The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-11
FIFTH INSTALLMENT

FIFTH INSTALLMENT
 Juie Travis, Red Circle appearing on her hand, discovers that she is the daughter of Circle" Jim Borden, who tried to destroy his family and its Red Circle birthmark of crime. June, pity ing the poor, robs loan shark and is almost caught by Detective Lamar. Mary, the nurse, clears June and the latter, in a mans garb, rescues an in eliminating coat from the police. Seen climbing in her boudoir window, June is in danger of having her secret sur prised by Mrs. Travis.
 Allen and Lamar are baffled by the ap- pearance of the Red Circle on the mans hand which one of the policemen had seen on the man that took the coat
 Smiling Sam Eagan, a former pal of Jim Borden's but now a reformed cob bier and jewel fence is visited by Lamar, in the hope that he might throw some light on the mystery.
 Lamar pumps old Eagan without learn ing anything to add to his smail store of information with regard to the history of the Red Circle.
 '"The Red Circle. now-you remember what Jim Borden used to say about 1t. .
 That it cropped out once in every gen eration of his family?" supplemented Eagan, and that the person who had it was always a criminal? Funny idea, wasn't it? But Jim believed it was gos- pei truth. That shoe1l get your hands all dirt, Mr."
 "I have reason to believe it was gospel truth Eagan, said Lamar. The Red Circle on the back of the hand has al ways been the sgn-manual Of crook, in the Borden family And
 Not always" corrected Sam There was that son of his-young Ted Borden for instance. He was a cheap crook, right down to the ground, that youngster was. But there wasn't any Red Circle on his hand. That shoe now--'' he con tinued anXiously; but Max interrupted.
 That brings me to the point. You say Ted Borden had no Red Circle on his hand. And Ted died when his father died. But how about Jim Borden's othe- children?''
 Circle Jim's other children?" cried Sam, in wonder that was palpably gen. uine. His other children? Why, man alive, Jim Borden never had another child but Ted I was at his wedding. He had lots of faults did Jim, but he never in his life looked at any woman but his own wife. He just fair wor- shiped her. When she died-she was shot in a road agent raid on the camp, almost right after Ted was born-it just about killed Jim. He took their baby away into the mountains and he never showed up again for six months. An1 from that time on he never would speak a civil word to any woman. No, no. MT. Lamar, you're barking up the wrong tree. Jim Borden hadn't but one child. I'll take couple of thousand oaths on that
 And yet" pursued Lamar, absently 1,f frvfa finger until the shoe itself was lying loose in his palm, and yet--by tho way, had Jim any brothers or sisters? Once in a generation the Red Circle appeared, he used to say. He may have been the one in his own generation; and the birthmark may have been inherited from one of his parents by one of Jims nephews or nieces.'
 "Nephews or nieces?' echoed Sam, his eye on the shoe around whose sole La- mars fingers were carelessly opening and closing. "Nephews or nieces? Not him. Jim was the only son of his parents He told me so. Besides, 1 knew his mother-a widow woman she was. And she used to say again and again that she wished she'd had other children be- sides Jim, to care for her when she was old He was the only chick or child she had. Nope Jim hadn't any nephews ar nieces, MT. Lamar. And, by the way, if you don't mind, I'll just go work ing while we chat. If you'll hand me that shoe-'
 ''I'll tell you why 1 ask,'' said Lamar, impressively, leaning forward and en- phasizing his words by tapping the shoe against his knee. Because I happen to know that no less than two persons in this very city today have the Red Circle on the backs of their right hands,"
 'sWhat?' cried Sam in amaze almost inO ho oh in, cto icbp ,o,,t
 1.-Two people" reiterated Lamar. Two people. man and a woman Two clever crooks that the police can't seem to corner. Each has the Red Circle, and each seems to be crook as danger ous as Jim Borden himself. That's why came here to ask you if"
 He broke off and looked down with sud- den curiosity at the shoe he was hold ing. As he had been abstractedly shak- ing 1t to and fro he had all at once mo- ticed that faint rattling sound came from somewhere within the shoe.
 He had turned it upside down as he talked, expecting a pebble to roll out But the shoe was empty He shook it again. This time he could hear the rattling sound quite plainly. He lifted the shoe to his ear and shook it once more.
 There's something loose in the heel of this shoe," he said, something that rat ties like loose bit of metal"
 Sam did not answer. Surreptitiously the cobbler had reached behind him and had picked up the heavy, short-handled hammer with which he had been work ing.
 Holding the hammer covertly in his hand, he balanced the weight and, as his rm-muscles tensed, he measured with his eye the exact distance to Lamar's left temple One blow would do it: but 1t must be quick blow a strong blow a sure blow.
 Murder was not one Of Smiling Sam Eagan's accomplishments. Yet if Lamar should chance to stumble on the secret of the hollow heeE and the brooch hid- den therein it must sat once become question of Max's death or the cobblers s dearly prized liberty. and to Eagans mind that question was no question at all.
 Wherefove he prepared to strike It would be easy enough to dispose of tho body, thanks to the hidden back room and the secret exit to the yard and all leyway