The evening world. Newspaper, March 18, 1916, Page 7

“Tine Red Circle,’ repeated Borden dully. “It is still there, on my hand, always there. And it has marked one member in every generation of my family. The person marked by it has always been a criminal. The ‘Decoration of the Curse of Heaven,’ I have heard it called!” 3 ¢ Novelized from the Pathe Photo Play of the Same Name by Will M. Ritchey, (Copsright, 1915, by Albert Payson Terhune.) SYNOPS!3 OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, * Jim Borden, masier crook, ts madind with an feregular red circle on the tack of bie hand, Phe Hed Circle har appeared on the band of one member of every generation in the Bonin family fad bas always denoted a criminal, Jien'o deaths the Red Circle hi fer! whom Lamar ad confides the sec June ie Jim Bo ighter, ts Charles 6. sion t June him shelter when 1 Tune saves Tamar's lite where he betrays June's reoret, the cooks refuge with Mary, crook, learns ts Borden's daughter, pollee are hunting tim, Max Lamar, @ young “crime specialist,” leame that efter been fen on the hand of @ woman thief, recently discovered this olrele on the back af her own right band, fhe to her old nurse, Marr, who ts horrified at hearing of tt, and who confonsns that June, deren on by the spell of the Rei Circle, commits several daring crimes, init all of them for the benefit of the poor oF {ll treated, a lawyer, who in anfustly accnant of ernbearlement, Ho uses this knowledge to blackmail her into giving June ‘Travis, @ beautiful Among those she befriends “Gmiling Gam” Fagan, « Tamer discovers Sam, who tries to Bill him, Sam {s Imocked senselow in the ensuing fight and is carrind to @ howpital, June is arreeted, ream her dead father, Released on ball and cast off by Mrs, Travis, ircle Jim,” appears to ber, CHAPTER XIV. Judgment Day. course, {{ was a dream—a vision bred of terror, of suspense, of long-continued nerve strain, At least so June always tried in tater days to make herself believe, But she had not been aware of folling asleep, She was ‘aere In the squatd little ttving room of the flat, brooding miser- ably over the future, and meemingly wide aws sat thero, she may havo dozed. Ane ¢, Yet, unconsciously, ae #he For, as clearly as ever in her life #he had beheld anything, che saw “Circle Jim” Borden come into the room. - y ters’ field this many a day. June did not ery out, She question the apparition. did not stir, ircle Jim” Borden, whose mortal body had been lying in the pote Once she sought to speak, to But her tongue and her ips were paralyzed. And now the stern and firm-set ips of the apparition moved, More with her heart than with her eare June heard the words that the spectre-lips formed. “June,” breathed the wratth’s voice, “Iam your father—your father whe Med. daughter.” He paus “] sought to wipe out forever the Red Circle curse There is no death, save to the body. I have come back becuuse I cannot rest. And I have come back to you. You alone can give me rest, my And atill that strange paralysis held June spellbound. IT sought tt by and- {ng the lives of those who bore that curse, But I failed. You escaped me.” A Ghostly Plea. There was something so sinister in the words that June felt a thrill of art. Tho voice was tinged with a tender longing as again the wraith spoke “June--my little girl, whom T terror tingle at her h lever know in Ife-you must help me, You, and you alone, can me now, I cannot rest until the circle ts forever gone. While the curse endures, my torture must endure. I long for re Rut there can ba for eternal aleep. the dead w My sins lve on And you alone no rest f hile their evil deeds live on you, poor daughter of mine can crush the awful power of the Red Circle and give mo rest. Your fate 1s jp your own hands, Not only your fate, but mine. You have the power, if you will but exert tt, t He checked himself and turned bis angry impatience to- The door opened and fierce gaxe in ward the door. Mary looked tn. Returning from her purchase of sup- plies, the old nurse had met Max La- mar, who had learned of June's where- abouts and had hastened to her, Leav- ing Lamar tn the adjacent dining- room, Mary had come to tell tunr of hia visit Now, entering the room, she sew the girl her chair with closed ey nd moth- of the in leaning back his had no hint ing else, 8! wralth's prese The old woman tiptoed back to the dining-room, shutting the door softly ce behind her. “The poor dear is asleep, ported to Lamar, in @ wht won't disturb her, She needs {t."” As soon as Mary left the roon Rorden drew close to the moveless Juno y more Mit in your power to save ua both, daughter," he said, eagerly, “You can save us, You alone, You can give me the rest I crave, “T waa brought up to erime—to the compantonship reckie ato of outcasts,” went on Borden, “There were but two clean influences in all my life—my mother and the wifo I adored. My mother died before I could understand how much tt would have we her if I bad learned to Tive the life she wished me to, My q@ifo could have saved me, through fove. Fut sho died, She died when you w And after that noth- ing mattered to mo, [| went on and @ born on, to the end.” A spasm of pain marred his rugged face With you It was different. From Rebyhood, you were surrounded by every influence for good, Every power @@ envisqnment waned valiantly against the hereditary cursa, And that saved you from committing sor- did crimes, when at Inst the curse overtook you. You sinned. But al- ways you sinned that others might be happy. Never once did you commit crime for your own profit—always to help ruch the good tne fluences accomplished for you. They could not wholly wand off the curse, but they made your sing a blessing to many unfortunates. And those same food Influences will save you now—if you will help them, an conquer the ourse by will urged Borden, “You can de. troy the evil that {sin you. You can uve yourself and me. You can do this, It will be a fearful confilct, but if you exert all your will power you can win, Will you do this, June? Answer me!" June longed to cry out to him that sho would make the fight; that she would atrive with all her might to stamp out the curse of the Red Circte. Rut she could not speak, The glowing eyes, peering down at her {n such frantic appeal, took on a look of baffled rage. “You will not speak? You wil! not help me? You will not help yourself?” stormed the wraith. ‘You are so dead to your better self that you will not make the effort which could save us both?" June writhed inwardly, trying to tell him he was wrong—that ho cruelly misjudged her—that she would do as he had bidden ber, And now the weird voice wholly lost its gentleness, ite note of tender en- treaty. Into tt crept a bulldog snarl of menace. The Threat of the Dead. “My plea cannot move you?’ he rumbled, there 1s only one way to end it. nas I hoped, onco before, to destroy the Red Cirele and its curse, Then I Killed myself and the lad I thought was my gon, If I had known you were my daughter you should have died, too; even as now, you shall diel" The gnarled hands ctatched at June's full, white throat in murder ous fury, But the spectral hande— bodiless, shadowy—were ‘harmless egainst her warm, living flesh, Slowly the tmpotently murderous hands withdrew their grip, ‘My-my spirit hands were no Power against your human body!" he snarled, “I am helpless It ts my punishment,” He bowed his head tn his arme; his phantom body twitching with emotion, Then, turning abruptly, y ut so much as a backward look at the trance-held girl, he melted through the closed door and was gone. For a moment June remained as he had left her, Then # 4 from head to heel. Her eves gradually opened horror-filled and wild. Instinctively she raised her + hand to her throat as if sho had actually felt the pressure of the wraith’s murderous fingers, The hand she raised was free from all trace of the cirole. Dazedly June got to her feet, glar- ing about the room in abject fright. She moved, uncertainly, a step or two, Then her tense nerves giving away, sho shreiked aloud and reeled to the floor tn a dead faint. Mary and Lamar, at sound of her ery, rushed headlong into the room. They flew to her aid, applying such restoratives were within reach, Presently the swooning girl camo to herself. Looking up, she encoun- tered the nurse's loving, frightened old face “Oh, Mary!" she gasped, trembling all over, “I've had such en awful @ream! Buch a horrible dream, Mary! If—if it was a dreain! If It was a dream!” . . . . . Charles Gordon, in the lounging room of his club, read and reread the flaring headlines that told of June ‘Travis’ arrest on the Red Circle charge. ‘The lawyer was muttering to him- wolf: MOTHER evr. “Guilty or not—she saved mo from prison, No girl with eyes like hers fe a criminal. If—if it » this damnable embezziemo" against me, I'd defend her. If only 1 could get Farwell to a nocent, I could prictice I belleve I could Farwell would neve: He glanced up quickly burried Into the room ing excitedly to a lit' who sat near the door. “Well!” er saying, “I think Silas Parw about paid his debt to th ployees of bis that he's swindling.” “What'a up?" asked Gordon, Join- ing the group. “I heard this morning that a crowd again wo her, B Aman bad 1 was speak- knot of Idlers Gordon heard the newcom- lhas em- been of them tried to storm his fice again to make him settle. He had a lot of roughneck guards, who scattered them, But just now, as he wascom- ing here from his factory, for lunch, ® lot of the etrikers movbed his auto,” “Did they get him? Or—?" ‘T don't know. I saw part of the row, from the club steps. [t was no affair of mine to intorfere, Lot him pay for his crookedness, for all I care, He" The speaker was tnterrupted by the entrance of Farwell himself—hatiess, disheveled, panting. “II got clear from them!" hoarse- ly panted the fugitive, as he dashed into the room and slammed the door behind him. He was shaking with fear. Then Gordon, recognizing the valuo of the payohological moment, leaped forward and setzed Farwell by the torn coat lapels, ilaa Farwell!" thundered Gordon, his face close to the frightened man's. “Confess that the embezzlement charge you made against mo was false! Confess tt was a conspiracy~ that you Hed!" A Strange Confession. The onlookers rematned outwanliy neutral; only presains closer about the two, as if not wishing to miss a single detail of th “Confoss!" ordered Gordon again Farwell, gasping, panting, in utter contusion of mind end body, blinked stupidly into the ete eyes of his foe. shouted G What's all tt some one, in the same breath Chief Allen had come tn, after heading a squad of policemen who had routed the mob Furwell’s back was to the door. He had not heard Allen enter, and tho chief's words had been drowned in Gordon’s threatening shout of “Con- fess!” But one of the bystanders latd a detaining hand on tho advancing chief's arm and stopped his progress toward the centre of the group. Al- len paused a moment, {rreaolute, And in that moment he heard Gordon re. peat: ‘onfess your charge against mo was @ lio!” Under the blaze of Gordon's hyp- notic look, Farwell's nerves went wholly to pieces, “T—1". he sputtered, “Tell the truth!” demanded Gor- don, “or I'll drag you by main force out of this club and throw yon to the mob of men outside there! The men you've robbed, and who will kill you it they” “I—1 confess!” croaked Farwell, in etark terror, “I”. “You confese—what?" insisted Gor- don, again shaking hia foe back and forth as @ puppy might shake a rag. you” ~ confess I framed’ babbled the terrified Farwell, argo I made against you \ Ise, I—oh, for God's suke, Gor * he howled in abject terror, “don't let those devils ous there get hold of ma They “One thing more!” broke !n Gor- don, curtly; his face alight at hts victory and at the complete mastery which, for the moment, he was ex- erting over the pante-stricken man “Ono thing more: Will you retrac your robbery charge ugainst Miss ‘Travis, and yvindleate her? Will you??*— “Hold on, there! broke in Chief n’'s peremptory voice, “You're going a step too far, Mr, Gordon. I didn't butt in, while you made him clear your name, And I'm mighty glad you were able to, But I can't havo you interfering with the Red Circle case. ‘That's a matter for the po Let it alone! And jot Mr. Farwell go.” At sound of the chief's voice, Far rell's vanished courage revurned to him with @ rush own “Am I going to withdraw the charge against the Travis girl?’ he sneered, “Of course I'm not, I'm going to prosecute her to the bitter end, The thief!" Chief Allen interposed his muscular bulk between the two men, just time to prevent Gordon trom flying at his enemy’s throat. Next morning, aa soon as he could find owt where she was living, Gor- don went to June's apartment and offered his services as her counsel In the approaching trial, Qratefully, June a 1 the offe boing familar with the reports of his leg skill, He cut short her thanks by saying “And now, if you don't mind, Miss ‘Trav we'll go over the case to- gether, step by step, If Murwell ts the only plainant against you, ‘ve a notion I can shut him up b You t mo nN compla 1 as freed.” But there were other complainants Plenty of them, 4s Max Lamar and a oe THE EVENING WORLD, SATURDAY, MAROF 18, A Mystery Romance of Heredity Chief Allen were at that very mo ment finding out Max had dropped into the chiefs private office for ¢ with his old friend, and to try to enlist bis aid in June's behalf, But he found Allen as firm as a rock in the matter of bringing the Red Circle criminal to juatice. A Lover's Plan. “T'd like to seo it your way, Max,” sald the chief. “But { can't, I'm an officer of the law, ‘The liw hag been violated. And it's up to me to do all I can to punish the violator, I'm sor- ry. You've got eloquence enough to move any one but @ veteran thiof- taker, But I" “No, I haven't,” denied Lamar, mis- erably. “I can't even away the feel- ings of one cranky fool of a woman.” “What woman?" asked the chief, curlously, “Mrs, Travis,” growled Lamar. came to my office this morning, Sho remembered [ was present when Ted Borden was asphyxiated by old ‘Circle Jim! She know I'd liad some expe- rience with the boy before that. He wes her son, you know, Though of course, she never guessed ft and never even heard of him unit! Miss Travia was accused.” “Well, what ?"— “She caine to ask tions about him. me some ques- After the way Mrs. Travia had Dehaved to June, Twas tn no mood to handle her with gloves. So I told her frankly Just what a rotten sort of a cub the boy was, Sho didn't Mke tt very muc “I'm not surprised.” “Thon [ tried to soften her heart toward June, I used all the eloquence and all the arguments I could muster, It was no use.” fax,” maid the chief, suddenty, ‘you're in love with June Travia!" "Yes," was Lamar’s deflant answer, “Lom, And I'm proud of It, I'm go- ing to eave her tf I can. And if I can't I'm going to wait—a Ifetime It I have to—till she gets out of prison; and then I'm going down on my kneoa to her and beg her to be my wife.” “Red Circle and all?" “Red Circle and all, She's the only girl on earth for mo, chief. I Allen's aecretary came in with @ telegram, The chief glanced at It and Passed tt over to Lamur, Max rea “I have a charge to bring agatost Red Cirois lady for theft of war plans. “TODD DREW." “There you are,” said Allen, “And that’s just the start of tt, You re- member the case. Drew had plans for & muperdestructive war !mple- ment. He inherited them from his father, the big inventor, He was fust going to sell them to a foreign gov ernment when a hand hed them away from him. It was 4 woman's hand with @ Red Circle on it, He didn't see anything of the woman, ex- cept her hand. But it wae June ‘Travia, She"'—- ‘The office door banret pen and a nan stamped tn, It was Grant, the an shark, “Tho papers say You've caught the Red Circle woman at } I'm hera to make formal charge against her, for locking me in my vault and steal- ing all those promissory notes from my desk K at heart, got to hia at ut A word of fare rted for the door, Alen him for an moned gia verest an. I lamar,” he ordered in a whisper, “And then go to the fat The Newest PATHE Picture, Now Being Presented at house where June Travis ts staying; and wateb it ti! I send to have you relieved. I've a notion she's going to try to bolt and that Max Lamar‘s go- ing to try to belp her do it.” The plain-clothes man was off, like a sleuth hound, He found the double task unexpectediy easy. For Lamar was making for June's apartment ag fast as he could go, The erie specialist vanished into the apartment house doorway with- out onoe turning around, And the plain-clothes man lounged fdly against a tree acrons the street; @mugiy certain that he had not been observed Now it happened that Max Lamar was one of the moat brilliant Aeteo- tives In Amerie ‘The sixth sense, 40 common to born man hunters, had told him, before be had gone a hundred yards from poltes headquarters, that he was followed He had not turned around to verity this belief. Partly because there was no need to. Hartly because he dtd not want to put his pursuer on guard. Tut, the moment he entered the front door of the apartment hous his careless demeanor changed, Step-, ping quickly to one aide, ao that he no longer In view from the he turned and moved along the sidewall of the hallway, toward the front door, again; and presently wos street, he came to a window that overlooked the sidewalk. The Trailer Tratled, Flattening himself against the wall, he peeped around the edge of the window frame for one brief second; only a small portion of the head showing. That single mimpse told him all he wanted to know, He saw the plain- clothes man lo!tering with apparent Aimlsesness on the far sido of the thoroughfare. Lamar recognized him an Warren, ono of the most tenacious, quick-witted members of the force. Having made this discovery, Max Lamar continued on hts way to June's Apartment. Mary let him tn. June was still consulting with Gordon, who had just risen to take his leave. tr, Gordon has promined to be my counsel," June told him as the two mon cordially shook hands. “Ho — "Good," approved Lamar. “You couldn't possibly do better; tf legal Prowess could sve you. But," he added sadly, “it can't." "Mr. Gordon thinks tt can,” aaid June, wondering at her lover's look of blank despair, “Ho saya sines Mr Farwell ia the only complainant, he"— “Farwell ten't the only complain. ant," corrected Lamar. “T am just from headquarters. While I , thero two more complainants came forward—Todd Drew and Grant, Good Lord!" groaned the lawyer, sinking nto a chair, “That sottles It ‘There's not an atom of hopol” “Thera ts hope!” eontradicted La mar, trying to amtle encouragement at the wretched girl who was looking pitinble question from one man to the oth re is hope, But only ona hope." “What is it?” asked Sune, feverish with anxiety, “Just this," declded Max. “And Gordon will agree with me, You must run away.” “Run away? But" “You face absolutely vin vietion Your only chance ts where outside th jurisdiction of tho urt, Preferably to Canada.” “You are right,” declared Gordon, By Albert Payson Terhune “When I am myself,’ sobbed June, “I loathe the things The Red Circle makes me do. But when the circle begins to throb and glow on the back of my hand, something scourges me on from one mad crime to another ;—some power I can’t control.” It's the only chance. Start at once; before" —= “She can’t do that,” negattved La- mar. “There's a plain-clothes man— Sam Warren—-ncross watching the house. gone a block, he'd" “But you sald there was a chance!” walled June, distraught. “There is. As long as Warren's on the Job, the chief won't send any- one else to spy on you. We can't do anything by daylight. But as soon as it's dark, I'm going to get rid of Warren.’ the atreet, Before you'd “How? asked June, her eyes allgh f I can help,” added Gordon, “count me tn.” "You can help,” returned Max, gratefully. “You can help a lot. You and I will come back here at § this evening, Gordon, I'l! bring along a rope and a sack. We'll walk up be- hind Warren as be stands looking at this house, truas him up, put the @ack over his head, trundio him into the alley back there, and tle him up to one of the telegraph poles.” “Good! Oh, good!” laughed June tn sudden glee. m gone,” said Gordon briefly, "Meanwhile, Mary,” went on La- mar “Get Miss Travis'a things all packed, and be ready to start off with her. I'll buy the ratinoad tick- ota to-day. And I'll havea taxt here to run you both to the Unton Station the minute we gat Warren out of the way." June's depression was gone. Her eyes sparkled with Joyous excitement. Lamar eyed her in wonder. Then his gaze fell on her right hand. The Red Circle was biasing on #t like a flery meteor. Max's heart went out to the af- Mioted girl in a great rush of tender- ness. To-night, at 8, then,” he said, curt- ly. “Come along, Gorion. We've @ lot to arrange. June's fevered gayety carried her through the rest of the day; through the ordeal of hasty packing and other preparation for her flight. Aa 8 o'clock struck, the trunks and @ultcases were at last ready. Mary and June tensely awaited the coming of Gordon and Lamar, “T'm going to the front room,” said Mary, “and try to get a glimpse of them. I do hope they haven't made a botch of tying up that police fi low out there—the nasty spy!” A Flash of Courage. June, left alone, looked around to nee !f anything had been forgotten tn the haste of packing, And, as the serutiny ended, she chanced to notion the Red Circle pulsing on her hand Sho gazed at tt, in a new horror, And, as he looked, the wild elation began to ebb from her brain “He said,” she murmurred, half aloud, “he sald my father maid —I could wipe out the curse by will Hoe sata I could conquer—and my~ power. T shalt” Long she stood there, her eyes fixed on her handbag. “Tean conquer, by will power. God helping me, I shall!” confilet ceased, as The beau- And, Presently, the suddenly as it had begun, tiful face was again—deadly pale, but Mumined by a new th it had never before known, Bhe looked at her hand. The Red Circle had vanished; never again to return, Into the apartment burst Lamar and Gordo h Mary at their heets, “We got him!" cried Lamar. “We got Mim, Jur We slipped up on him from behind, just aa 1 ar ranged, Ho's tied and g he's strapped, hand and telegraph pole in the darkest the alley, Are you ready, wee We've no time to waste.” “Thank you, Max," she sald ‘Thank you both, from the t my heart, for a ave ne you've risked for me to-night ‘There's no timo for thanks, Miss Travis," interrupted Gordon, “And we don't ask for thanks. Hurry! Wo must tf. "Ta © auletly, yet her face glor a new lHeht from w here," 8 nd face my trial ths later the m of her guilt remained Max had bewought Ler to tho ugly fal unsbaken, marry him before the trial and to face the ordeal as his wife. But very gent- ly she had put aside the offer. “If ever I come to you, dear,” she had said, “it must be with clean hands and without stain upon my heart. Not till I can be certain the Red Cirelo has gone forever will £ marry you,” she had answered, “When Tam sure of that--perfectly, perfectly sure of It—then T shall come to you.” Gordon, from the very opening of the trial, struggled with every atom of brain and body to bolater up a hopeless case. He warred againat overwhelming odds and never yielded & single step without flerce opposition, Yet the trial's result was @ fore- gone conclusion, On the very Inst day of the trial Mra, Travis created a painful scene by rushing into court and throwing her arms around June, weepingly declar- ing herself a wicked old woman for having turned her pack on the wink, and vowing that never again would whe forsake her, Mra, Travis (her famtiy pride wd resentment swopt away by a sudden impulse of love toward the stricken girl she had abandoned) helt June close pressed to her hoart and cried out sobbingly to the Judge “She ts mine! She is my own Uttle sirll And you ghan't send her to prison!" Tho jury was out less than half an hour and returned @rimly to the box with the unanimous verdict of “GUILTYI* June 414 not fitnch as sho heard the word: the most terrible word in all our language, The same strange light that had come tnto her face on the night when #he had refused to es- cape still glowed there, Calm, un- afraid, #he latened to the verdict. ‘With the same calmness, she Tose and stood facing the Judge, to receive her sentence, home, June pitied Mm for the @rim task that was now his, Judgment. “Prisoner at the bar,” eta the Judge, bis deep votce untinged by any emotion, “A fury of your peers has found you guilty on every count of the various indictments againgt you. It ta @ just verdict. In view of the evidence, it was the only verdiet the Jury could honestly have agreed "My own duty ts equally clear,” he went on. “The law, through tts ad@- ministrators, must protect the public, By virtue of my office, it 1s my pre- rogative to decide to what extemt you are & menace to the public, and to act accordingly, While there can be no reasonable doubt that you eom= mitted the crimes wherewtth you wero charged, yet {t has also been en= tublished—to the court's satisfaction, at least--that those ertmes were com- mitted under the streas of a certain psychic influence. The court ts also convinced that that evi influence neo longer exists, It ts the court's bellet hat the influence will not return, and that you will thus be no longer @ menace to society. “Therefore, I hereby release you, om parole—in the custody of Mrs. Travis, The remainder of his speech was ywned In a tumult of applause that the court made no Imperative effort to check, . . . * . . A year dragged by. A long, bitter year to Max Lamar, who had found unat > shake Juno's re- nd who, to keep hts promise, ed himself to keep at @ dis- 1 fo 1c9 from hi One early he sat tn his private of going over pay was pre- h and beauty of through the vw. But he gave it no heed; edon, with a heavy heart, or opened, slowly, as id fingers. Max did 4 head 1 v, two soft hands were t ' s eyes; and his Read was drawn back against a woman's breast, With an unbelleving cry of utte sprang to his feet. v t June Travis was rma. * she falt speak “Max red, when at last I've come the Red will never isk you if it one, “Lye, Ace A gold 1 diamond (THE END,