Dr. Frank W. Reilly, to whom Field not only owed his vitalized familiarity with Horace, "Prout," and "Kit North," but that superficial knowledge of medical terms of which he made such constant and effective use throughout his writings, has also placed me under many obligations for data and advice. To these and the others whose names are freely sprinkled through this study I wish to make fitting acknowledgment of my many obligations, and I trust the reader will share my grateful sentiments wherever the faithful quotation marks remind him that such is their due. SLASON THOMPSON. CHICAGO, September 30th, 1901. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. PEDIGREE 1 II. HIS FATHER'S FIRST LOVE-AFFAIR 13 III. THE DRED SCOTT CASE 36 IV. BIRTH AND EARLY YOUTH 49 V. EDUCATION 73 VI. CHOICE OF A PROFESSION 91 VII. MARRIAGE AND EARLY DOMESTIC LIFE 103 VIII. EARLY EXPERIENCES IN JOURNALISM 126 IX. IN DENVER, 1881-1883 143 X. ANECDOTES OF LIFE IN DENVER 158 XI. COMING TO CHICAGO 183 XII. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 206 XIII. RELATIONS WITH STAGE FOLK 224 XIV. BEGINNING OF HIS LITERARY EDUCATION 271 XV. METHOD OF WORK 294 XVI. NATURE OF HIS DAILY WORK 314 ILLUSTRATIONS PORTRAIT OF EUGENE FIELD IN 1885 _Frontispiece_ _Photogravure._ DRAWINGS AND FAC-SIMILES PAGE "THE PEAR" IN FIELD'S GREEK TEXT 140 DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL COUNCIL OF WAR 213 _From a drawing by Eugene Field._ COMMODORE CRANE 236 _From a drawing by Eugene Field._ FIELD WITNESSING MODJESKA AS CAMILLE 244 _From a drawing by Eugene Field._ TWO PROFILES OF EUGENE FIELD 247 _The upper one drawn in pencil by Field himself; the lower one drawn by Modjeska. Reproduced from a flyleaf of Mrs. Thompson's volume of autograph verse._ A BAR OF MUSIC 295 _Written by Eugene Field._ TWO GOOD KNIGHTS AT FEAST 297 _From a drawing by Eugene Field._ HALF-TONE PLATES FACING PAGE GENERAL MARTIN FIELD 6 _Eugene Field's Grandfather._ ESTHER S. FIELD 10 _Eugene Field's Grandmother._ ROSWELL MARTIN FIELD 18 _Eugene Field's Father._