The Redemption Of Kenneth Galt

riend. Through partly closed eyelids he watched the railroad man as he sat in the doorway looking out at the rapidly shifting night view. When a station was reached the condu

by, and then his beautiful, haughty sweetheart put her arms about the grizzled neck of the man who had never known affection and kissed him. But she was fading away, as was the erect old soldier, and the dreamer found himself before his father at the old man's desk in the bank. And now Simon Walton's face was dark as night. A ledger lay open before him. "Five thousand dollars of my hard-earned money!" t

it is only five o'clock. You didn't rest well in that blamed bunk. You kept rolling and jabbering in your sleep. I've got to run up-town, but the cab will stand

derer said, appalled and stupefied by his sudde

his muscles as he moved. Standing in the open door, he looked out over the vast stretch of railway tracks. The gray light of dawn shrouded everything. Over the tops of cars, heaps of old scrap-iron, blinking

was a railway mail-carrier who had once lived at Stafford. "Why, hello, Fred!" he cried, rubbing

tinge of color cam

th Jack Thomas," he ans

see. Where

o go u

Come on and take a snack with me. There is a

to hang around h

ackward look of perplexity, as he moved

first. It was now plain-horribly plain. His father, having sent him to the bank for a statement of his account the evening before, had waited up for him, his impatience and suspicion growing as the hours passed. Old Simon could not have slept while a matter of that nature remained unsettled. He had waited, pacing the floor of his room, till nine; till ten; till eleven; and then, full of gravest alarm as to the safety of his funds, he had gone down to the bank to ascertain the cause of the delay. In his mind's eye, Fred saw the grim old financier as he stalked muttering through the silent streets of the slumbering town. He saw him open the big door of the bank, and heard his disappointed growl as he faced the darkness. Old Simon, with fumbling hands, found and struck a match; then he groped his way back to his office and lighted the gas. Fred saw him as he stared round the room, and, with the gasp of an animal, pounced on the letter he had written; he saw, as if he had been on the spot, the distorte

ooking up. "You are not the con

, wonderingly; "he'

ot a match in your pocket? I wan

nd put them into the extended hand. The man in uniform was young, clear of skin and eye, and ha

oliceman said, as he struck the match on the iron la

job is it?"

ow rocks at the train-crew, and raise hell generally. So, as a last resort, the roads determined to make cases against every one that could be caught, and they are sending them up by the hundreds, and for good long terms, too. They are never able to pay the fines, you see, and they have to work it out in the coal-mines or turpentine camps. Now and then a big mistake is made, of cours

eated, either, I have

ross the tracks. "Gee! did you see that? I think I've

two cars, and heard his stern voice cry: "Come out of there, young

om behind the heavy wheels. He did not appear to be more than twenty years of age, and his clothing, even to his hat and necktie,

. "I am out of money, and want to get through by way of New Orleans to Oklah

said, curtly. "I'm put here to arrest you fellow

y muttering to himself. "I can't stand i

to frame some further appeal, but, as if realizing the utter fu

impulse rise and struggle within him. It was the quality which

men, and I am sure it would be wrong to send this boy up. You know he is only doing what you or I would do if hard luck drove us to it. Say, old man, I'm dead broke mys

peechless, for a moment, colored

ny a day, and I'm going to drop the dang thing. God knows, I don't want your watch! But, say, don't get me into trouble. I've got a family to support, and I must hold my job. Get the fellow out of the freight-yards before the town wakes up.

" Fred held the timepiece toward

. But hurry up! Get

ithout a word, so overjoyed was he by the sudden turn in his favor, the begrimed youth dumbly

ight were breaking through the clouds, they found the open country before them.

of your way. God knows, I'll not forget your kindness till my dying day. You don't know what you've saved me from. I'd have killed myself r

e truth is, I don't know where to turn, myself, and really the thought of parting with you, for some reason

her have you than any one else, and I certainly am lonely enough!" The blackened hand went out and clasped Walton's,

oney. I was a telegraph operator in Memphis till a month ago, but lost my job. Long-distance tel

. "I've heard of it, too. Th

l me your name,

m-used part of his Christian name, that of his maternal grandfather. "Some d

dmission of the whole truth might further discommode his new fr

n appreciative glance at the weary face before him. "I'l

athies in behalf of his companion had in a measure dulled Walton's sense of his own condition, but as he trudged along by his companion the whole circumstance of his flight and the far-reach