been somewhat puzzled of lato late in searching out in mouths sout 1 lity lit y s poems his well known lines running ri nning thus repeating the lines he had composed can you vou tell me when lie v rote them rind and v where here thov they are to be found I 1 1 I do not rf renumber mt aber to have met I 1 N ith them before replied the publisher r 1 and an thern were only two periods in Sou theys life when such buch lines line s could 1 have been written by him when hen w arp choso ann somewhere here aia a i mr fields about that e arly perio peno i of his existence when he was nas having ht or cutting cuttin K his firt teeth r ner ohp close of hi his si I 1 life wh when cn his brain was softened the 1 versification antones intones to the measles I 1 period but the ideas betray the idiotic I 1 I 1 one the company roared |