The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11

and you'll hear the charge all right" As the officers left the room with their prisoner most of the excited
 crowd followed. A number of Middle tons friend-among whom was the di- vision superintendent,-w up to
 Tom and heartily congratulated him.
 The next day telegram came from
 structions to hold the prisoner at all
 sturctions to hold the prisoner at all by one of the New York officers. This incident effectually broke up all prospects of a strike. Tom Middle ton had saved the railroad company thousands of dollars. The officials automatically kept quiet in regard to events of the past. and the strike lead CTS were not approached on the sub- ject.
 All the morning papers had scare
 heads about the dramatic incident.
 Not only had an escaped murderer been | apprehended but an incipient strike had died aborning.
 Toms photograph took up much newspapers space. He was undoubted- ly the man of the hour and every
 scrap of gossip that could be secured
 about him was published. The New York papers got hold of the story and copied it. Strange to say the identi- 1 ty of the young railroad man and the
 New York clubman was not linked | Tom had never told Harry Clark of
 this chapter of his life.
 The mornig after the Benton episode l the master mechanic of the shops was
 summoned to the office of the superin- tendent. After a long conference tho | master mechanic returned to his of flee and another conference was held with his assistant. The result was that Tom was sent over to the office
 of the superintendent In the city and given the position of cihef clerk to
 that official. After six months ser
 vice in this position his thoroughness,
 attention to details and all round abil- ity gave him one more promotion. The superintendent raised him to the high est position on the division next his
 own. that of Division Yrainmaster. The gossip Of all New York society was the determined manner with which Edith Sinclaire refused to enter the state of matrimony. Wealthy, talented
 and beautiful. she quietly but firmly refused every one of the several pro-, posals that had been made to her. Her loving old father. watching her closely, thought that a change of scene and cli-
 mate would be beneficial to her, so he arranged trip to the City of Mexico. In few days the private car of Gen
 eral Sinclaire was swinging on the rear of one of the through trains flying southward.
 Poor little girl" said the old man, taking a seat by Edith, who was dream lily looking through the plate glass windows of the observation end of the car. watching the flying landscape and
 wondering if he was somewhere in this
 Southern country. You love Tom just as much as ever, don't you? Well, so do I. and God grant that it won't be | long before he will come back to us" For answer. Edith pillowed her head against the old man and sobbed pas
 sionately. With a mist in his eyes and,
 lump in his throat, the old General swore that if he had made a mistake he
 would rectify 1t.
 The next day the car stopped in the | town of - and as 1t would be sev- | eral hours before the' regular train went south, the General started up to | make call on his friend, he superin- l tendent of the division. As he entered | the office he caught glimpse of face | that made him take off his glasses
 rub them and look again There was no mistake this time. It was Tom | Middleton in the flesh. Before going | in. he turned to the superintendent and
 asked some questions about him. That | official. with much enthusiasm, told the
 entire story, from the time, four years l ago. that Tom had started as laborer
 in the company shops the Denton cpl | sode being, of course. narrated. l "Now let me tell you something" said l the General. and he told the story or
 Toms resolve to make something out