Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-30

ITO.
She seized him ythe arm, as she
spoke, drawing him toward the win
dow. AS she did so, Humorous knock
ling sounded at the outer door followed
by a sharp summons Of:
open, i'm the name of the law"
Gordon hesitated no longer. He bent
and kissed June's hand. Then. he bolt
like a chased rabbit toward the shelter
of the headland rocks.
June watched him so. She measured
| with her eyes, the distance from hut to
lheadland, then listened to the front door
lcracking and rending under the detec-
ltives' blows.
Hell never make it," she muttered,
''unless''--
She slammed shut the door leading
from the bedroom to the front room.
picking I'D one of a handful of scatter
ed matches on the bedroom table, she
lighted the dirty little kerosene lamp.
| At the same moment the two detec-
tives burst open the outer door and
piled into the front room. There, for
second, they halted in wonder. Before
them was the slightly open door of the
bedroom. Through the crack between
door jam and doorway appeared white
lhand-a woman's hand-and part of an
arm.
The hand grasped a burning kerosene
lamp whose smoky chimney wabbled
dangerously Yes, and on the back of
the whole hand shone a circlet Of scar
let
1.-THE Red Circle" calculated Boyle;
and started forward human hound
upon the scent.
| "Backr' shrilled a woman's voice from
behind the half-shut door--a voice that
ECHOED through the bare shack like sill
yer bugle's call. Back! If you take
another step forward I'll throw this
lamp
Rush herr" yelled Boyle. Wen get
'em both. Gordon and the Red Circle
woman! Rush her"
He bounded forward as he spoke, ia
cobs at his heels. And, across the little
room, like flaming meteor, whizzed the
| lamp.
For once in the history of the world
woman had thrown straight
| The blazing lamp crashed to the floor
at Jacobs feet. There was flare, an
explosion, and the room was thick with
binding smoke.
| Jacobs reeled back, gasping, his lungs
burstingly agonized with the kerosene
fumes he had swallowed. He fell pros
1
the burning kerosene had already begun
| TO ignite.
| Boyle stopped and CROPPED through the
i smoke for the swooning man, found
him and dragged him thrugh the chok-
/ ing fumes to the outer door, then across
the threshold and on to the sand OFT
side There he worked frantically to
restore the stricken detective to con-
\ seriousness.
Il ha hac
launched the lamp at her antagonists,
June had wheeled about and leaped
through the bedroom window.
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 a 1.-THE spring, he
swung himeslf up to a precarious seat
at it's tailboard)
AS she ran, June looked backward
| The shack was pillar of flame, it's dry
boards were a swift prey to the blazing
kerosene. Men were running toward ii
from every direction. She had a fleet
! ing glimpse OF Boyle, kneelnlS OeSlde
the slowly recovering Jacobs, on the
sand.
Presently, as she rounded the point
she dropped to a 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 ques-
tion in their eyes by calling out to
them:
But / saw the detectives going toward
the shack. 1t seemed to be on fire
or-or something"
"Afire?" echoed Lamar, looking to.
ward the smudge of smoke that began
to crawl upward over the jutting
| shoulder of the point. 81 should say so
And, look how everyone is running!
Let's go to see it,
He was off at fast trot, athrill with
the mystic impulse that forever sends
the human race hurrying to witness q
fire. June made as though to follow
but Mary detained her.
"Dearie!" walled the old woman in
trembling eagerness. Don't do It! Don't
dc 1t, preciousl Let we'll enough alone
Come home. Come with Mary. And tel
me what really happened. I could see
you were lying to him. Tell
I'm going to that fire." insisted June
shaking off the lovingly OBTAINING grasp
IF you'll come along, I'll tell you about
IL on our way
Deaf to Mary's pleas, she hurried In
Lamar's wake. The nurse frightened
irresolute, ran alongside, plying hel
with protests and confused questions.
Lamar reached the scene of the blaze
to find a crowd already there. The fire
shared public attention with two men
one of whom held the others head or
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!'
an the shack?' responded Lamar
You surely never went into that blaz
ing howell to look for your MANI"
I'VE sure did" responded Boyle. "Onl,
H. wasn't blazing then. We burst in the
door and started for an inner door. AND
then a woman's hand stuck out through
the opening and-it had lighted lamp
, Threw the lamp at us and"
"a woman" questioned the amazed
Lamar. "A woman-threw a lamp a
you?"
at was a woman, all right" insisted
Boyle. mo man ever had such a little
white hand. Besides"
Besides" gasped Jacobs feebly, 9Th,