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Show SORRY TOR HIS COUSIN". A Story Credited to Eugene Field. (New York Times.) In the last months of hia life Eugene Field was an lnvatid and suffered particularly par-ticularly and abnormally from . anything any-thing like cold weather. Upon his doctor's doc-tor's advice he went to California and visited a cousin, Henry Field, who lived at Alameda, near San Francisco. While there he heard daily the usual glorification glori-fication of the splendid climate of California, Cali-fornia, but in his extremely sensitive condition did not take kindly to it. One morning he came down to the breakfast tabie looking the picture of despair. "I had a terrible dream last night," he said, addressing Mrs. Henry Field. "You must not tell it before breakfast," break-fast," she replied; "it is bad luck." "Oh, well," said Field, "it might have been worse. "I dreamed that Henry, your husband, had died, and when he approached the gates of heaven he found St. Peter sitting there with the key and the great book. As he was about to enter the pearly gates he was stopped and St. Peter announced that before he entered there must be an investigation in-vestigation to "see whether his name was in the great book or not. 'But who are you?' asked St. Peter. ' 'My name is Field.' " 'Oh, Eugene Field! Well, walk right in.' " 'No, unfortunately, not Eugene Field, but a cousin of his Henry Field.' " 'Well, then,' said St. Peter, 'I must examine the book.' And rafter an inspection, in-spection, he said: 'I am sorry, Mr. Field, but I do not find your name here, and you cannot enter. You must go below. "And so he scuttled away and went down below. There he found the guardian with cloven hoofs and all dressed in red. He was about to push his way in without ceremony when he was stopped, and this guardian also said: 'I must know whether your name is on our book before you can enter. " "But it surely is,' said Field. "I was refused admission up above and I must go in here.' " 'No; said his Satanic Majesty, after aft-er examining his register; 'I don't find it.' " 'Great heavens!' said Field, 'must I go back and live in Alameda?'" |