The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-20
THE ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY


 AS t6e man wa. forced. under the in- fiuence of a higher power than ms own to describe the murder. the oase Vioia ton of hospitality, the blow of the ax that Killed a guest, by which fifteen years before he had laid the foundatlon of l1is fortune: as he was constrained 70 act again. before his judges n nypnous trance the awful happenings oi tns ras edy of that Christmas Eve of which none had suspected him. and when, on Deine released from the spell his confession was read to him by tue court, anu .ne realization came to him that the Iapric of responsibility which he mad carefully created upon the shifting sand of murder, had crashed into nothing-who that ever saw 1t, or heard it. will ever forget the fearful anguish and despair oi that wrecked soul!
 of the judges moaning In utter de-oiatl tn and abandonment. the appalling stiffness was suddenly broken ana tnis tinie uhe sound came not from the stage. Out or the darkness of the auditorium thin, high voice. fraught with note of tor ture more real and intense if posslble than that which the marvellous skill of the actor had produced. was hurled into the great vault of the theater. was a hammer
 The surprise of the audience for the moment held them still. while the voice shriexed out in the darkness:
 Tt Is enough! I'll confess. , ;iuiitS, ,,,ua. 9a. Light, for Gods sake, hght!
 A woman screamed suddenly People rose to their feet. One of those strange. swaying movements which bespeak or tho stage rose instantly, Iacnd, about. and walked toward the dark footlfghts. a genuine horror in his soul thls tim'. for no human voice that he had ever heard had carried such mortal pain as that which had just spoken. The tlieatef was filled with a babel os voices. Confused shouts and cries came from all sides.
 Lights. lights"
 What Is itr'
 Go on with the performance"
 At that instant the lights ware turned ip. There . In the middle atsle. few rows from the orchestra rail, a tall, thin man, his haggard face white with emo- ton, his eyes staring, h!s teeth cienched steadily to and fro. His hands uplifted as if to ward off blow. he stood utterly obhvlous os c--arythtg hut Matthias. From the chair beside him a woman with face scarcely less white. In which were mingled incredulity, surprise and terror. re achei her arms up to him as if to save him.
 'l can't stand it any longerv' cried the man, staring up a. Matthias. you |e done 1t. I'll confess all! It has torn me
 
 tnroat. The Maior.-I beat i,itn to death with his hammer, like you did. for his money. I took it from his person. knew 1t was there. was his friend. his only friend. My God! There was no place to burn his body. He's always at my feet. He's staring at me now by you on the stagei'
 Sir Richard shrank away invollnt arily as the man went on.
 Pity. pity he waited. staggering ot foit bto to Sir Richard. Mercy" he whispered. yet with such distinctness that they he ard him in every corner of the theate1.
 He knelt with his hands outstrctched toward the stage. waiting for reprieve. condemra ;ion-God knows what.
 The audience stared likewise with sus- pended hearts from the great. but mimic. figure of murder on the one side ot the footlights. to the greater and real figure of murder upon the other. As they gazed the man wavered forward again. sank lower. his hands fell. but before he could collapse completely an officer of the law. the first to recover his wits in the pres ence of the catastrophe. ran down the aisle and bounced upon him. Grasp;ng his shoulder he cried:
 You are my prisoner. arrest you.''
 Too late" whispered the man, I'm going-going ito - plead - in another - court"
 He pitched forward and fell on his face dead. And d woman. dry-eyed with horror. old love surviving honor. respect righteousness, knelt by his side. took his head in her arms. and strove to kiss away from his brow the mark of Cain.
 So the mystery of the Majors murder was solved at last. and Sir Richard. as he thought it over in his chamber that night, realized that he had received the greatest tribute that mortal man could pay to his acting. His art had been so perfect, he had appeared the incarnation of terror. renlorse and retribItion that to that struggling soul he had been as the voice of conscience, nay as the very voice of God, For the man had actually given way. br oken down. and confessed a secret crime under the mighty spell of his acting-ard. as the criminal in the play. had di cd in the coutesson.