I shall never forget, nor would an elaborately colored score by Field permit me, if I would, his chagrin over the result of one of these matches. He and Willis Hawkins had challenged Cowen and me to a tourney, as he called it, of five strings. His record of this "great game of skittles," all figured out by frames, strikes and spares in red, blue, yellow, and green ink, shows the following result:
| Field | 878 | Thompson | 866 |
| Hawkins | 697 | Cowen | 818 |
| 1575 | 1684 |
Only one of the three alleys was fit to roll on, and Field scored 231 and 223 in his turns upon it. The modern experts may be interested in the following details of his high score:
| \ | \ | \ | X | X | X | X | \ | \ | XX |
| 18 | 37 | 57 | 87 | 117 | 144 | 164 | 182 | 202 | 231 |
It will be perceived that Field's score contained six strikes and five spares, which was good rolling on a long and not too carefully planed alley. His average was spoiled by the frames he was forced to roll on the poorer alleys, where all his cunning could not insure a safe passage of his slow delivery on their billowy surfaces. Field's disgust over the result of this game lasted all summer, and Hawkins was never permitted to forget the part he played in the defeat of "the only Bowling King."
A BOWLING CHALLENGE FROM EUGENE FIELD
Who is this graceful, agile king
In proud but modest garb revealed?