The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-05-10
: The Boz, That He Married
I FORTY, Prof. Blackburn was
BY Aaron Mason.


A I FORTY, Prof. Blackburn was
~ the first authority in England
on the women of Shakespeare, yet he
had never had love affair.
It'wa not that he dislilled women;
but they did not interest him. After
Rosalind, they seemed too tame; after
Desdemona, too easily comprehended;
after Portia, utterly undesirable.
If he went out, it was to some meet
ing of Shakespeare club, or to WOO
and win some first edition from Il
grasping bookseller.
So eager was he in his conquests that
he found, at last, that his collection fell
but one volume short of completeness.
and that volume was the impossible
the first Shakespeare.
For that ali edition of Shakespeare's
plays had been published before any of
those yet eNtant seemed probable to
Prof Blackburn; and his patient re-
searches of Elizabethan and Jacobite
records seemed to prove that he was
not mistaken.
"There had BEEN" he reasoned, "a
collection of the plays printed, the
proofs of which had been corrected by
the dramatist himself. Then an order
had come from James court, and the
whole edition had been destroyed, with
the exception of the authors copy"
The professors colleagues pooh
poohed this theory. The more the pro-
fessor argued with them, the broader
their smiles became.
The skeptics were still unconvinced
when the professor took rooms for n
month of the long vacation in the pref
ty village of Wroxham. He wished to
do some botanizing, and the valley near
the river was a fine natural laboratory
for him.
So engrossed was he in his work that
three weeks of his month were gone be-
fore he really knew the people in the
same house with him.
For the same reason he hardly no
ticed the little bookshelf in the darkest
corner of his sitting-room. On it were
a dozen or more volumes, a family
Bible, "Pilgrim's Progress" the ''Holy
War;" and "Butler's Analogy"-titles
which led the professor to guess at the
character OF the others.
In an idle moment one afternoon he
took down the Bishops treatise and
examined the title page. He was sur
prised to find it first edition. He
put the Bishop in his stall and tool,
down the next volume. 1t was an edi
tion of Shakespeare's plays. He had
only opened it when there was raj
on the door.
"Come in," he called with college
brusqueness; and the hostess and hel
daughter stood before him.
"What can do for you, Mrs. Hall 2
he asked
The girl answered for her mother
eve are going our rounds, sir, to visi'
the poor. There are so many old peo
| pie in this parish, and the vicar cam
! do much. We try to help him as VIZ
can. and we thought you might like Il
contribute little to the fund-just ,
little"
| "Would a couple of sovereigns hell
you?" asked the professor, boyishly.
30, thank you'll" said the girl, sur
prised at his generosity. To tell tn,
truth, the professors clothes were I
little seedy.
"Perhaps I mi ght come with you ant
see these happy poor?" he questioned
for the first time in his life. perhaps
paying a woman a compliment.
They all started out across the mea
dows toward the village. She was 81
pretty, this farmers daughter, tha
Prof. Blackburn found her almest in
teresting.
But as she prattled on childishly o
her little cares and pleasures, of he
quaint superstitions, his mind began t,
wander off to his work. A sentenc
from her brought him back suddenly
''You must know, sir" she was say
ing, that my father is very proud o
his blood. He is Hall of Stratford
descendant of Shakespeare"
"Yes," put in her mother, "and tn
two things in the world he sets mos
store by are Elsie andthat old book il
the parlor."
"A.book of plays" added Elsie, "tha
belonged to Shakespeare himself. An,
/ believe father would rather lose m
than that book"
"Hc will lose you with it, m,
child" replied the mother, "for he ha
always said that it is to be yours ol
your wedding day. just as it wa
given to him by his father when w
We're married. It has been hande
down in the family that way 70
ages"
81 don't want the old thing" sal
the girl. ut might bring me ba
luck. Don't you think it might be sc
DR.. Blackburn"
II should like to examine the bool
before l venture an opinion" an
swered the professor, gravely. If
is what you say it would be queen
dowry. But it is possible your fathe
has made a mistake. Would you min
. my returning to seeP"
"Now? o, not at all" answered f
sic, rather pettishly. 'if you prefe
{ the society Of an old print. Good af'
J ernoon."
| al hop md n