The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-25
COMMENTS ON MEN AND
 MATTERS OF THE WORLD

clocks striking the hour of three? The reader starts as he sees Markheim in imagination turn pale with fear and stag ger at the outbreak of such a clamor in the silent chamber. The introduction of the bells marks a climax in the tragedy of ''AIarkheim.'
 Then stevensons master hand gives us another view of the dreadful picture Markheim begins to pace to and fro In the deserted shop but everywhere he turns he Is confronted by mirrors of many shapes and designs that reveal his ghastly face. They are an army of spies that accused him on every side. The mirrors constitute another admirable trick of the story-teller. Next Marlkheim begins to regret that he has not done this and that; that he has not taken this precaution and avoided that danger, but his selfish remorse Is immediately suc- ceeded by one of the most striking psy- ohological developments of the entire story The murderer imagines that in other houses of the neighborhood the oe- cupants are sitting white and startled, | man s shop and half-suspecting the crime. He has a terror of the people passing along the street outside the closed shutters and fears that every moment some of them will attempt to enter and discover his hidsous secret. He Is torn by a thousand fears and just at this moment a jovial visitor begins to pound on the door. No wonder the excit- ed reader rises to this new bait and his hair fairly crinkles as he pictures the shivering dread that seises Mark helm.
 But this danger passes and by impercep- tible degrees Stevenson leads us on to the point where Markheim forces enough courage to rife the dead mans pockets of his keys, passes through the inner door and ascends the creaking steps to the chambers above to find the treasure The rain is falling now, adding it's mournful, monotonous drumming to scores of sounds that assail his ears. The ascent of the steps is agnozing. Always there is the fancy that some nameless terror is just vanishing around a corner and he 1 can get but a glimpse of 1t out of the tail of his eye. On the second floor he is again confronted by the accusing mirrors and quaint old furniture that awakens a host of memories. As he searches among , his keys for one to it the old dealers treasure cabinet the voices of children reach him from nearby house and his mind hearkens back to the days of his own youth; he dreams of other and hap pier times. Then when all this and much more elaborate stage mechanism. as it were, of story telling is brought Into requsition and the mind of the reader Is at the highest tension the climax of cli- maxes Is reached-foofsteps are heard as- cending the stair.
 The remainder of the story is only q conclusion. The visitor Is the devil and after Markheim and he have thoroughly discussed the overmasterins fate that has carried Markheim down until his hands are stained with blood and after the devil has offered Makheim the last and greatest temptation-to murder the maid who has now returned and demands ad- mittance-the remnants of good in the stricken young man assert themselves. Markheim goes quietly down stairs to the door, opens it and tells the maid that he has murdered her master.
 But with what oonsummate skill the story is told! Every little detail every emotion. every start and every untoward circumstance is woven together into a l perfect whole Story-tellers are born and not made It is possible for a writer 1 to progress and improve but no one can 1 tell a story like "MarSheim" unless he l has been favored at birth. P. c.