Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-07-01

| "Oh, Jim,s she said, sis it safe for her
to go? Think what we should do II
anythin' happened to our little Nelly"
"Oh, never fear, lass, she'll be all
right" I answered. wont you, Mel
ly?" catchin' her up in my arms an
kissin' her.
Eyes, me all right" lisped Nelly, in
her pretty baby talk, nodding her lit
tie head wisely, an maxim us both
laugh at her earnestness.
After that she came regularly, an 1
used to look out for her toddlin' down
the footpath at the side O. the line
I'd cautioned her never to go off it,
an az she was sharp little thing she
soon understood why-wi' my dinner
basket hung over her arm, as proud
an pleased as possible to think that
she was takin' her dad his dinner.
Then, when I'd taken it out o. the
basket, WI a kiss for porterage, she'd
play round, an look wi big, wonderin'
eyes at the great brass handles an the
telegraph needles, till I'd finished, when
she'd start back home wi the empty
of a mile-an' I'd watch her little figure
CROWN smaller in the distance wi
feelin's just as proud as her own.
This had gone on for some time now,
an Jenny had quite forgotten her fears
The express was late that day, an
I remember wonderin' what could have
delayed it, as it was usually signaled
punctual to the minute. AT last, how
ever, 1 got the ring on the bell that
told me it was approachin', an not
long after I heard it's rumblin' some
two or three miles away. After I'd
pulled my levers over, an set the sig
nails off for it to run into the station,
went to the side o. the cabin an looked
out o. the window.
The first thing that caught my at
tention was man, about 100 yards
me, wavin' his hands an pointin' in
a very excited manner somewhere.
"What's up now?" thought 1, but
couldn't make head or tail of his ges-
ticulatin', so 1 waited wi some impa-
thence for him to get nearer, an then
I saw that it was one O. the plate
layers belongin' to the gang that was
workin' near by.
''Switch the express on to the loop,
Jim, quick" he gasped. "The bridge
has fallen in"
Before 1 go any further, let me ex-
plain the position O. things bit.
My box was junction, as I've told
you. To the south was the main line
from London, which there split in two,
one comm through the station here
an the other missin' it and goin' round
the 'loop," as we call it. On the sta
ton line, about 300 yards past the juno
ton, round bit of a curve, was a
large trestle bridge over the river. 1t
was gettin' considerably old, an they
had been talkin' about renewin' it for
some time past, but somehow the
months had drifted by an no start
had been made on the work yet.
Instantly I guessed what had hap
pened. The rains durin' the last week
or two had been very heavy, an the
river was in consequence flooded an
runnin' very strong, an the unusual
weight an rush O. water had loosened
the old an rotten supports O. the
bridge, which never ought to have been
allowed to get in such condition, till
it had suddenly come topplin' over into
the seethin' an boilin' flood below.
For a moment was staggered by
the suddenness O. the news, but then
I braced myself together, an saw that
what tho ho1 chn,,fa1 ho
only thing to do.
1t was impossible to pull the express
up. The driver had seen the signals
off, an KNOWN that he was behind
time, was beltin' along as fast as his
engine could 60. 1t was afore these
days O. trains fitted from end to end
wi continuous brakes, that'n bring
train to stand in so yards, an could
see that unless 1 switched it on to the
loop it'd go dashin' along an into the
river on top O. the Inflated bridge.
1 felt kind O. dizziness come over
me as thought O. all them passengers
a-sittin' in the carriages comfortably
readin' or loollin' out at the green an
yellow fields as they passed, being sent
WI ouU d WOIu u 10
ton, an sprang across to pull the levers
back. AS 1 did SO / thought O. little
Nelly a-comin' down the loop Wi my
dinner, an how surprised she'd be to
see the great express rushin' towards
her, an involuntarily 1 cast glance
out O the window in the direction 1
knew she'd be comm.
Aye, there was the little figure I
loved so well, sure enough; but what
was that that made my heart grow
suddenly cold win me, an sent the
blood surgin' up to my temples till my
brain felt on fire? Passin' my hand
across my eyes, 1 looked again-surely
1 must be mistaken!
No. 1t was no delusion-there was
my little girl wall1in' in the four-foot-
a thing she'd never done afore to my
acknowledgement in the track O. the
advancin' express. She had got the
basket in one hand an was holdin'
her little hat up in the air wi the other,
an 1 almost fancied 1 could see the