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A Little Book of Profitable Tales by Field, Eugene, 1850-1895
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A word from our supporters: File extension WIM | Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Sheila Vogtmann and PG Distributed Proofreaders [Transcriber's notes: _ before and after a word or phrase indicate italics, + indicate bolded text] THE WRITINGS IN PROSE AND VERSE OF EUGENE FIELD A LITTLE BOOK OF PROFITABLE TALES NEW YORK 1901 By EUGENE FIELD. TO MY SEVEREST CRITIC, MY MOST LOYAL ADMIRER, AND MY ONLY DAUGHTER, MARY FRENCH FIELD, THIS LITTLE BOOK OF PROFITABLE TALES IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. E.F. INTRODUCTION I have never read a poem by Mr. Field without feeling personally drawn to the author. Long after I had known him as a poet, I found that he had written in prose little scraps or long essays, which had attracted me in just the same way, when I had met with them in the newspapers, although I had not known who the author was. All that he writes indeed is quite free from the conventionalisms to which authorship as a profession is sadly liable. Because he is free from them, you read his poems or you read his prose, and are affected as if you met him. If you were riding in a Pullman car with him, or if you were talking with him at breakfast over your coffee, he would say just such things in just this way. If he had any art, it was the art of concealing art. But I do not think that he thought much of art. I do not think that he cared much for what people say about criticism or style. He wrote as he felt, or as he thought, without troubling himself much about method. It is this simplicity, or what it is the fashion of the day to call frankness, which gives a singular charm to his writing. EDWARD E. HALE. The Tales in this Little Book THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE THE SYMBOL AND THE SAINT THE COMING OF THE PRINCE THE MOUSE AND THE MOONBEAM THE DIVELL'S CHRYSTMASS THE MOUNTAIN AND THE SEA THE ROBIN AND THE VIOLET THE OAK-TREE AND THE IVY MARGARET: A PEARL THE SPRINGTIME RODOLPH AND HIS KING THE HAMPSHIRE HILLS EZRA'S THANKSGIVIN' OUT WEST LUDWIG AND ELOISE FIDO'S LITTLE FRIEND THE OLD MAN BILL, THE LOKIL EDITOR THE LITTLE YALLER BABY THE CYCLOPEEDY DOCK STEBBINS THE FAIRIES OF PESTH +THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE+ THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE Once upon a time the forest was in a great commotion. Early in the evening the wise old cedars had shaken their heads ominously and predicted strange things. They had lived in the forest many, many years; but never had they seen such marvellous sights as were to be seen now in the sky, and upon the hills, and in the distant village. "Pray tell us what you see," pleaded a little vine; "we who are not as tall as you can behold none of these wonderful things. Describe them to us, that we may enjoy them with you." "I am filled with such amazement," said one of the cedars, "that I can hardly speak. The whole sky seems to be aflame, and the stars appear to be dancing among the clouds; angels walk down from heaven to the earth, and enter the village or talk with the shepherds upon the hills." |