The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-27
NUMBER 81.
ruptiy as If be had been shot out Of a
pistol, off he went.
(Which bridge?" was the important

/ ruptiy as If be had been shot out of a
pistol, off he went.
(Which bridget" was the important
question now
There was the " town BRIDGE safe
old structure with its stout brown beams
and its broad cover like an old fashioned
sun-bonnet Underneath, the cool wa
ters from the slopes of Mount Tom ran.
rushed, leaped and tumbled, making
frightful noise, but nobody crossing the
bridge was frightened. The old bridge
would hold, they knew that. The other
bridge was the one by which the rail
road crossed Deep River. If Fred took
this he could reach home twenty min
utes sooner. This bridge was about
three hundred feet long. It spanned
. deep, dark ravine, eighty feet down.
At the bottom of the ravine was Deep
River, its voice hoarse and harsh like
that of a man who has shouted himself
husky trying to call some one to help
him out of bad place. 1t did make
you dizzy to look down from the bridge
at the white, foaming waters. 1t seems
to me while l write that am looking
down over the edge of the bridge, down,
down, and am SO fearfully afraid that
shall tumble somewhere, that find
am closing my eyes. But couldn't
tumble very far where am, only from
the chair to the floor, so guess won't
try it. Beside, if linger with my eyes
shut, what will become of my story?
We will return to the bridge.
The rails were laid on ties that were
about fourteen inches apart. and one
could cross the bridge by stepping from
tie to tie. This was sometimes done,
but it was not an agreeable trip. For
any timorous mortal, the gaps between
the ties afforded uneasy glimpses of the
ravine below Then there was no rail-
ing at either side of the track to sug-
gest security from a fall. There were
sign-posts at either end of the bridge,
with the word "Dangerr' painted on |
them in staring letters and very warn
ing sort of finger lifted up. Added to |
these, was a threat to prosecute the |
person attempting the passage of the
bridge. This, however, did not deter |
pedestrians from daily crossing this in
teresting structure. Fred was on the |
list of those who had crossed the bridge,
and the element of the dangerous in
such venture strongly attracted him.
He had now reached this place, and
why not go overp True, his mother
meant this bridge when she gave that
final injunction, but would she not |
rather have him accomplish the pass
age, if he could get home twenty min
utes earlier by it?
He stood meditating, and in his in
decision whistled. He could do that
any way.
"Fn 90 across,n he said.
Erred, don'tr'
Was that his mother callingp He
turned uneasily about. Pshaw! It was
nothing Nobody was near. He stepped
toward the bridge, and was about put
ting his foot on the first tie, when it
seemed to come to him again, mothers
voice clear and sharp" Fred-er-RIcK,
don't.r' There, it was his mothers
voice. so natural, going up, up to the
rick" and then coming down-bang.
+" Nonsense" said Fred. "What a
fool am! It's only my fears. OF
course she wants me to get home as
early as I can. I'll go over" He
started ahead. After that, mother did
not call again. On went Fred, care
fully stepping from tie to tie. As he
went. he looked up and down the valley
of Deep River. In the rapidly-thicken-
lRg, shadows Of tMilight-bah! it looked
with a humping heart. He had moved
thump went his heart harder tnan ,
ever. The express train was coming!
There it was driving round the curve,
tearing away as if mad, big eyeball OF
red fire in the center of its head.
What could Fred do? He could not !
90 back: there was no time for it. He
could not finish the passage OF the
bridge, and SO get out OF the way. lie
could not step one side; there was not
room to stand outside of the track in
safety, and of course he couldn't stand
inside. And there was the train COM
ing nearer, crashing now down upon
the bridge, madder than ever, its eye OF
fire wilder and fiercer than before! Why
hadn't he had his ears open and lis
tened for its coming, instead OF notic-
ing the river, whose rattle and roar had
fascinated him and absorbed his atten-
ton? 1t was of no use to think OF
what might have been. What should
Fred do thenP His thoughts travelled
faster than the express train. 81 will
trust God and swing from the ties" he
said. So down he dropped between
the ties, and over the great yawnlng
abyss he hung, his legs dangling in
the air. On crashed the express train.
1t thundered heavily along. 1t shook
every oaken beam as if they had
been dandelion stems. 1t rumbled
and roared across the rails, and
now it was Just above Fred. A coal
from the locomotive fell upon his hand.
A tiny cinder drifted into his eye.
Another coal fell, blistering his hand:
Then the locomotive shot ahead, and
the other parts of the train succeeded
it Fred counted them off in his mind;
baggage car, Adams express, mail car,
smoking car, Pullman car, passenger
car-when would they all get by and
let that dangling little body get upP 1t
seemed to Fred It was the longest train
that ever went over a bridge, and
actually it was train longer than
usual. Beside, it ran over the bridge
at slower rate than across an en-
bankment. At last, at last, all the train
had passed, and Fred dtook long breath!
He raised himself between the ties and
looked round. Ahead of him rushed
the train, red lantern winking savage
ly at the rear of the last car; the train,
rounding the curve beyond the bridge,
seeming like great smoke, wittsspots
of gold where the lights flashed out OF
the windows.
In little while our adventurer was
| safe in the road leading to his mothers
| IL foa