Eugene Field, a Study in Heredity and Contradictions Volume II Part 4

came the following poem, ent.i.tled:

THE GOOD SIR SLOSSON'S EPISODE WITH THE GARRULOUS SIR BARBOUR Sir Slosson and companions three- With hearts that reeked with careless glee- Strode down the golden sand, And pausing on the pebbly sh.o.r.e, They heard the sullen, solemn roar Of surf on every hand.

Then Lady Florence said "I ween"- "Nay, 'tis not half so grand a scene,"

Sir Barbour quickly cried, "As you may see in my fair state, Where swings the well-greased golden gate Above the foamy tide."

Sir Slosson quoth, "In very sooth"- "Nay, say not so, impetuous youth,"

Sir Barbour made his boast: "This northern breeze will not compare With that delicious perfumed air Which broods upon our coast."

Then Lady Helen fain would say Her word, but in his restless way Sir Barbour nipped that word; The other three were dumb perforce- Except Sir Barbour's glib discourse, No human sound was heard.

And even that majestic roar Of breakers on the northern sh.o.r.e Sank to a murmur low; The winds recoiled and cried, "I' sooth, Until we heard this 'Frisco youth, We reckoned we could blow!"

Sir Slosson paled with pent-up ire- His eyes emitted fitful fire- With rage his blood congealed; Yet, exercising sweet restraint, He swore no vow and breathed no plaint- But pined for Good Old Field.

The ladies, too, we dare to say, (If they survived that fateful day), Eschew all 'Frisco men, Who, as perchance you have inferred, Won't let a person get a word In edgewise now and then.

The subject of the good-natured and clever satire was our mutual friend, Barbour Lathrop, with whom I had been a.s.sociated in journalism in San Francisco and who is famous from the Bohemian Club literally around the globe and in many of its most out-of-the-way islands as a most entertaining, albeit incessant, story-teller and conversationalist. Pretty nearly all subjects that interest humanity have engaged his attention. He could no more rest from travel than Ulysses; and he brought to those he a.s.sociated with all the fruits that faring forth in strange lands could give to a mind singularly alert for education and experience under any and all conditions. His fondness for monologue frequently exposed him to raillery, like the above, in the column where Field daily held a monopoly of table talk.

But the episode with the "Garrulous Sir Barbour" was not the rhyme of chief interest (to Field and me) forwarded by "this courier."

This was confided to a third envelope even more elaborately addressed and embellished than either of the others, as follows:

For the valorous, joyous, Triumphant and Glorious Knight, The ever gentle and Courteous Flower of Chivalry, Cream of Knight Errantry and Pole Star of Manly virtues, Sir Slosson Thompson, who doth for the nonce sojourn at Mackinac Island, Michigan,

Where under the guise of a lone Fisherman he is regaled with sumptuous cheer and divers rejoicings, wherein he doth right merrily disport.

The rhyme under this cover in which the impecunious knight did not "overpraise" himself bore the t.i.tle "How the Good Knight protected Sir Slosson's Credit," and was well calculated to fill me with forebodings. It ran in this wise:

One midnight hour, Sir Ballantyne Addressed Old Field: "Good comrade mine, The times i' faith are drear; Since you have not a son to spend I would to G.o.d our generous friend Sir Slosson now were here!"

Then spake the Impecunious Knight, Regardful of his piteous plight: "Odds bobs, you say the truth; For since our friend has gone away, It doth devolve on thee to pay- Else would I starve i' sooth."

Emerging from their lofty lair This much bereaved but worthy pair Proceeded unto Boyle's, Agreed that b.u.t.tered toast would do.

Although they were accustomed to The choicest roasts and broils.

"Heyday, sir knights," a varlet cried ('Twas Charlie, famous far and wide As Boyle's devoted squire); "Sir Slosson telegraphs me to Deliver straightway unto you Whatever you desire."

The knights with radiant features saw The message dated Mackinaw- Then ordered sumptuous cheer; Two dollars' worth, at least, they "cheered"

While from his counter Charlie leered An instigating leer.

I wot poor Charlie did not dream The telegram was but a scheme To mulct Sir Slosson's pelf; For in the absence of his friend The Honest Knight made bold to send That telegram himself.

Oh, honest Field I to keep aright The credit of an absent Knight- And undefiled his name!

Upon such service for thy friends Such knightly courtesies depends Thy everlasting fame!

Two days later I received a postal written in a disguised hand by Ballantyne, I think, and purporting to come from "Charlie," showing the progress of the conspiracy to mulct Sir Slosson's pelf. It read:

FRIEND THOMPSON,

Fields and Ballantyne gave me the telegram tonight ordering one supper. But they have been eating all the week at your expense. Is it all right?

Yours,

CHAS. BURKEY.

And by the same mail came this comforting epistle from the arch conspirator:

CHICAGO, July the 22d, 1885.

DEAR SIR KNIGHT:

I have been too busy to reply to your many kind letters before this. On receipt of your telegram last night, we went to Boyle's and had sumptuous cheer at your expense. Charlie has begun to demur, and intends to write you a letter. Browne wrote me a note the other day. I enclose it to you. Please keep it for me. I hope your work will pan out more successfully.

I had a long talk with Stone to-night, and churned him up about the paper. He agreed with me in nearly all particulars. He is going to fire W-- when D-- goes (August 1). He said, "I am going to have a lively shaking up at that time." One important change I am not at liberty to specify, but you will approve it. By the way, Stone spoke very highly of you and your work. It would be safe for you to strike him on the salary question as soon as you please. The weather is oppressively warm. Things run along about so so in the office. Hawkins told me he woke up the other night, and could not go to sleep again till he had sung a song. The Dutch girls at Henrici's inquire tenderly for you.... Hastily yours,

EUGENE FIELD.

The note from Mr. Browne here mentioned related to the proposed publication of a collection of Field's verse and stories. The Browne was Francis F., for a long time editor of The Dial, and at that time holding the position of princ.i.p.al reader for A.C. McClurg & Co. As I remember, Mr. Browne was favorably disposed toward putting out a volume of Field's writings, but General McClurg was not enamoured of the breezy sort of personal persiflage with which Field's name was then chiefly a.s.sociated. This was several years before Field made the Saints' and Sinners' Corner in McClurg's Chicago book-store famous throughout the bibliomaniac world by fict.i.tious reports relating to it printed occasionally in his "Sharps and Flats" column. It was not until 1893 that McClurg & Co. published any of Field's writings.

My work to which Field refers was the collection of newspaper and periodical verse ent.i.tled "The Humbler Poets," which McClurg & Co. subsequently published.

Enclosed in the letter of July 22d was the following characteristic account, conveying the impression that while he was willing to waste all the resources of his colored inks and literary ingenuity on our friendship, I must pay the freight. I think he had a superst.i.tion that it would cause a flaw in his t.i.tle of "The Good Knight, sans peur et sans monnaie" if he were to add the price of a two-cent postage stamp to that waste.

A STAMP ACCOUNT.

Mr. Slosson Thompson.

to Eugene Field, Dr.

To 4 stamps at 2 cts - July 20 - .08 To 1 stamp - July 22 - .02 Total .10 Please remit.

Shortly after my return from Mackinac, Field presented me with the following verses, enlivened with several drawings in colors, ent.i.tled "An Echo from Mackinac Island, August, 1885":

I.

A Thompson went rowing out into the strait- Out into the strait in the early morn; His step was light and his brow elate, And his shirt was as new as the day just born.

His brow was cool and his breath was free, And his hands were soft as a lady's hands, And a song of the booming waves sang he As he launched his bark from the golden sands.

The grayling chuckled a hoa.r.s.e "ha-ha,"

And the Cisco t.i.ttered a rude "he-he"- But the Thompson merrily sang "tra-la"

As his bark bounced over the Northern Sea.

II.

A Thompson came bobbling back into the bay- Back into the bay as the Sun sank low, And the people knew there was h.e.l.l to pay, For HE wasn't the first who had come back so.

His nose was skinned and his spine was sore, And the blisters speckled his hands so white- He had lost his hat and had dropped an oar, And his bosom-shirt was a sad sea sight.

And the grayling chuckled again "ha-ha,"

And the Cisco t.i.ttered a harsh "ho-ho"- But the Thompson anch.o.r.ed furninst a bar And called for a schooner to drown his woe.

During the fall of 1885 I was again sent East on some political work that took me to Saratoga and New York. As usual, Field was unremitting in his epistolary attentions with which I will not weary the reader. But on the journey back from New York they afforded entertainment and almost excited the commiseration of a young lady travelling home under my escort. When we reached Chicago I casually remarked that if she was so moved by Field's financial straits I would take pleasure in conveying as much truage to the impecunious knight as would provide him with b.u.t.tered toast, coffee, and pie at Henrici's. She accordingly entrusted me with a quarter of a dollar, which I was to deliver with every a.s.surance of her esteem and sympathy. As I was pledged not to reveal the donor's name, this tribute of silver provided Field with another character, whom he named "The Fair Unknown," and to whom he indited several touching ballads, of which the first was:

THE GOOD KNIGHT AND THE FAIR UNKNOWN Now, once when this good knight was broke And all his chattels were in soak, The brave Sir Thompson came And saith: "I' faith accept this loan Of silver from a fair unknown- But do not ask her name!"

The Good Knight dropped his wa.s.sail cup And took the proffered bauble up, And cautiously he bit Its surface, but it would not yield, Which did convince the grand old Field It was not counterfeit.

Then quoth the Good Knight, as he wept: "Soothly this boon I must accept, Else would I sore offend The doer of this timely deed, The nymph who would allay my need- My fair but unknown friend.

"But take to her, O gallant knight, This signet with my solemn plight To seek her presence straight, When varlets or a caitiff crew Resolved some evil deed to do- Besiege her castle gate.

"Then when her faithful squire shall bring To him who sent this signet ring Invoking aid of me- Lo, by my faith, with this good sword Will I disperse the base-born horde And set the princess free!

"And yet, Sir Thompson, if I send This signet to my unknown friend, I jeopardize my life; For this fair signet which you see, Odds bobs, doth not belong to me, But to my brawny wife!

"I should not risk so sweet a thing As my salvation for a ring, And all through jealous spite!

Haste to the fair unknown and say You lost the ring upon the way- Come, there's a courteous Knight!"

Eftsoons he spake, the Good Knight drew His visor down, and waving to Sir Thompson fond farewell, He leapt upon his courser fleet And crossed the drawbridge to the street Which was ycleped La Salle.

Another bit of verse was inspired by this incident which is worth preserving: One night I was dining at the house of a friend on the North Side where the "Fair Unknown" was one of the company-a fact of which Field only became possessed when I left the office late in the afternoon. The dinner had not progressed quite to the withdrawal of the ladies when, with some confusion, one of the waiting-men brought in and gave to me a large packet from the office marked "Personal; deliver at once." Thinking it had something to do with work for the Morning News, I asked to be excused and hastily tore the enclosure open. One glance was enough to disclose its nature. It was a poem from Field, neatly arranged in the form of a pamphlet, with an ill.u.s.tration by Sclanders. The outside, which was in the form of a t.i.tle page, ran thus:

HOW THE GOOD KNIGHT ATTENDED UPON SIR SLOSSON:

BEING A WOEFUL TALE OF THE MOST JOYOUS AND DIVERTING DAYS