Sequoyah County Democrat (Sallisaw, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, June 9, 1916 Page: 2 of 8
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SEQUOYAH COUNTY DEMOCRAT
TTOEDCIMI
Albert PajonTerhuiifi)
AUTHOR OF THE "THE FIGHTER'” “CALEB CONOVER”
"SYRIA FROM THE SADDLE" ETC
NOVELIZED FROM THE PATHE PHOTO PLAY OF THE
SAME NAME BY WILL M RITCHEY
SYNOPSIS
"Circle Jim" Borden named from a red
bfrthmark on his hand has served his
third prison term One In each Borden
generation always a criminal has borne
the Bed Circle mark Jim and his son
Ted are the only known living of the
Bordens Max Lamar a detective is de-
tailed to keep an eye on Jim June Travis
and her mother meet Jim as he is re-
leased Jim and Ted are killed Next
day Lamar sees the Red Circle on a wom-
an's hand outside a curtained automobile
June marked with the Red Circle robs
Grant a loan shark Mary June's nurse
discovers her theft and tells her she Is
Circle Jim’s" daughter though Mrs
Travis does not know Mary tricks La-
mar Lamar visits "Smiling Sam" Jim's
old crime partner Sent to Surf ton by
8miling Sam Alma La Salle robs the
guests at a ball Mary points her out to
Lamar who follows her back to town
captures her with the jewels and goes af-
ter Smiling Sam On the edge of a cliff
parsuer and pursued engage in deadly
combat Gordon a fugitive rescues La-
mar and June in turn saves Gordon from
arrest Smiling Sam sees the Red Circle
on June's hand tells her he knows her
secret and follows her to the city
ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT
SEEDS OF SUSPICION
In Lamar’s office Gordon stood with
bis back to the locked dccr white-
faced gasping For the moment at
least he was safe — and his eyes never
left the face of the girl
“Now" cried June under her breath
"tell me everything — won’t you?’’
Gordon shook his head
“I can’t" he said “I’m more grate-
ful to you than I can ever make you
know — you’ve saved my life or rather
my liberty that counts for more but
—honestly I mustn’t tell you why
they’re after me — not now anyway!
“But why not?" Interrupted June
“Every minute is precious Mr Lamar
is my friend— he calls me his ‘first as-
sistant’ I’m anxious to help you — I
can help you— if you’ll tell me every-
thing but bow can I be of use at all
when you keep me in the dark like
this?'
Her earnest eyes were full of plead-
ing and reluctantly Gordon found him-
self weakening
"You’re a brick" he said “to be in-
terested in me at all and I’m terribly
grateful — ”
“Then do as I say — begin at the be-
ginning and tell me’’
"How do we know but that some-
one is in that next room? Do you
know where the other door leads to?”
“Wait a minute” said June quickly
"I’ll look in the outer office Mr La-
mar’s confidential clerk may be there
Don’t move till I come back”
On her way to the door June hur-
riedly laid her gloves and wrist bag
on Lamar’s desk half-subconsciously
noting at the same time a pair of
handcuffs that lay there With a little
shudder she passed them by and
slowly opening the office door peered
cautiously out
There with his back to her sat
Gage the confidential clerk busily
writing and serenely unconscious that
anyone was looking at him June soft-
ly closed and locked the door
Gordon gave a nervous glance
around then began:
"The whole thing in a nutshell is
this:
"The Farwell corporation retained
me so that they might ‘legally’ defraud
their employees of co-operative profits
"When I found what they were up
to I rebelled and tried to expose the
Deftly Snapped on the Handcuffs
crooked deal — so cf course they’ve bad
It In for me ever since
"There was only one thing to do — to
tell the workers about it — the men
who had expected to he profit-sharers
and were dupes Instead So I got a
crowd cf them In the courtyard one
day and told them the whole thing
“Some of ’em believed me most of
them didn’t — or at least were doubt-
fl In the middle of It the watchman
and a patrolman or two came to see
what K was all about broke up the
crowd with night sticks and pushed
comwwT i'ifcvrmTPvttN
me off threatening me With arrest for
'starting a riot’ You see I was help-
less The corporation blocked me”
muttered Gordon bitterly “Then
not content with that they ruined me
financially
"One day I was In my office when
Farwell rang me up ‘I want to see
you at once’ he said ‘We are wrong
and we’ll surrender’
"It didn’t taka me long to hang up
the receiver get my hat and hurry
over to his cffice There he was the
grinning hypocrite greeting me as if
I were a long lost friend Ho waved
me to a chair and then took out a pa-
per and placed it airily on a desk leaf
and told me to read it All the time
he kept cne hand on the thing but I
like a fool thought nothing of that — I
was Idiot enough to believe he was act-
ing in good faith!
"This Is wbat the hound told me to
read" went on Gordon: ‘The Farwell
corporation through Its attorney
Charles Gordon hereby rescinds its
recent action of withholding co-operative
profits’
"There was a blank space left for
me to sign and like a dub I signed it
Farwell picked It up and looked at it
Then the smiling mask dropped from
his face It grew all hard and ccld
"For a minute I didn't understand
the change Then I saw the trick
Farwell had two pieces of paper clev-
erly fastened one above the other just
leaving room at the foot of the under
one for my signature While I thought
I was signing the upper one it was
really the lower paper I was pinning
my name to — irrevocably!
Farwell crumpled the upper paper—
the one I had thought I was signing —
put it In his ash tray and set fire to it
He held the other paper cut for me to
read and at the same time he demand-
ed that I produce the ‘securities in-
trusted to me!' This is what I had
Bigned my name to:
“ ‘July 1 Received from the Farwell
corporation this date $75000 of aaid
corporation’ bonds to be held In trust
by the undersigned until called for by
the said corporation Signed Charles
Gordon Witnessed by Silas Farwelll’
"For a minute I was too dazed to do
anything But Farwell wasn’t He
rang his bell and in came a plain-
clothes man and a policeman
"Farwell promptly ordered them to
arrest me on an embezzlement
charge"
"I think I went mad I snatched at
the paper but I couldn’t get It for
Farwell jammed it Into the inside
pocket cf his coat I grabbed him I
was bound I would get the paper or
choke him We had It hot and heavy
for a few minutes But of course I
hadn’t a show — three against one — I
was a rat In a trap nothing more”
“The miserable sneak!” said June
"I was facing a charge of embez-
zlement through that double-paper
trick of Farwell’s and I knew it But
the police were decent enough to let
me go to my office for a moment
Luckily they hadn’t handcuffed me
I went to my desk and the men stayed
at the back of the room
“While I was fussing about my desk
I hit upon an Idea With one eye on
the men I slowly unscrewed the In-
candescent glebe from my desk lamp
and tossed it against the rear wall —
their backs were toward it It
smashed cf course and at the smash
they both turned to see what caused
the noise In that instant I leaped
cut of the open window jammed it
shut and ran up the fire escape to the
roof”
"Great!” applauded June her right
hand athrob
"In a second the men were after
me though firing their guns as they
came
"I cut across the roofs until I found
an open scuttle dccr I ran inside and
closed it From that cn it was an
easy matter to cover my tracks until
at last I got away clean and found a
hiding place In the shack at Surfton"
June said nothing but her eyes were
luminous and thoughtful Her fingers
were toying with the pair of hand-
cuffs on the desk and suddenly she
picked them up and looked at them
Then as her gaze tock In her own
hand her face was suffused with a
ruBh of color There was the dread-
ed Red Circle burning all too clearly
against the white flesh
At that moment someone turned the
handle of the door leading to the cut-
er office
At the sound Gordon raised his head
and met the frightened look In June's
eyes
"I'm going to give myself up any-
way” he said Indifferently
"No! NO!" whispered June ve-
hemently “You mustn’t give yourself
up now! I'm going to help you!”
Then the kn'ick came a second time
followed by a little pause and after
that the sound of retreating footsteps
June moved quickly to the hall door
and Gordon followed June opened
the door and looked out Into the hall
—then suddenly drew back shutting
and locking the door
"It’s Gago!” she whispered breath-
lessly “And he’s making for thiB
door now!”
Before the words were fairly out of
her mouth the hall door was tried A
moment later there was a crash of
splintered glass and Gage peered into
the office through the jagged opening
his determined elbow had made He
saw no one however for the very
good reason that June and Gordon
were flattening themselves against the
wall on the side nearest the door
Gage then decided to reach through
the opening and unlock the door from
the inside June catching a glimpse
of his entering arm slipped quickly
to the desk and picked up the hand-
cuffs then tiptoed hurriedly to the
door as Gage’s hand groped for the
key An instant more and she had
deftly snapped one of the handcuffs
around Gage’s wrist and with trem-
bling fingers snapped the other on the
door knob
June caught her wrist bag and
gloves from the desk and signaling to
Gordon to follow her unlocked the out-
er office door and slipped into the cor-
ridor As they hurried on — with Gordon a
bit in the rear — June nervously thrust
her right hand Into its glove ' she
didn't intend to have Gordon or Any-
one else see that throbbing Red Cir-
cle Outside the office building June halt-
ed and looked up and down the street
In search of a taxicab Presently one
appeared and she held up her hand to
stop it As It drew alongside the
curb she and Gordon got In and drove
away
"All right so far” said June "Now
for our next move”
"Look!” exclaimed Gordon clutch-
ing June's hand unconsciously press-
ing its Red Circle "Look! There’s Far-
well! Farwell just ahead of us! Good
Lord! He’s with Lamar!”
"Don’t worry” whispered June re-
turning the pressure of his hand reas-
suringly "It’s going to be all right —
couldn’t have happened better! I’ll
get them both now! I’m going to
jump out and join them and I want
you to stay in the cab and wait for
me a little way up the street Or no
the park is better”
Lamar and Farwell deep In conver-
sation did cot notice the sound of
footsteps behind them and so had no
Idea of June's approach until she came
abreast of them as they reached the
entrance door of Farwell's office build-
ing June nodded and smiled at La-
mar who shook hands eagerly his
face radiant Then he turned to Far-
well and introduced him tc June
“How do you do Mr Farwell?” said
June in her most innocent manner
”1 wish you'd come in with us Miss
Travis” Lamar said “Farwell is go-
ing to show me the Gordon papers — I
want your advice”
As they entered the office anteroom
Lamar turned to June
"Can you make yourself comfortable
here for a few minutes?" he asked
offering a chair "Farwell and I will
go ever the preliminaries by our-
selves In the inner cffice — we won’t
bore you with unnecessary details”
June was alone save for a very
young secretary who was Beated at a
desk stamping letters
"If only that miserable secretary
would go away!” she thought
Presently he did that very thing
Juno jumped up at once Getting a
chair from the corner of the room she
carried it to the door jumped lightly
up and applied a pair of very pretty
but very curiouB eyes to the transom
Lamar and Farwell were seated at
a table Papers were strewn every-
where but Farwell had separated Gor-
don’s securities receipt from the oth-
ers and was just In the act of handing
it to Lamar
“There's the receipt” June heard
him say “It means prison If we can
capture him”
Lamar let the paper drop to the
table before him He hated the busi-
ness In hand
June who loved him read all this
in his face
“Here is where I come In again”
she said to herself
In a flash she saw how It could all
be done Jumping lightly down she
landed on the fleer on the tips of her
toes and slipped out Into the hallway
With a quick look up and down she
tossed her wrist hag Into the farthest
corner on the hall floor Then she
hurried back to the anteroom tore her
hat off and pulled her hair away
Next she overturned two chairs one
after the other with a hang and stag-
gered wildly Into the private office
gasping:
"Mr Lamar! Mr Lamar! Quick!”
' "What is it?" cried Lamar and Far-
well in chorus jumping up and run-
ning toward her
"A man came in" panted June “He
snatched my handbag — threw me off!
He’s gone!”
Farwell was already in full pursuit
of the imaginary thief and at June’s
lnsistance Lamar promptly joined him
This was just what June was watt-
ing for She ran to the paper-strewn
desk seized the coveted receipt gave
It a quick keen glance and hid it in
her dress
Then her eyes on the door she hur-
ried to the safe Its door was open
as Farwell had left it when he took
out the Gordon papers to show to
Lamar With trembling fingers she
snatched up a bundle of bank notes
stuck those in her dress also and
started back to her place
Then she was scourged on by still
another mad impulse Going to the
table she picked uj a couple of sheets
of plain letter paper folded them to-
gether and tore them into rude circles
Her eyes gleamed oddly as she picked
up a pen ‘and sitting down began to
print something on one of the circles
Looking over her shoulder at every
other letter she finished her printing
Then she put the plain white circle on
the dark blotting pad got up ran to
the safe and hung the printed circle on
the knob With a sigh of satisfaction
she went back to the anteroom and
collapsed into a chair resuming her
air of fright and exhaustion
During their wild-goose chase Lamar
and Farwell met the returning secre-
tary and they all came down the hall
together talking excitedly
While they were talking Lamar
true to his trade was looking so it
was he who found June's bag in the
dark corner of the hall
"Here's the hag anyhow 1” he ex
claimed “The man must have dropped
it when he ran! See what Santa
Claus brought for a good little girl!”
he called to June waving the bag be-
fore her as he entered the office
“Oh — thank you Mr Lamar! I knew
you would find It for me If any mortal
could! I’m a million times grateful to
you!”
“Let me go heme with you" pleaded
Lamar
“Oh no really — I’ll be perfectly all
right by myself answered June
“Anyway I shall insist on taking
you down to the door”
“All right” said June reluctantly
Lamar stoed looking tenderly after
June for a moment and then he went
back to rejoin Farwell
As he entered the door he collided
with Farwell who wild-eyed and pant-
ing gripped him by the arm and half-
dragged him to the table cf the Inner
office
"The Gordon receipt’s gone!" he
gasped
At the same moment Lamar saw
the white circle — it startled him most
unpleasantly Then Farwell pushed
him toward the safe ‘
"See" he cried ‘Tm robbed!
They've taken a bundle of bank notes!
Read this thing!” As he spoke he
pulled the printed circle eff the safe
knob and thrust it into Lamar's hands
What Lamar read was this:
"The money will be put to a good
use by the Circle Lady”
He was speechless and could only
stare wide-eyed at the paper
Speaking dazedly to himself rath-
er than to Farwell:
: "Suspicion points to Miss Travis —
but that's Impossible! Impossible!"
He sat down and pulled the tele-
phone toward him He gave the num-
ber of his cwn office
As soon as Gage recognized his
voice the clerk began pouring forth
bis tale about the mysterious woman
who handcuffed him to the door
where he might still have been If two
clerks from other cffices hearing his
cries for help had not come running
In
"Wait a minute" called Lamar over
his end of the wire ‘‘Could you see
who it was that snapped the cuffs on
you?"
"No" yelled Gage ‘1 couldn’t see a
thing except a woman’s hand — with a
Red Circle on the back of it”
Lamar turned white Then he asked
sharply
"Any other clue?"
Gage’s voice came hesitatingly over
the wire '
"Well" he mumbled “Miss Travis
called I showed her into your office
to wait— and then she disappeared"
Lamar slowly hung up the receiver
Just as slowly he got up He stood
thinking a moment then turned to
Farwell and said curtly:
"Keep this absolutely quiet until I
investigate I’ll do all I can — good
day”
Meapwhile June oblivious to all
the trouble she had caused made her
way to the park the coveted receipt
and the banknotes hugged tight to her
breast ' '
Gordon was still there though the
chauffeur had wandered onto the grass
somewhere
As she neared the cab Gordon
leaned out eagerly
"What luck?” be said uneasily
"If I looked as happy as I feel you
surely wouldn’t have to ask” smiled
June holding out the receipt
"Hooray!” cried Gordon opening the
paper and reading It
Then be looked at June and the
tears came into his eyes
"You are a wonder” he said In a
low voice "I can never repay you
yon marvelous girl! How did you
ever get the paper?”
The happy light died out of June’s
eyes
"Don't ask me how I got it" she
murmured "The only thanks I wish
is your silence You do not know
what I am Now you must go and so
must I but first I want you to ac-
cept this little roll of money — It may
come In handy" As she spoke she
opened her wrist hag and banded
him some bank notes — not those she
had taken from the safe
"I can't take this” stammered Gor-
don "You have done too much for
me already!"
“You can and you must” answered
June firmly “You don't know how
much you may need it nor how soon"
"Since you insist we’ll call It a
loan” said Gordon reluctantly pock-
eting the money— “and thank you a
million times”
With a hurried handshake and good-
by June disappeared Gordon looked
about for his driver who presently
slouched Into view half asleep Evi-
dently he had found the graBS very
soothing and comfortable to bis rheu-
matic old bones
“Time to drive on my son" said
Gordon
"All right boss” yawned the driver
"Jes’ soon’s I crank r up”
Then he ambled around to the front
of the cab and began to turn the
crank As the engine started to buzz
hopefully Gordon still nervous and
on the lookout saw and recognized a
plain-clothes detective who was run-
ning toward the cab
It took Gordon barely a second to
leap to the steering wheel knock the
sleepy driver to one side and send
the car forward
The plain-clothes man was just too
quick for him however and managed
to leap onto the running board as the
machine moved off
Gordon put the car at full speed
and thanked his stars that he was
ambidextrous Steering a bit wildly
with his left hand he suddenly leaned
out on the other side and struck the
scrambling policeman fiercely In the
stomach The officer doubled up hut
held on like a mountain goat
It was a more or less even fight as
each man had but one arm free and
neither could use his legs to any ad-
vantage '
There was no chance for science
none for a clean effective blow The
fighters beat at each other in futile
awkward fury
The cab swirled and cavorted hut
there were no park policemen to be
seen ard the plain-clothes man could
not take time to draw out his whistle
But he did get out his revolver
presently and was about to level it
at his quarry when Gordon feinted
and drove his clenched fist into his
foe’s throat just below the point of
the Jaw
It was the first good blow of the
whcle scrimmage And It did Its work
The detective reeled backward trod
on thin air and catapulted Into the
road where be landed on his head
and one shoulder
There Gordon left him with never
a look hack Ills whole thought was
centered upon getting far enough
awaY so' that he might safely leave
the cab without fear of being tracked
down
Finally nearing a park entrance he
slowed to a normal pace and then
stopped No one seemed to notice
him so he got out quickly and leav-
ing the park made for the downtown
district
He still had his hard-won "receipt"
and he felt that as long as it was in
existence even though It was In his
cwn possession bis liberty was more
or less In danger
Just then he passed by a vacant lot
and he saw what he needed most—
a bonfire!
Tearing the receipt Into tiny pieces
he threw them on the fire and watched
them burn until every scrap had van-
ished Into unrecognizable ashes
Then be gave a long sigh ot relief
squared his shoulders to the world
and continued on his way
is it Strangs that his thoughts
should turn to June the girl w?io had
done so much for him? He would
have been less jubilant If he could
have guessed the new compile- ‘Jons la
which she was just then entangled
After leaving Gordon in the park
June had gone straight home and Bp-
stairs to her boudoir There were
Btill signs of the hurried return to
town— an empty trunk and soma ar-
ticles of clothing lying around and
she wondered idly what Mary had
been about not to put the room in bet-
ter shape
June never liked a messy room so
she went right on into her “den” be-
fore taking off her hat
With a sigh of relief and a smOn
she took the package of bank noten
“His Old Cunning 8neaklng Facu
Grinning at Me"
out of her dress A dreamy look—
very sweet look — came into her eyes
as she thought how much good that
money was going to do In her mind
was a vivid picture of the hard-working
men in Farwell’s foundry whosa
“co-operative profits” had been taken
away from them
"They shall have their money Just
the same" she said to herself "If I
was stealing when I took it it was in
a good cause"
With the dreamy smile still light-
ing her face June stood lost in happy
thought when suddenly she heard
Mary’s familiar footsteps and her look
changed to one of alarm
She thrust the papers into the neap
est hiding place — a table drawer
just managed to get it shut as Mary
came in from her own room with hop
ror written in every line of her face
"Why Mary" cried June "what on
earth is the matter with yoof Yon
look as if you’d seen a ghost!” (
"I have dearie — I have! It’s worse’s -that!
Oh!” wringing her hands and
crumpling her face up into s mask ol
tragedy “What will we ever do now
my lamb! We're in such a lot of tilla-
ble” "Now Mary darling be calm" aha
bade the nurse "and tell me all shoot
It — I’m sure it isn’t as had as yon
think—”
"It is baby it’s worse! It's that
awful man!”
"What awful man?" June’s face wen
white "You can’t mean — ”
“Yes” went cn Mary huskily TCS
him! That ‘Smiling Sam’ Eagan w
thought we was rid of for good’n’ aH!"
"Not here?” panted June in atari
terror
"He’s right here In this house— nm
brought him with usl He made Tama
put hi:? Into the big wardrobe tnmfc—
and when I started to unpack it theca
he was with his old cunning sneaking
face grinning at me as sassy as mstd
be I”
"Good heavens 1” cried June at bes
wits’ end "Will trouble never mf?
Where Is he now?”
"Up In the attic” said Mary "Asd
I’ve had to feed him and make h&ni
comfortable I was so ’fraid he’d start
a rumpus”
"What about mother" queried Jsnn
fearfully
“Mrs Travis don’t know a thing m
yet But it's only a question of timet
unless we can get him away from bon
right off He lBn’t disposed to makai
things any easier for us than he esat
help either I beard a big noise wp
there Just now I guess he stumbled
over something Then I heard
tpoan— or maybe swear!”
“There! Hear that?” cried Jsaw
and Mary simultaneously Then they
clung to each other expecting they
knew not what
At that moment unconscious of all
that was going on inside the houses
Lamar slowly passed hy his heal
bent his face haggard and drawn He
had to come there Intending to see
June to face her with the facta and
to ask her to tell him what she knew
about all the wretched business But
when he reached the house he some-
how found that he loved her too mack
to put her to the teBt
"Oh It can’t be — It can’t be” he
said aloud "She Is as holy as — as my
own mother She Is above suspicion
As far above suspicion as a saint in a
cathedral And yet— and yet— every
circumstance points to her as — as — "
An Idea flashed into his mind elee-
trifylng him to quick decision
“Tomorrow!" he muttered half in
dread halt In triumph “yes that la It
Tomorrow will tell Tomorrow wilt
prove the truth!”
(END OF 11TH IN STALLAiNT J
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Johnson, C. B. Sequoyah County Democrat (Sallisaw, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 23, Ed. 1 Friday, June 9, 1916, newspaper, June 9, 1916; Sallisaw, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1842165/m1/2/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.