Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-04-18

move again. rang out on the morn
ing air, in IN agony of entreaty.
1t was J,y's voice, made sharp and
quick by fright.
In moment her father had leapcd
from his buggy and stood on the
bridge. ~
1t was strange thing he saw near
the center of the Long Bridge.
From one of the ties outside of its
rough railing, joys little body was
swinging out over the rocky chasm
beneath. with only her slender
strength between it and her. She
was balancing herself against her
chest with one arm. and with the
other was holding fast her little
brother: who was half lying, half
sitting across the narrow beam.
DR.. Nelson could see, as he bounded
forward. that joys lips were purple
with the strain of her clinging, and
Harry was hushcd to absolute quiet
ness by some thing in her tone he had
never heard before.
When she saw her father coming to
them, at last, she cried out with the
rapid. thick utterance of terror:
"Quick. papa! I tried to take care
OF him. You were so long we started
to meet you-he crawied under here
before Isaw him-I slippcd-l couldn' t
get back. Oh! l have held MIN ever
so long. Quick. papa. quick?' Her
breath came III little gasps.
1t was the work of a moment to get
to them, but it was a harder matter
Tor Dr: Nelson to climb over the rail-
lng-hc was loo large to crawl under
it, as the children had done-and
grasp Harry firmly.
He was obliged to hold on to the
slender rail with one hand, in order to
balance himself as he bent to lift the
heavy child from his perilous seat.
Il can take only one at Tine" he
said, his face as colorless as the child s
below him. '.Hold on one second
longer, NV brave child!'
But it was one second too long.
Before he could put Harry down on
the bridge and step back again, the
nerveless little hands had relaxed
their hold. and Joy was lying among
the rocks in the little stream below,
with blood-stains about her lips.
She had laid on her little bed for two
hours, with no other motion than the
faint heart-beats that told them she
she was alive. Dr. Nelson knew that
it would be sheer cruelty 10 attempt
to revive her. and so they gathered
about the bed, to wait until the little
heart should beat no longer:
The father sat close by the bed, his
strong frame shaken by mighty sobs;
but mother and sisters were notion
less and speeches. in their grief.
Presently there was faint futter of
her eyelids. and long, signing breath.
They bent still closer. and waited,
breathlessly. painfully-the mother
with a wild hope in her heart. 1t was
not long before the lids slowly lifted,
and joys dark eyes looked out at
them. She was trying to speak, they
thought, and one of the girls quickly
brought Harry, who was sleeping,
and laid him on the bed at her side.
But she did not seem to see him.
Her eyes were fixed on her father S
face with wistful. pleading look.
He laid his face down close beside
| hers and listened with his whole soul.
1t was only a faint whisper, but they
heard it. The words came with all
the entreaty of a doubt that had long
been felt. Those watchers knew, as
they heard, that they were words that
had long lain on the little heart, ard
often struggled to the sensitive baby
lips.
She spoke with a great effort be-
tween her painful gasps for breath.
"Papa,' she whispered, ''uoes-God
-love-strange children?''
1t was God who answered her,
Arsne Nc Cow'a Jones, in NJ Y. Exam-