Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-12-15

While Boyle was seeking to get ia
cObs out Of the burning shack, she
was speeding along the sand toward
the rock where she had left Lamar
and Mary.
Gordon, too, had profited nightly
by her delay. From the rocks he
made his way to the highroad that
led from Surfton to the city. An auto
truck, city-bound, chugged past. just
as he reached the road. With 1.-THE
spring, he swung himself up to a
precarious seat at its tailboard.
AS she ran, June looked backward.
The shack was pillar Of fame.
Presently. as she rounded the point,
she dropped to sedate walk. Mary
and Lamar were coming forward from
the rock, to meet her. She forced her
labored breathing into some sort Of
regularity and answered the eager
Question in their eyes by calling out
to them:
Il was too late. He had gotten
away. But / saw the detectives going
toward the shack. 1t seemed to be on
dre-or-or something"
"A fire?" echoed Lamar, looking
toward the smudge of smoke that be-
gan to crawl upward over the jutting
shoulder Of the point. Il should say
so. And. look how everyone is run.
ming! Let's go to see 1t"
Lamar reached the scene of the
blaze to find q crowd already there.
The FIRE shared public attention with
two men, one Of whom held the others
head on his knee.
Max shouldered his way through the
group that hemmed in these two.
Boyle looked up and recognized him.
| Hes coming round, all right, Mr..
Lamar" he said Smoke was too
much for him. Gee, but we had one
queer time in that shack"
I'm the shack?" repeated Lamar
"You surely never went into that blaz
ing howell to look for your mani"
1--WE sure did," responded Boyle,
"Only 1t wasn't blazing then. We bust
in the door and started for an inner
door. And then a woman's hand stuck
out through the opening and-it had
a lighted lamp. Threw the lamp at us
and"
"A woman?" Questioned the amazed
Lamar. "A woman-threw lamp at
you?"
1T was a woman, all right" insisted
Boyle. mo man ever had such little
white hand. Besides"
Besides" gasped Jacobs feebly,
"the hand had Red Circle on the
back"
mol" gasped Lamar, dumfounded,
incredulous. mo! 1t couldn't have
been! Not"
1T was, though" declared Boyle.
eve both saw 1t. We"
Miss Travis!" broke in Lamar, as
he caught sight of June who had just
come up do you hear this? These
men say woman was in that shack
that she threw a lamp at them-that
there was a Red Circle on her hand"
mo, really?" exclaimed June. "A
woman-with the Red Circle-?
She checked herself abruptly. La
mars gaze was fixed on her own right
hand, carelessly displayed to his view.
Her guilty glance fell to the back of
her hand. 1t was snowy, velvety,
shapely. No sign Of the Red Circle
was visible on its smooth surface
"Can-can you explain it?" she fall
tered. Can you explain how a wom-
an - with the Red Circle - could
have-?"
mo, he said brusquely, as he fought
to shake off feeling Of strange mis-
trust that encompassed him. mo,
can't. IL can't"
Then, with an effort, changing the
subject, he went on:
my letter from Chief Allen begs me
to come back to town and consult with
him on the Gordon case. I must catch
the noon train, If can. Good-by."
Abruptly he turned away, ignoring
the girls pretty gesture of farewell
Mrs. Travis came down to the beach
at noontide, in her car. On the front
seat, beside the chauffeur rode Yama
The tonneau was half filed with ham
pers and baskets.
From the table bowlder they ha(
chosen for their luncheon board ear
lier in the morning June and Mar!
waved to Mrs. Travis.
, Here directed June, as the Jal
came plodding up, here is the rock
Yama. Spread the lunch there, ant
put the car cushions on those rows O
stones to each side. Call US whel
you're ready. And be ready as sool
as you can. I'm starved Mrs. Travi
wants to see where the fire was thi
morning. We will be back in five min
utes. Try to have everything on tn
,, table by that time"
The three women strolled away.
Yama, as they left him, set to worl
with will to get the luncheon read
: within the brief five minutes allotte,
him.
, AS the Jap was not gifted with eye
4 in his back, he did not see a frows
head emerge from a cave-mouth n tn
! lower part Of the bluff, q few yard