The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-29
The BOOK THAT HE MARRIED.
BY Aaron Mason.

first authority in England on the
woman on Shakespeare,yet he had never
had a love affair.
1t was not that he dislilSed 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 1t was to some meeting
of a Shakespeare club, or to WOO and
win some first edition from a 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 an edition of Shakespeare's
plays had been published before any of
those yet extant 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 a
month of the long vacation in the pret-
ty village Of Wroxham. He Wished to
do some botanizing, and the valley near
the river was 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
noticed the little bookshelf in the dark
est corner of his sitting room. On it were
bible, Pilgrims Progress" the Holly
war;" and Buffers 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 1t first edition. He
put the bishop in his stall and took
down the next volume. 1t was an edi-
ton of Shakepeare's plays. He had
only opened it when there was a rap
on the door.
"Come in" he called with college
| brusqueness; and the hostess and her
daughter stood before him.
"What can l do for you, Miss Hall?"
he asked.
The girl answered for her mother.
| 1--WE are going our rounds, sir, to visit
| the poor. There are so many old peo-
pie in this parish, and the vicar can't
do much. We try to help him as we
can, and we thought you might like to
contribute little to the fund-just a
little"
"would a couple of sovereigns help
your" asked the professor, boyishly.
| 20, thank you," said the girl, sur
prised at his generosity. To tell the
truth the professors clothes were q
little seedy.
| perhaps might come with you and
see these happy poor?" he questioned
for the first time in his life, perhaps
paying a woman compliment.
They all started out across the mead
dows toward the village. She was SC
pretty, this farmers daughter, thai
Prof. Blackburn found her almost in
teresting.
But as he prattled on childishly o.
her little cares and pleasures, of hel
quaint superstitions, his mind began t
wander ffto his work. A sentence
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-t
descendant of Shakespeare"
YES" put in her mother, "and th'
two things in the world he sets mos
store by are Elsie and that 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"
HE will lose you with it, m
child" replied the mother, 'for he ha
always said that it is to be yours o.
your wedding day, just as it was give
married. 1t has been handed down Il
the family that way for ages"
"I don't want the old thing" sal
the girl. "It might bring me ba
luck. Don't you think it might be sc
DR.. Blacburn?"
81 should like to examine the boo
before I venture an opinion" an
swered the professor, gravely. "If
is what you say 1t would be queen
dowry. But it Is possible your fathe
has made mistake. Would you min
my returning to see?"
"Now? o, not at ALL" answered FL
sic, rather pettishly, "if you prefe
the society of an old print. Good af
ternoon."
The professor turned back and a
that night there was a lamp burnin
in his room.
1t was the Shakespeare, the one vol
ume of it's kind in the world, liteI
ary gold mine, and to the possessol
veritable gold mine, If he ever care
to sell 1t at any time.
In the morning Mrs Hall said
her daughter: "Elsie, DIR. Blackbur
was up all night; his bed hasn't bee
| silent in"