Eugene Field was born in St. Louis, but he spent most of his boyhood in New England. After college he went into newspaper work and worked in several cities. All the later years of his life he was with the Chicago Morning News.
Field wrote many kinds of things well— stories, essays, poems. It is no wonder that he wrote especially well for children, for he had seven children of his own. He was very fond of them. The top of his desk was almost sure to have several of their toys on it—often broken ones.
Field did not live to see his children grow up. He died when he was only 45. He was so well liked that thousands of people felt that they had lost a friend.
