The evening world. Newspaper, December 24, 1915, Page 9

’ in every generation criminal. “The Red Circle,” repeated Borden dully. “It is still there, on my hand, always there. And it has marked one member person marked by it has always been a The ‘Decoration of the Curse of Heaven,’ I have heard it called!” : : Novelized From the Pathe Phote Play of the Same Name by Will M, Ritchey. (Copyright, 1415, by Albert Payson Terhune) of my family. The SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, Jim Borde ‘ Always marks a criminal iu tie Borden family eon, reform, trian to. 0)d Jim, tnt be extinct, ut Mex Lamar ‘(a yu Jue) sere enc & circ ‘the hand im time to take the car's number, © women’ Arvh criminal, has a ed Otrcle birthmark on th June Tee revuises hee. After Jim's deals the ited Uircie ie specialist, who is uncomacknsly faling ‘Who drives past him in @ motor var. of his band, ba beautihu girl, who Such « ctrele CHAPTER II. “Pity the Poorl”’ A FOX, living in « forest full of rabbits, is Nkely to grow fat. George Grant dwelt in a community of human rabbits, men who needed money and needed tt #o badly that they were ready to pay any Price to get it. Grant did not grow fat on their needs, But his bank account did, When a man must have money he ts willing to pay high to get it. And hundreds of men had for years been paying George Grant an unbelievably big rate of interest on the cash they borrowed from him. He was the city’s mst prosperous loam broker, which meant he was also the aity’s most heartiess loan shark. Hie oMoes were forever crowded with needy clients, His big desk was full of tabulated pigeonholes. And every pigeonhole was stacked with a piteous array of promissory notes, of mort- Gages, of sight drafte and similar sorry documenta, In that desk lay the material to ruin doxens of unlucky men; men who in an evil hour had put themselves in George Grant's clutches. Here were debt records that spelled financial shipwreck. More than one pious debtor used to pray that Grant's office and Grant's desk might some night be destroyed by fire; to wipe out these records and set the loan ehark’s vio~ tima free, And at last, In odd fashion, the prayers were answered, One day—it was the same that Max Lamar caught his fleeting glance of the Red Circle on a woman's white hand, as @ closed automobile whiszed pat him= George Grant got up from this famous desk tn his private grrr | stretched his lean arms lagily an went into the adjoining room, where stood his capacious steel vault. He wanted a record that waa filed in this vault, And, instead of sending # clerk for it—it waa a decidedly private pi je went himself. arene e vault and switching on the electric light, he began to search through the tiers of compartinents along the rear wall. The paper he wanted was not easy to find; and search continued for several minute At last he discovered what he sought. Consulting the document, ho made one or two notes from it on the es back of an envelope; then switched off the light and turned to leave the vault. Locked In! ‘ t, instead of t ne from the office beyor faced black dark- ness. T oor had been shut. Bo ailen it closed that, en- grossed reh, he had not ob- served it was no longer ope “Grant pushed againat the ste door, It did not yield to the pressure. It lock had be had been shut tight. The been eprung. And it could not spened asain except from the outside, s bl hee long and luridly. Then, his brows contracting, he paused for a moment tn py jexity The door waa heavy, It always required more or leas effort to open or close it. Therefore, it had not now been biown shut by or swung shut from w ed hinges, A human hand $1 balan; Pie why? had closed and | ‘Grant did not b: ny one in his employ would dare play a trick on ‘him, for all his underpaid office stat held him in cringing fear, Perhaps some clerk, passing by and seeing the oor open, had supposed the vault pty and had pushed the steel rtal into place. PGrant drew in a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, The Vault resounded deafeningly to his bellow. But the thick walls absorbed the sound. With his fists he beat upon the door until his knuckles bled. No Fels nin a few yards of him his em- ployees were at work. Yet he, their overlord, seemed in danger of samoth- ering, because he could not make his cries or his blows reach their ears. ‘A covt sweat of terror broke out all over this man who 80 long had made bettvr men sweat at his orders. ‘Turning back Into the vault and switching on the light once more, he pulled out a steel ca nbox from lt ent and, using it as - comparngan to hammer with desper- , began tte tores on the unyielding door, ‘unctuating his blows with shouts for help. iD. interminable time a clerk —foro, Saals by name— who chanced to pass through the adjoining room, tiose to the vault, heard a muffied tapping and paused to. Investigate. The tapping seemed to come from the far side of the steel door, Saals was curious, and decided to investigate, Tie called the cashier, who alone of b employees knew the vault'’s (ne ination. ‘The whole office force gathered inquisitively around the a he unlocked and threw Cae ney e aoor, Out reeled Grant, dead than alive, bis lank face ‘ rspiration, bis eyes that?” he sputtered, hoarscly, "What fool shut that door on me? Speak up, or I'll fire the whole s8 bunch, Who did it? ee ‘was a confused mumbling from the scared employees, Grant's rutlike eyes searched every face, He rad there nothing but blank bewil- Jermess, Lf some one Was acting, then some one was acting too cleverly to be ee ivate office, to his own pri rit ei int the knees from his ped into his desk chatr, ag if the chatr were up- tered with hornet-stings, he ped to his fect agaih with @ yell ‘iat brought his employees tn the outer offices crowding wonderingly to the door. weg one of Gear Grent'n a snort, Grant stamped sh hobbies, His desk was always kept in apple-pie order. But bis very first glance now revealed that {t was in a Condition that would have shamed his most incompetent clerk. Papers were scattered in every di- rection; and drawers and pigeonholes were open—and empty! Fevertehly, Grant looked from pigeonhole to pig- eonhole. Every last one of them had Seen ransacked; and every document had been stolen from them, “Cleaned out!” croaked Grant, das- edly. “Robbed! I've—I've been robbed!" The Robbery. Then the numbed brain reawoke. There stolen docimnents were the pronussory notes, the drafts, é&e., that gave him his limitless power over an army of debtors. Without such evi- dence he had no legal hold over the poor wretches who had so long been in his power. He could not eollect one penny from them, That ia, not if they should learn of his loss, The yell of horror had summoned his employees, They still stood crowd- ing the doorway, not during to ad- vance nor to ask what was the mat- ter, yet tensely curious to know what had happened. At sight of their ques- ticning faces Grant fought to gain some sort of contro) over himself. “Which of vou has been In this room in the last half hour?” he asked, as unc redly he could force his dry throat to voice the query. oment no one answered. timidly volunteered: “lL just stepped inside the door, quavered Saals, “to show in the “The Indy?" snapped Grant, “What leay “Why, why, the lady who had the appointment with you, sir, She said she'd met you in the hail and you'd told Sh her to walt in your own office, T haven't met any woman tn the hall," dented Grant, “and I didn’t tell any one to wait here for me, What was her name?” “she didn't say, sir, I eup- “Young or old?” deghanded Grant, *“I—I don't know, sir, She"—— “You wall-eyed {dtot!" roared Grant, “d' ye mean to tell me you haven't sense enough to know wheth- er & woman is young or old?” “Not when she's all swathed up in a heavy black yell, like that lady, sir,” answered Saals, “and with a big, loose, black coat that hides her fig- ure” ‘A _velled woman—in my private office? Where did she go? Where ts she I didn't" — “I seen her, Mr. Grant,” shrilled the office boy, “I didn’t see her come in, But I seen her go out. ‘Bout five minutes ago, it was, She had a bunch of papers she was carryin’, ‘They were strapped together with one of them long rubber bands, Iike you Keep on your desk. I thought may- be she"”— Grant waited to hear no more. Snatching his hat he sprinted for the street. He had left his automobile at the curb tn front of his office, Followed by Saals, he now ran across the side- walk to filng himself into the car's depths. The order, “To police head. quarters! Rush!" which he intended to shout to his chauffeur, was trem- Diing on bis thin Hps. But the order was not to be given. don't know, sir, Half way across the pavement Grant halted, mouth ajar, The car was not there, Neither was the chauffeur. George Grant turned tn rage upon the bullding’s special policeman who was standing in front of the en- trance. “lake!” he demanded, “where tn blazes Is my car? I told Garvice to stay here till T came out. Did you move him on? “Me? the policeman, "No, indeed, Some one else did, though, ™ "Bout five minutes back, A woman"— woman?’ “In a long black coat and a black veil." “The-—-the Velled Woman!" bab- bled Grant, aghast, “Yes, Velled woman, all right. ‘And you mean to tell me she mada Garvice take her away in my car? How'd she do it?” “T don't know, First { noticed sho was just finishing speaking to him d he held open the door for her to get aboard. Then they started off,” Grant did not wait to hear tho end py account. He summoned @ pass: tani end tumbled aboard, wre 1915 L —t, 6 ae 6S Chiet of Police Allen was always glad to see his former subordinate, Max Lamar. For a decade the two had been close friends. So & was with @ nod of real weloome and a jolly word of greeting that he hailed Max as the latter oame exoitedly into his office at about the time George Grant was boi @ taxicab. “What's up, Max?" asked the ohiet, noting his friend's unwonted haste and perturbation. “Some one been in- sulting you again by calling you @ ore @ instead of @ crime special- et . The Circle Agatn. “Evorything’e up,” put in Lamar, “The Red Circle, among other th “Thea Red Circle? Al wiped “Woy, man, the Red ps. It's back again.” oft the books, for kee “Not ‘is.’ It ‘was.’ “What are you talking about? ‘Cir- cle’ Jim Borden's dead, So ts hie son. Who eise is lett.” “A woman.” “A woman? What woman?" “I don’t know.” “Jim left no daughter. His wife died, yoars ago. You're dreaming You've worked on this ‘Red Circle’ game so long, you're daffy over it.” “Am L?” retorted Lamar. “If my datiiness turns to rank idiocy, maybe I can qualify as a central office square-toe. Ten minutes ago I saw the Red Circle. Saw it as plain as I seo you. A woman was sitting in a Mmousine. Her right band was rest- ing on the window ledge. And she'd taken off her glove. There, on the back of her hand, was the Red Circle, Before I could look any closer the car re & eens up and chugged out of And you let it go?” cried the chief. “I thought you more sense than that, Max. Why, even one of my “‘square-toes’ that you were just guy- ing me about would have followed it till he found out who owned it,” “Oddly enough,” answered Lamar, “the suine idea occurred to me But as 1 was on foot and as the car was doing an easy thirty miles an hour, and as there wasn't a taxi in sight, [ didn’t see any way of following it very far, fs io you let it @et away? Lord, At! “Get away? Not quite. I took its number just as it disappeared in a little hurricane of gasoline smoke and yellow dust. Let me look over your State auto-Hcense numbers. easily get it that way, “Here you are,” said Allen, produc- ing the book, “What war the num- ber of'— Unceremontously a man pushed his way past the doorkeeper and into the hallowed room of the chief of police. Allen glanced up angrily at the in- terruption, Then he forced a civil smile to his lips as he recognized George Grant—with whom he had once had business dealings and with whom he might at any unlucky time be forced to do business again. burst out Grant, without returning the other's salu- tation, “I've been robbed! was in my vault just now the door was shut on me and a lot of notes of people who owe me money were stolen out of my desk. Lamar, to whom tales of robbery were an old story, moved back to the window, taking the license book with him. He was more interested in trac- ine the automobile number than in ning to a loan shark's tale of woe. ant thundered on: My clerk says he saw a vetled oman go into my offices. She was seen coming out again with a hand- ful of documents bound up In @ rub- yn 1 went down ued in mount- ing excitement, stolen that, And my chauffeur.” come, come!" laughed the “Stole your car and chauf- feur! “It's true. I want that car traced, Send out an alarm for it at once, please. It cost me $6,500 three months ago “What was the number?" asked the chief, taking out a pencil and draw- ing a scratch-pad toward him, he number of my car? It was Tee 126. he deuce it was!” cried Lamar, dropping the lcense book and strid ine forward, You're sure of that? Sure?” A Clue at Last. “Ot course I am. It's my car. Its number is 1266. Why? Do you know anything about it?” Disregarding the question, Lamar produced a card and handed it to Chief Allen, “That's the number I jotted down,” he said, “The number of the car the Red Circle woman in it.” 4!" read the chief, ‘8 that?) What's that?" de~ manded Grant erly. ‘What are you talking about, you two? Huw my ilcense number on Brusquely he snatched the card from the chief, It slipped from his awkward fingers as he grasped it, and fell Wo the floor beneath the win- dow sill Grant stooped to pick it up. As be rose, his gaze fell on the busy street Just’ outside, with its burrying trat- fic on sidewalk and asphalt. At the same moment a big automobile wrig- gled out of @ vebiclojam and flashed past the window. Grant gave one in- credulous look, then bawied: ‘There's my carl There it te, now! Bee?" ‘The two others sprang to his side, Just In time to see the number at the back of the fast-receding automobile, Come on!" exclaimed the chief as he bolted from the room with Lamar and Grant at his heels. At the outer entrance of police head- quarters a motor cycle policeman was dismounting, “Follow that car!" ordered the cb: hat limousine there, The number's 126,694. Get it, Arrest the chauffeur and hold the car ull we get there. Don't let any one get out of it.” Tils final instructions were fairly ecreamed, for the fleet motorcycle Was already under way. In the alley Qt the aide of police headquarters a departmental automobile was waiting, ‘The chief ga a@witt command to |! drowsing ¢ ur, then Jumped into the tonneau, Lamar and Grant piliog tn after him. Off whiazed the car in the wake of the motorcycle, which waa with dif floulty keeping on the track of the ‘olen limousine, The limousine’s oo- ‘te seemed to know they were fox the big machine pat en THE EVENING WORLD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, A Mystery Romance of Heredity & Bew burst of apeed that carried it along in a cloud of tte own dust and sent it around corners on two wheels. “Of course they know we're after “em,” said the chief, in answer to a query from Grant. “Why shouldn't they? People that steal a car are ahe ettpped out of the shapelesaly en- vel black coat, The coat was Uned dress also was snow white. auick skill she proceeded to fold the coat Inside out in such way that no portion of the black was visible, Then sure to Lag @ good lookout behind. she draped it carelessly over her And when tl cop white-sleeved arm, To all intents departmental might merely have been carrying a know it white summer wrap that the warmth inched, It's even money some of the day rendered needlons. traffic man will stop ‘em in short or- der if they 'p Up that pace through busy streets. As if the same thought had occurred to the runaways, the car swung peril- ously around another corner and down a residential boulevard. Motorcycle and departmental oar followed. Twenty seconds later they had come to a jarring standatill along- side the automobile they sought. It Raising both hands to her head, she undid the thick black veil, took it off, rolied it into @ ball and tossed it into the bushes. The Veiled Woman. A black clad woman, shrouded tn an impenetrable yell, had entered the thicket, Less than a minute later a girl in white dress and white toque and carrying on her arm @ white was standing near the entrance of a small park. The chauffeur was in his Wrap emerged upon the further seat, unconcerned though In front path, and sauntered in leisurely of his own employer's door, fashion toward (he park's opposite Lamar and the chief tumbled out of entrance. their car before it had fairly stopped; and they ran at top speed toward the captured limousine, One on each side, they jerked open the lmousine's doors, Each encountered the other's face peering in at the opposite doors, Once sho glanced nervously at the back of her right hand, liut at oneo her frown of apprehension cleared away. The Red Circle had again be- come invisibie. Tho tonneau of the limousine was We ane ie a ek empty! beautiful girl, all in white, coming Grant wae dancing tn fury and toward him around a bend in the shaking his fist at hie mildly sur- Prised chauffeur, “What d'ye mean by it? he ghricked. “What'n blases é'ye mean by It Garvice?” "Mean by what?” stammered the chauffeur, “Running off this way with my car, You're”— “I didn't.” stoutly denied Garvice “You said to.” “I eaid to? "maid to? Are you walk. At a glance he recognized ber. And, for the instant, his quest was wholly forgotten in the queer little thrill that seemed to run through bis body and to centre constrictingly about his heart, He left the others to follow as they might, and he forward alone to great her. “Miss Travis!” he exclaimed, clasp- ing the white hand she beld out to him, “This ts good luck! I didn’t ‘9 sheaf, By Albert Payson Terhune The Newest PATHE Picture, Now Being Presented at And presently, as he sat morbidly gloating over such scenes, Grant's first opportunity came, A name was brought in to bim, Joseph Brown had called, begging for a word alone with him. Grant smiled bappily, Brown was a day laborer to whom he had lent money when the borrower was out of work ick child, “Tell bim to i,” said Grant, Slecfully, as the caller Was announced, He sottied back im his desk-cbair, pleasantly anticipating the fun of browbeating the man into submis. sion, Brown came into the Inner office, clad in his working clothes, Generally on such visits he paused at the threshold and meekly waited his master's leave to advance toward the desk. But to arn. JOHN L. PETERSON. ‘une Travis's fingers rifled the Most of the papers were of much the same nature as was the first, and for ing sums, at exor- bitant interest, Hach document was mute witness to a tale of poverty and of the greedy advantage Grant bad taken of such poverty, Evidence Burned. Gathering up the papers, June went into her sitting room, placed a chair in front of a typewriter and began to tap away at the keys. For a full hour she wrote—a bare half-dozen lines on each sheet—addressing an envelope for each. This (ask finished, #he stacked the Mttle pile of letters, ready for mailing. Without waiting to put on her hat she days ago. You're— ‘re sure won't hate me if I = you?” A reassuring pressure of the that held her #0 closely was the reply June received—or desired. The. girl slipped t je floor ‘and, knecting ere, her against ‘a she told her story, pide “It began just the other day” dhe Whispered. “All in a flash. You se- momber, I told you about my going to the prison with mother the day ‘Circle’ Jim Borden was rel and the way he repulsed me when I spoke to him “You! Yes!” assented Mary, her lined face paling and an unaccount- able shudder convulsing her slender ld body. , “Why do you quiver tke Mary?” asked the girl, “And wheat lay he walked confidently up ran downstairs and out of the house to Grant, his tanned face one broad . by @ roar door to a nearby mail box. 7 “Good at the orig anne meeting Borden In this she posted her stack of letters @ folded T asked . face went ghastly. and made way back to her sitting tell d ba why, and you wouldn't room unnoticed. After whieh she all," he remarked, “Bye. me, Did you ever know him once more 5 1 up the documents bye, you slimy old money-spider, I’m + stolen from George, Grant's di out of your ditty net—for keeps. daron Cd inosa'y dante the crumpled them into a ball, set a mateh to them, held them until they were ablaze and tossed them into the fre- place, Thore goes a sheat of heart aches,” she sighed "Oh, if only all poverty could be destroyed as easily!” eee ee ee He turned and swaggered out of the What « room before the astounded Grant could so much as swear at him, The loan broker jumped to his feet to fol- jow and hale him back. But aa he started for the door bis angry glance fell on the folded letter Brown had handed bim. He opened and read it, foolish idea!’ “Then why"—— “Oh, I don't know, dearte, Perhaps because I hate to think of folks being sent to jail ike he was. Go on with Ftd story. I want to know all Mary, June’a nurse, was more &® Thon be sat down, very bard, and resumed June, “just a few member of the ped bor gggeet Ml Ah read {t all over again—choking and Roure after I left the prison, all at servant, She had ity Fs. gurgling in helpless wrath, The letter 7,ce,! had the strangest sensation, Travia ince long before June was born; she had comforted tho stricken wife when her husband died; she had loved June from the day of the win- some girl's birth, 1t It seemed to «i in my brain and fo nil over mo. It was as if some- thing had snapped in my soul. © can't explain it. And the impulses came sur; oven ay was typewritten and very brief, joph Brown: The notes which you gave George Grant for a loan at y who Outrageous interest rates have been ng through my shee Lateten Tone and eet penton destroyed. Therefore, your debt a iTcarele felt Uke @ criminal!” cancelled, ment; In later days the nurse was even more closely her confidante than was Mra. Travis herself. “T did. 1 One Who Pities the Poor, tag) TT pai, “it 0 8 ertetnns mate Grant was still raging, wordlessly, crime: a love \deou: A te when Saais came in to announce ons erafty wit at cocaping tue lew pan. John Peterson, an elderly, - tehment. It was—it " 3 shouldered man, who entered on th© The Call of Crime, iagbans heels of his nouncer, “Mr. Grant,” said the old man, of- | “Little girl! Little 1" soothed fering the loan broker a letter, “this M&ry, as a sob choked June's hushed came by the morning mail, [thought Yolce. “That's nothing. Just bed it was only fair to show it to you.” nerves, mont likely, Instead of going | Gront, his ayes blurred with fury, f° dances and all such gay doings, the | way other preity girls do, you've been | was barely able to note that this let- tor was @ typewritten duplicate of *P°nding too much time visit i. wee folks and reading those nasty priso! “It'e—dt'a a Het he stormed, “a Meporte and helping Jail birds and trick! I have your notes safe in my fir yours git @ forte On a oy j_and you" “Yest" politely returned Peterson, Dun, to feel Itke a ‘criminal yout It's the same way with me, ev- ery time I read a patent medicine aa. vertisement; I begin thinking I've got I the symptoms the advertisement bo more ait Invallf that You're va t you' you're a criminal!” i 3 ama criminal!” une spoke the words vei and with no trace of omotion, Bot her Sweet voice was dead, and in her bi dark eyes was an utter agg wrung Mary's soft old heart “A criminal!” repeated the m fine acorn, “You? You're one of the #alt of the earth, Baby. That's what you are. Your soul's white enough to stand before the judgement seat thie yery minute, You shan't say such things about Mary's baby girl. It’s all along of spending your time working over the poor and at jails and—* ‘It's true,” persisted June, miser- ably tm @ criminal. Lésten: [ jad heard from so many poor people “Kick them out!" howled Grant, sheet earns Grant and the steed Jamining his high hat on his head and the man, {had longed to ressue wane starting for the elevator peop! out! The miserable awindlers!” fe Aen pee oe, raging cot -* In five minutes be was bustling into interest money. But t core’ eee a downtown office whose outer door- tho, Y 94 glass bore the legend: ao tire % $OGH Oe Te Sy Dee “Max Lamar, Crime Spectalist.” Mary's eyes strayed unconsctousty to the newspaper {t lay sprawled “Then perhaps you would not mind showing them to me?” “You'll sey them tn court, fast enough,” raged Grant, “if you try to weloh on your debt to me.” “I will take that chanos, Mr. Grant.” replied the old man, turning to go. “I believe this letter is genuine. May God, in His infinite mercy, bless whoever wrote it! “You crook!" snapped Grant, “are you dishonest enough to take advan- tage of an accident like this, to dodge payment on your Just debts?” “Not on my just debts, Mr. Grant,” was the quiet answer. “I have always tried to pay those. But I shall cer- tainly take advantage of this means to escapo your trap. I have already paid my debt to you, three times over, in Interest. Good diy." ‘Mr. Grant,” said the clerk, “there's seven or elht more people in the out- er offic, singing and laughing and raising Cain; all of them with type- written detters from’ THE VEILED WOMAN HAS LOCKED GRANT IN crazy or only crazy drunk? What know this park waa @ favorite walk dye mean by saying’— of yours.” The chauffeur had been fumbling in =“Oh, but ft is!” laughed June, “I his pocket, Now he produced a card jove tt. It's so quiet and pretty. But and sullenly handed it to his em- J didn’t expect to find a busy dete ployer, tive wandering dreamily about in tt. I thought detectives were always"—— A Forged Order. HGrimy specialist, please, Miss Tr “There's your own orders,” he vis," interrupted Lamar, ‘Phat ja, growled. {f you don't mind. If you know how Lamar, glancing over Grant’s shoul- | hate that word ‘detective der, saw the card was George Grant's own; and that on It, above the name, Was scrawled in pencil: 0. K, Take bearer where she 0 1, I'll be—I'l be"— sputtered the bewlldered Grant. But his expletive was drowned in a shout of involuntary laughter from ar, “A forgery, I suppose,” chuckled Max. “But you can hardly blame the " then sharply to the scowling She became aware of his compan- who stood a pace or two dis- and tell me y get, you promised to call about your work.” “Did you suppose I could forget {t?” be made answer, “And—may I call to-morrow afternoon? Are you going to be at home?” Where is she? What be- “Why, yes, Please come then. Goodby.’ goin’ for a stroll in She walked on, leaving Lamar ‘Ing after her with a look in his eyes that no other woman in all his thirty busy years had been able to ke grunted the chanf- “Told me to walt, First made me hit a fifty-mile clip, an’ then tells me to Walt while she loafs around a measly park, Funny business, I call Which way did she go?” persisted Lamar. 8. “If you're quite through with your pink tea,” ventured the chief, “sup- Pose we go on? I only hope we haven't spent so much time goog “Down that path to the left. Funny ¢Ying a girl in white that we'll be business, I call It, to"—— too late to catch the woman in Lamar had already started in the black.” direction the chauffeur pointed out and the ft “If you came out here to cut #o- ciety capers, Mr, Lamar,” added Grant, acidly, as they resumed tholr hief and Grant ranged along- n as he strode along. 1} look down this path to the pursuit, "Chief Allen and T could ted the chief, “And then have gotten on faster without you.” te and quarter the whole Lamar heard not a word that either of them said, His brain was awhirl He was saying foolishly over and over to himself “To-morrow afternoon! afternoon I'll see her!" When June reached her own home her mother and Mary (her old aurse) were on the veranda, She burried past them with scarce a word and went straight to her own room. There, from the front of her drevs, she drow out @ sheaf of papers fastened with park for her, If she's etill in here anywhere we ought to find her. The place isn't much more than an acro or so. If it wasn't for all these shrubs we could see her In three a onds, Hurry! She may have left park at the far side.” But the veiled woman in Diack bad not left the park, She had merely left the park path and bad crept into the shrubbery, Bhe sped along like @ black wraith, To-morrow nolweless, furtive, uncanny, Once he @ rubber band. The uppermost paper raised her right hand to part some of the package was an official forin, bushes that red her way. ‘The flied in with ink, It read hand was sml, white, Infinitely dune 12, 1915, graceful In contour. But on ite back jays from date, or June 19, throbbed an angry crimson soar, out- | p to pay George Grant ten lined Ike an irregular ring, dollars ($10), first instalment on Through the high bushes she crept, and Into a tny glade hemmed tn by shrubbery. There she halted. Deftly my loan of one hundred dollars ($100), plua interest at the rate of 10 per cont @ week. Total payment due, §20. The Third Chapter of ‘THE RED CIRCLE” Will be published Friday, Dec. 31. as he could get his breath, “that r. Lamar,” be vetled woman has clinched her theft front nce’ we newspaper on whose HIS QWN VAOLT, front page was Dlazoned the s| by this—and this"—slamming the ; ae * of Rrown and Peterson letters on the (ho, lean shark's robbery. June When June had come that day and, pasving Mary and Mra, Travis on the Yerauda, had gone to her room, Mary's anxious eyes had read the girl's fac and had seen trouble lurking there. The nurse had said nothing, but, desk in front of Max—"and by a lot more of the same kind. Get her for me. Get her. To blazes with the ex- Dense! | Get her!” “Then, In a moment, when this queer ertminal impulse attacked me, I saw how I could pun George Grant and free some of his plaves. It came to m6 as an inspiration. I put whke oe @ June Travis emerged from her bed- later, when June did not reappear, room, heavy eyed from sleeplessness, (" ™Y black motor coat—the she followed her upstairs. Softly #h® and, ‘In Pratis’ naplinen: aterea tae pap one there in the closet—and a tried the door of the girl's sitting pitting room. Mary waa etanding P& }. I went to bis office and room, It was locked. Mary bent down there, awaiting her, Managed to get in, He was in the vault. to ‘see, through tho keyhole, if June ""swny, Mars! cried the girt, “what 1 shut the vault door. 1 rum. were still tn tae room. She had had ys yt? What's the matter? Is ™aked through his desk; got all the 4 brief glimpse of her kneeling at the jnother"—- notes I could lay my hands on aad fireplace watching some papers burn. Wondering, yet not quite daring to intrude, the old woman bad tiptoed way.” jasped Mary. Mary Suapects. x pursued June, “the Mary cut short the quertes by laid her hands on the girl's quivering 6 ders and looked deep into her eyes, 1 me dearie, woman. away, strange impulse made me scribble on 1 But early next morning, while she (rusting forward the chaired prom- ong of his cards on the desk an onder | Was Puton eee room to “The is the matter,” she said, ue rar tenes Ly: Leg Charred piece of paper iying on the Stimly, “Dearie, you must tol m6 Wont on foot T might bo traced’ hearth, Bhe picked f up. Oo the ua: "hat ft meana” “Oh, my dear! My dear!” moaned ; ~. . tun- “June stifled a Iittle ory of tear; . a Or eee Fee eaper, she rend: | nen impulsively anatched the burned (he horrified old woman. “And you Grant ten—third in Daper from the nurse's hand and fits gin T'— "nee i made aa though to hide tt, Mary | aM ict ay otal payment dus sir "Yeu," sobbed Jun: rible? I can't under: than you can, | Bro. Mary puzzled over the fragment tn stark perplexity, To her it meant murmured the old ‘ell me ali about it. You has left me nothing, And she Soule Bok SAAOr- are unhappy and you've gotten into stranger bad done it. I can't realise ‘ er bd misohief. MU Mary, ttle girl.” it was lL Why, I stole, I Med, I happened to possess such a thing or f b The snatched bit of paper Guttered unheeded from June's hand, Under the nurse's tenderness her own trou- bled heart cried out for a chance to confide in this gentle old woman, thie long sharer of all her avorets. 1 don't k forged—I, June Travis, who have al- waye been so intolerant when | heard of other people being tempted to do such things, Mary me what am I to do Her voice broke in a wail, She why she had tried to burn It, But as she placed the morning newspaper on the table for June a few minutes later the old woman's gaze fell on these staring headlines: VEILED WOMAN IN BLACK ow where to begin,” sobbed uncontrollably on her nurse's ROBS LOAN BROKER GRANT. ono fuitorod. “it's ali #0 atrange, 80 breast, ‘The old woman, dumtounded, Notes of Clients, Owing Money, Are horrible, I don't even understand it grief-setricken, sought nevertheless to Missing—Thief “Borrows” Vier = inyself. And—and—oh, I know you'll calm her as best ahe could, tim’s Auto and Escapes, hato me!" “We must never tell anyone,” de Mary let the newspaper fall to the = “Hate you?" echoed Mary, her voice creed Mary at last. “Not a sou on floor from her inert hand, Again she vibrant with gentle reproach. “Hate earth, We must keep it a secret, examined the charred note, And now you, baby? Why, I couldn't hate between us two, I'd give my she know what it w you any more'n [could hate one of dearie, sooner than let any harm come . 6 8 8 8 the Dieswed saints, I want to help to you. And {t shan't Mary'll pro- Mr. George Grant had come late to you, And I can't help you unless I tect her lite gir, But if other his oMce that morning, He wae in \now, Toll me all about 1 Nobody's should suspect”— the sort of humor that makes @ pol- gore to scold Mary's little girl.” “And,” broke in June, “I heven't sonous snake bite Itnelf and die, The yours hag slipped away, ‘Once told you the woret part of It, yet. There but one gleam of comfust more the growh Woman was a peni. . “is—ia there more?” quiv ‘Mary. in Grant's sour heart this bright tent ittic child at the knee of the “Oh. don't say there's worse yet! morning And that was bie bellef purge who idolized her and whose , “There is,” June returned, “That that the men whose names were chief joy in life was to soothe away day--that day when I felt something sie to the missing documents {ye iti one's Woes, tune felt chia @Map in my oul, | felt a burning een- would nat know of the theft. He strangely sweet influence of the pro- sation on the back gf my right hand figured th would £0 OM, A tpetini love, And it was like bali to 1 lwoked and—oh, {ft has come aad usual, pay hard-wrung tnstal- per wrecked spirit, She knew now 06, there, off and on, ever since: It ments o otes fenorant that that sie could tell her story to this $3 !!ke some hideous birthmark. Bt those notes were no longer in exist- woman who underatood—who alwave $82't there this morning, but"—~ ence and that the debtora themaeives understood. And bravely she began ,.oN¢, looked at the back of her Rand, were now legally free from thelr per confession as she spoke, and oried aloud tn eud- den despair, “Ive thore again!” she wept, “See? fue 1 had hoped tt had gone away orever,” She held up her right band. On snowy surface glowed a crimson like an evil star, At sight of it, Mary ng to her feet in mortal tyrant, The Dupes Win, ‘True, the morning newspapers had told of the theft. But Grant was cer- tain be could bluff each debtor into thinking his own particular note wes not among thos tolen, “1 think I've gone mad,” said June, “I can't understand it any other way I can't account, any other way, for the fearful power that has taken bold of mo, trom Ume to time, this past day or two. I don't understand my- self. Toan't believe it's really | who ‘The task of bluffing these poor de- am swayed by these horrible im- The Red Cirele!* babbled ‘old Mnquents promised to be absurdly aa, fit we lived tn olden times, man, her hosree and indis- easy, It would be @ refreshing bit of Mary, I'd honestly believe | was a et with he “The Red Ctrole! mental stimulant—after the smash- vic.im of witchcraft or—or ‘possessed After all t sears! The Red Cir- ing losses of the past twenty-four of a devil,’ like people in Bible daya, cle! Oh, God, help ust houre—to bully into subjection any A demon seems to have entered into of bis bondelavee who might daze to me-—to make me want to do ¢hings presume oo the robber, Ba news dreames of doing © tom God, hi am Pesci)