New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-17
I WOEBEGONE HERO.
lfrs. Mackay's Tale Of Looe and
Melancholy.

TIE STONE OF DESTINY BY Ka- ls,r.1s-i i''eT
Nankay. limo. pp. III ha-'-I ~ ~
AIRS Mackay's book dedicated darkiy 10 me
enc Tor whom 81 was written" Is = pretty niue
81. ~ o pretty urtle tract. according 20 the
way IN which the reader chooses 70 look al II
7. opens with o. picture - "a room IN an ola
-, ,, 7-,rr-afne n room 50 which. two hun
s-e4 vears ego o certain Theodore 'inoo-entiy
,s1ez her rff. away" Thereby showing Just
,-bar kind ~ fdleness 81 IS that Is fatal But
ne Theodore % the day with which Ms.
warkav deals WIN have none o. the incoienl
t5lere-q ~ her remote predecessor. When We
first SEQ her she b. lying i1 bed with her cnlin
~ her sIde and as she broods over 81 she plans
great things for IT'S future IN The dream INTO
which she then falls no seems 20 promise trouble
fr- Tho vel meaning lady. tor ne looks az her
with tho fare ~ "a "chsnRelinE surite,' and SAYS
-- her ..T am your retr!bution." The reader is
,frreefo-th prepared for anything anything
save she quaint mixture thar follows
Theodore continues 20 live sn the mansion or
Touraiue. twenty gears pass. and she sits "ith
hc- sou-naucd The5d0r-i1 the same tapestried
roo1a reading ''bv the soft warm light OF the
shaded lamp" This is p soft story. The hero
the who he not Theodore after all. but Ger
tan Margaret North. has a soft warm hand;
We are not surprised % hear that on the day Of
her marriage 90 Tgleodor she softly sang" All
s.-rn6s are rortened fl this book; 81 Is natural
taaa n door through which TheOdOr wishes 10
rass should be "softly pushed open" and that
when he looks out OF window one winter
uirht IN Florence. the snow should be falling
silently into the river" All this 1uietude IS in
keeping with the character Of The hero. Mrs
Mnckay has made her TheOdor grand. gloomy
and peculiar. I7is mother abiding IN talk with
hin 20 an individual who is diInly shadowed
forth az having meant much 10 her In earlier
days. tells the poor young man that his clever
f1srs0n possessed the complete octave but The
savness % his real self prevented his ever touch
ING certain chords within the hearing 81 those
whom ne most desired 10 reach" Theodor goes
~ search OF that miraculous octave, and pos
se.ses himself OF il 80 thoroughly that when De
e. travelling IN italy. far from the soft sweet
Margaret. be ands that ne cannot always write
her long letters laying the depths 81 his nature
clearly before her eyes. other times HIS heart
vas too ruu for words. and sketch OF what he
sau from the mountain q what he felt IN the
valley. travelled back 70 his love" When be
comes back 10 Touraine and finds his sweet
heart kneeling in the grass by the river. with
her arms full % purple and white irises. this is
The manner OF bis wooinE.
Re took her soft warm hand in his and kissed
n Thus without a question, without an an
srer they were pledged 70 each other under The
clear blue sky iu The radiance OF The morning,
trothed
Then Dc raised her 20 her feet and. leading
her stiu farther down the bank drew her be-
eide him 10 the waters edge
Margaret ayycd by such silent love making
whispered. why do vou nor speak fo me-
T'heodoro"
use words They are not deep enough 10 convey
ruv love. The touch 0f your hand answered for
v0ur heart as j knew r would. You have been
mine for three whole wears the cherished angel
OF my soul Why should ve seek 10 exchange
our love iu speech"
why. indeed But II would have been better
for Theodor n ne had talked 70 Margaret hours
on end. making it really plain 20 her that he
wished their marriage TO oe merely a prelude TO
8 life rich IN endeavor for the benefit Of man
KIND Ie tells her enough 10 give her some
thing OF p fright. and she decides that they
must part. but Theodor is a magnetic person.
and persuades her 10 change her mind. To walk
into the forest. TO commune with the virgin force
of Nature. which IS ever ready TO eliminate
from consideration" the works Of man. is Of no
avail. T. cannot eliminate Theodor from con-
sideratfon. So they are married. and live joy
ously fo- time. but discover ir due course that
ing some ar least 70 climb the higa ladder OF
the social scale. acquiring as they ascend abI-
ity. intelligence and justice" cannot bring last
ing happiness into the life Of n woman who is
selfish 20 the core and loves. above all things.
pleasure Here we see where Mrs Afackay's
pretty little tale is turned neatly into pretty
little tract. but stI another moral IS offered ~
The Stone of Destiny" Theodor comes home
one sunny afternoon. and through the open
drawing room window hears his wife dlscours-
ing 10 a man in terms altogether Incompatible
with the Theodorian hypothesis. Then mad.
blinded with rage. murder in his heart. he threw
the window open and burst into the room. lie
stood before them for an instant awful IN his
anger" What were his Subsequent proceed
ings2 We leave the reader 10 fud out for him
self. merely quoting the o-acuIar remark with
which this astonishing gentleman addresses the
Theodore OF the first chapter upon the closing
page OF the last There is no retrihUtion. for
an the Compensation" Theodor is ve-y soft
and sweet IN this role