The Detroit times., 1916-01-17
TWENTY YEARS AGO"

TWENTY YEARS AGO"
"'The Red Circle God help u.s."
mutter,d the nurse once more, as
June looked at her, dazed, incredu.
lOus
The ray ~ garnish sunlight that
had s'reamed In at the open French
window making a path OF gold across
the floor Of the boudoir, lost lts radi.
ance
June. on har knees beside Mary,
watched The light shrink and fade
The room suddenly became gray
She crcgt c,os-r 70 her old nurse and
threw her arms around her Her
right hand cl ItcheI the black-cover-
ed shoulder Convulsively
The whIfcue. Of her flesh, against
The black material, was intensified
by the circle OF scarlet II giowed
with a luhi hnlLaEcy under her ter
rincd gaze
You know about the Red Circle?
Won't you please tell me2" she en-
treated "You must know, ecause
con see you recognize IL. Don't you
see hom terrible Il o, for me- Mary,
won't you tel me2"
The nurse arm tiglteEed around
The slim young body Unconscious
~ she lapsed IDtC the soothing. auto
mattc patting that she hod used so
oitt" 90 put Jlo baby June to sleep
90 don't know lamb / don't know
ANYTHING. precious she stammered
June drew gch, Within the circle
% her arms ans ,oked az her r"
prcachful'y
Dear. know YOU 90 we'll" she
s1id yen can't lie 10 me. You are
not TIE sort that g. made to lie well
Mary f. shows so rlanly in your
uscs anyone could see YOU think
vpu are doing me "a Haduess to keep
this secret from whatever Il
might te-hut you're not know
how dearly Won love mo. and ! ask
you. on accoun, OF that love, 20 tell
me what you know ~ this brand that
IS upon me Wonr you7"
Trying desperately 20 cvade the
torrent of questlonings, the nurse
reached up. uuc,a-ped tho clinging
arms and rose from The chair
Her face took on the haEgardness
of ono who b. awakened from what
seemed 60 Doe grucsome nightmare
only 20 ind that it rs a EJim truth,
The 7aruo. haunting dread that had
pursued hor for 90 year. was no
longer pursuer huge md real il
blocked her Ua'h.
she turned from the kneeling fig
urc and wont quickly through th"
door and down the stairway, one
hand pr ssed To- hcr throat
June looked after her, stunned by
q swlfl. certain fear Then. slowly
he rose from her knees walked
over 10 her lr.ssing table and sank
into tho lt,lo chair before the mir
ror
For several seconds shc stared
hlaukly a. reflection before her,
not realizing that 10 was hers. The
eycs were dun and wide the lips
parted stupidity Obedient 10 habit,
che raised hand 20 smooth her dis
arranged hair the mirror flashed
back ihe rel circle. on it's white
background.
At sight Of it June jumped 10 her
feet and ran from the room. At the
TON oS the stairway she stopped sud
denly. leaning against the Lalustrade.
On the lowef floor. in the library
sat her mother reading
Whatever the secret it must be
kent frCm her Mary had made that
clear Rut what could the secret he
tnat concerned June and not her
mother Thcy had never had any
Imlortant secrets from each other,
they two. And yet
In a moment she had decided.
Humm.ng softly she ran down the
steps and into the library. Mrs.
Travis looked mp from her paper and
smiled tenderly as the nischlevous
face bent owe her
"sun reading. mumsie' Regular
old hluestocklng' oh, only the news
paper-whos dead dear? Honestly,
/ can't hnd a thtns Of interest In the
old daiIies-e1cept perhaps news OF
The splendid work they're dolng In
tho prisons. Politics and war news
are 20 much Santkrit to me. Where's
Mary Have YOU seen herr Where
did she go?'
"Mv darling girl"-Mrs. Travis
raised her hands IL mock horror,
"wll you ever cultivate the habit OF
waiting to have one question answer
cd before YOU ask FIVE others7 Mary
went through that door there, into
the garden. not 10 minutes ago. May
he fhe wants to run away from you
and hide ] don't blame her. n YOU
bornbard her with questions the
way
I'm soing 10 catch her.
She blew her mother kiss from
the tips of hcr fingers and ran out
through the long window. On the