Show ictor lc calle dald 0 2 11 1 adil r 44 V a A ama THE SCHOLAR AND THE SKULL sarah maxwells maxwelll Max wells only claim to a deathless renown rests upon the fact that a groat great man brought her to her doom and so the details of her life alfo story are arc meager but a few facts have at the beginning of the seventeenth century sho she was a maid servant in the home of a wealthy citizen of hunting bonshire don shire she was unusually good looking and had some education a rare thing for a handmaiden in those days and was generally above lier her station in the employ of the sanio same fam family ly there was a middle aged mail named armstrong ile ho was rather uncouth with a huge shock of sorrel horrel hair and lit little lo 10 more Is known of mal him except that he was a great favorite with ills his master armstrong saved ills money it a penny at a tible and us as ho he approached the sere arid and yellow leaf ho he found lie had money enough to buy fin an inn ina that wits was for stile sale ile he and sarah were married and took PaI possession session of the inn it Is reasonable to suppose that the influence of the master was brought to bear to effect this marriage of tile the servants for it donsaft seem probable that sarah would have chosen as is her husband a loutish man more than twice her age Ilo however wever that may be the two settled down to in their caravansary and sarah was greatly respected and admired many young men made V I 1 J its a curious skull ace ae how a huge nail has haa been driven into it eyes nt the handsome wife but they had to keep their distance then one morning sirs mrs armstrong calmly informed tho the neighbors that her husband had died during the night ile iio had drunk himself into a stupor before retiring she said and died from the effects of ills his debauch that seemed strange to some of the neighbors for armstrong was wag known as on an unusually temperate man thero there doubtless was some malicious gossip but the husband was burled buried in the crowded churchyard before ho he had bud been there among the rude forefathers of the hamlet for 24 hours the widow had married a young man unwed named maxwell then there was more talk enough to fasten the events in the memories of the inhabitants for future use sarah and her new husband conducted tho the inn ina for many years surah sarah became the mother of several admirable children and waa vas in every way an excellent matron As she waxed older she became devout and was free with precept and admonition every sunday she might have been seen in the church and the eloquence of the new preacher often moved her to tours tears ills eyes often were upon her as ho he talked for a good listener to la a great help to a clergyman and this motherly woman seemed so BO intelligent and appreciative that it was waa a pleasure to talk to her the new preacher was dr john donne ono one of tho the truly great men of his time ile he hod had accepted a Ihl cg in Huntingdon shire and occasionally preached there although most of his time was spent in london ile he was a great preacher and the most beautiful wan man la in england beautiful is the word I 1 the old writers say aay he be hod bad the face of an angel izaak walton wrote on an enthusiastic tribute to him saying that ho carried Ws his bearers to heaven to in A holy rapture he pictured vicelo viceso vice so that we hated bated it and virtue so that wa w loved it As a poet lie ho was equally great and many men of the period held field that he was without a peer den ben jonson said he was the first poet la in tho the world in some things but lie ho will per ish for riot not being understood which prophecy has come true dryden said bald lie he was the greatest wit of the nation lie ile was nn an impulsive man full of fan moods and fancies some of ills poetry was as light as thistledown and some was profound now it was waa voluptuous lind and again morbid lie ile wrote much about the mystery of death and that subject interested him to such a degree that lie he taunted haunted graveyards one day lie he stood in the ho graveyard surrounding ills his church and watched tile weary sexton at work it was nn an old old cemetery and every time a grave was dug bones were thrown up poor people burled buried there could not rt count upon un disturb IC d repose in a few years at most moat they would have to make way for others presently as the sexton wielded his shovel lie he threw out a skull and the preacher picked it up and doubtless moralized moralizer zed upon the vanity of human life As ho he turned it around in ills his hands his fingers encountered a projection jec tion it was the head of a nail examination showed that the nail had boon been driven through the skull and it still protruded into the inner cavity two or three inches the reverend doctor realized at once that a horrid crime had been commit toil ted lie ile questioned the sexton ns as to whose grave lind had been disturbed but the sexton know he lind had officiated only a few years perhaps his predecessor might remember the predecessor was q a white and wintry gaffer who lived at some distance donne hunted him up and took him to tile alio graveyard the old mans wits were feeble but his memory for all things connected with dead mens men I 1 B bones was accurate ile he fit at once announced that the grave hod had been occupied by armstrong the innkeeper doctor donne inquired about the village concerning the death of armstrong and the oldest inhabitants recalled the cifes queer story and her remarkable haste to get married again there was reason tor for suspicion at least but the good doctor found it almost impossible to believe that the fine devout woman who listened to his sermons so closely could be guilty of an atrocious crime if ever a calm untroubled face spoke of a clear conscience the face belonged to that woman dut but ho he felt it his duty to set his doubts at rest it if sho she was guilty the law lav must have its due if innocent she should be vindicated so one day lie ho called at tho the inn with a small pack age lu in his hand the good wife was overwhelmed d with pleasure and pride she took him into the best room and while her back was turned he opened his parcel and placed the skull upon a table when she turned around slie she saw it and tier her face became ghastly its a curious skull said donne taking it up op see BOO how hov a huge null nall has been driven into it and lie he looked into her eyes ns as though ho he would read tier her soul she sank to alseat a seat weeping and moaning ino aning and then them while the gentle pastor held her hands she told how she slew blew her husband she was convicted and sentenced to death and during the brief interval terral in between her hei trial lind and execution the man who had been her nemesis proved her comforter and consoler ue ile was with her utmost constantly through those trying hours and to such good effert that she went out of the world hopefully with a smile on her lips celluloid celluloid Is made from cellulose which Is the chief ingredient in the th solid part of many common plants plante tu lu eluding the cotton plant the conversion of cellulose into celluloid in bolves a series of chemical processes which could not conveniently bo be described here when finished celluloid Is tough rivaling ivory in elasticity and can be easily doged molded or carved into various shapes shape Every stage of the process requires te technical clinical knowl edge and skill celluloid was first made moro more thau than 60 years ago by an english chemist named parks and was called sipe then it wa VAI called but both of thew thebo names have been supplanted by celet celluloid |