Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1866-11-29
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THE FALLEN BRIDGE,
By REv. HORATIo ALcER. IN.

II am sorry for you, Mrs. Hail." SAID
the landlord Il would give you your
rent il . fell able; buIsyou know have
a fhmily to support, and j. would not be
doing right by them"
"Give me three days. Mr.. Jones, said
the widow, 'and something may turn up
during that time which will enable me 10
pay you"
The landlord reluctantly assented, and
lefl The widow alone with her TWO chill
dern.
1t was scarcely year since she had
lost her husband. His income bad been
small, and beyond hundred dollars and
the furniture. b qd left hls wife holhing.
Yet, by sewing, and what odd jobs her
son Henry could obtain, she had been en-
abled 10 get along. and keep her Children
at school Her heaviest expenses had
been the tenI, which. however, she was
enabled to pay out of the hundred dollars
above mentioned.
Al the commencement of The second
year, however, she had no reserve fund.
aud found herself quite unable to meet
The rent at close of The first quarter.
After the landlord went oul, she gave
way tor moment TO depression.
Il am afraid" she said, .'that we shall
have TO leave this house. 1t has been our
home so long that it will be very painful:
besides l don't know where we shall go
God will provide for US in some way,
mother" said Jany the youngest child.
THAT is wha: you have told me often"
"And | had nearly forgotten j. myself"
said her mother, taking fresh courage.
Yes, God will provide; we will not suf.
fer ourselves TO despair"
To-day is Saturday" said Henry
"and as school don't keep, Itnean 20 go
out and see if can't find something 10 do.
Farmer Terry told me that perhaps he
would give me Job at raklng hay"
DO so, Henry. hope you will sue
ceed for with US every little heIps."
Henry, who was a stout, and handsome
boy of twelve. I'M mediarely took down his
cloth cap from the nail where he usually
hung it, and made his way across The
fields toward the Terry farm.
The distance was about mile, and the
route by which he went took him across
The railroad track. The poiul a. which
he crossed was about mile from lne
station, and just above the bridge hun
dred feet IN length over which the cars
passed. He glanced in The direction of
this bridge as he crossed the railroad.
"Why," he exclaimed to hlmself Il be
live the brid ge has glyep way"
Running To the spot, he found his sus-
pIc;ons were correct. The bridge, wheth-
er because It was badly constructed or
from some other ca use MOI apparent. had
partly given way, aud must inevitably
have caused The destruction of any Iraln
which should attempt 10 cross It. Thai
many lives must be lost in this event was
cerlaln, since The raYIne spanned by the
bridge was some f1fIy fee. deep. The
thought fairly took away Henrys breath.
What shall do,' thought the bewII-
deTed BOY. "ShalI have lIme to ge. up
to The station before the next lrain gels
along? No, that is impossible, for It Is
about time for 1t now:"
As if to verify his last assertion, be
could just begin 10 hear family the sound
of the approaching train.
Il must save i; if | CAM he thought.
After brief thought, he ran along the
track in the direction of The advancing
cars. 1a
AS he ran be waved his hat, and threw
up his hands, and in every possible way
endevoring toaltract the attention of the
engineer. Apparently they did see him
but supPosing !; was merely boys fun,
took no notice of it. @
There is one thing that / can do, -
thought Henry; and he proceeded TO dc
il, -
Placing himself between the rails, he
continued the same demonstrations.
They'll stop rather than run over me, y
ne thought; ye. the feelings of his own
personal danger in case they should fai
TO think him in earnest blenched his cheek
Never mlad," said he. resOlul ely.
''ber er risk my own life than let so
many perish wi,hou. warning"
OF course this took place in much les.
Tins than ! have taken to reeqrd it.
Will The reader picture to himself the
terrible situation in which our hero stood
I'm the way of train travelling al the
rate of twenty-five miles an hour, waving
his ha. fran.ically, and exposed to ,h'