Believe me as ever,

  Sincerely yours,

  EUGENE FIELD.

The story of “How Mary Matilda Won a Prince” was the third in what Field called his “Aunt Mary Matilda Series.”  The first of these was “The Lonesome Little Shoe” (see “The Holy Cross and Other Tales” of his collected works), which, after it was printed in the Morning News, was cut out and pasted in a little brown manila pamphlet, with marginal illustrations of the most fantastic nature.  The title page of this precious specimen of Fieldiana is characteristic: 

  THE LONESOME LITTLE SHOE: 

  BEING A WONDERFUL NARRATIVE CULLED FROM
  THE POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF EUGENE FIELD

  1885.

  PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED

  DEDICATED TO AUNT MARY MATILDA’S PRESENT
  AND FUTURE NEPHEWS AND NIECES,
  THEIR HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND ASSIGNEES
  FOREVER

  CANADIAN TRACT SOCIETY

  (COPYRIGHT)

What became of the second of this wonderful series no one knows.  The third, “How Mary Won a Prince,” is the only instance that has come under my notice where Field put any of his compositions in typewriter.  This was done to make the first edition consist of a single copy.  The prince and hero of this romantic tale was our associate, John F. Ballantyne, and the story itself was “Inscribed to the beautiful, accomplished, amiable and ever-to-be-revered, Miss Mary Matilda Thompson, of Frederickton, York County, New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, 1885.”  It was said to be “elegantly illustrated,” of which the reader may judge from the accompanying reproductions.

  HOW MARY MATILDA WON A PRINCE.

A gypsy had told Mary Matilda that she would marry a prince.  This was when Mary Matilda was a little girl.  She had given the gypsy a nice, fresh bun, and the gypsy was so grateful that she said she would tell the little girl’s fortune, so Mary Matilda held out her hand and the old gypsy looked at it very closely.

  “You are very generous,” said the gypsy, “and your generosity will
  cause a prince to fall in love with you; the prince will rescue you
  from a great danger and you will wed the prince.”

  Having uttered these strange words, the gypsy went away and shortly
  after was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary for having
  robbed a hen-roost.

Mary Matilda grew from childhood to be the most beautiful maiden in all the province; none was so beautiful and so witty as she.  Withal she was so amiable and benevolent that all loved her, even those who envied her the transcendent charms with which she was endowed.  As the unfortunate gypsy had predicted, Mary Matilda was the most generous maiden on earth and the fame of her goodness was wide-spread.

Now Mary Matilda had an older brother who had gone to a far-off country to become rich, and to accomplish those great political reforms