Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1888-10-26
miscellaneous.
A DETECTIVES STORY.


Two men sat together in the rear sea
of smoking car on one Of our railroads
and chattcd Familiarity of the ups ant
downs of miners life, the topic being
suggested by landscape dotted will
coal breakers and furrowed with con
roads,
The freedom and interest Of theil
conversation did not seem to be damp
cned by the fact that the younger of the
two carried revolver, while his com
panion wore pair Of those uncovetcc
articles Of jewelry which are kgown il
criminal circles as bracelets
The few persons who had observed
them learned from the confidential brake
man that they were noted detective
and his prisoner on the way to trial. Al
far as ages went the pair might have
been taken for father and son, the fine
gray head of the one contrasting strongly
with the crisp brown curls Of his captor
What crime had been committed the
brakeman did not know, but hazarded
conjecture that it Unjust have been
pretty bad, or George Munsen wouldn',
have took the trouble to put them things
on his wrists"
Presently tho brakeman and the con-
ductor satisfied the demands Of etiquette
and curiosity by stopping to exchange II
few words with the detective the former
then perched himself upon the coal-box
directly behind the prisoner, and the
latter dropped magnifcently into the
rsept in'front The train was sweeping
round q curve aud past o ruined trustle
on the hillside at which both Of the pas,
scngers looked with some interest.
II remember that place" said the
older man.
$50 do l." responded the younger
II was born there. Came near being
buried there, too" he resumed after a
moments pause.
"How was that 7"
ats pretty long story" said the
detective, "but guess we'll have time
for it between this and the next station.
Way up there on tho slope is tho little
settlement where | made my debut, SO
to speak from it to the bottom OF the
hill there used to be gravity road-a
long, winding track reaching from the
settlement down to the top of u bank
wall of earth where q slide occurred the
year | was born. On both sides of the
track grew saplings that had sprung up
since the disaster (what l am telling
you occurred five years later, and they
crowded the road and hung over the old
rusty rails on which the coal cars used
to run. You must remember that the
houses were built near the mouth Of the
pit-that was one of the first mines
worked in this country, and one of The
first to be abandoned. Time | am tell
ing about, some men were walking up
the track, and lot of children playing
near the top, climbing in and out Of an
old car which had lain there since il
made its last trip with the broken
spraggs still in its wheels.
1.-The men were miners, all but one oil
Thorn, who questioned his companions
about their work and the country they
lived in. He was evidently stranger
presently, as they talked, shout
from the top Of the slope attracted theil
attention, and they looked up just il
time to sec the car begin to move slowly
down the grade.
"There was an impatient exclamation
from the Oldest man in the party. Then
brats is always up to some mischief" h
said. They have started that old thing
off at last I've been expsctin' to see i
90 at any time this five year. They'll
be breaking their necks yet with tom
fooling And another Of the grouI
added I'VE must dust out of this lively
unless we want to get our necks broke
she'll either jump the rail or go to piece
at the bottom; lucky there amt no on
aboard Of her
"The stranger was looking anxiousl
up at the approaching runaway. Iii
quick eye had caught sight of some
thing round and golden above the ca
rim.
"'There's child in that car he said
quietly.
ut was second or two before hi
companions realized the awful meanin
Of that statement. A child That wa
as if he had said that in few moment
some one--perhaps one of themselves
would be childless.
"With one impulse they turned
look at the broken rails at the edge {
the fault. Shuddering, they fixed thei
eyes again on the approaching mas'
then hopelessly at each other. The
could not dream of stopping the PR
gress Of the car. But, quick as though
almost, the stranger took hold of sal
ling and bent it down till it near
touched the track. Hold on be sd
TO one Of the men, it will help to chcc
her. A rod further down another al
then third and fourth were held 10 Il
same way So four Of the party wait'
for few breathlcss seconds, while Il
two remaining ones hurried fur'n'