River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-12-18
CROSSING
A BRIDGE
1t Was an important Feat
In More Respects
Than One
By F. A. mitchell

down il torrents. All the streams were
swollen. Night came on. and the dark.
ness added to the bleakness.
In a farmhouse near which ran
railroad track woman sat over a
baby that was moaning and tossing
with fever. Now and again she would
take the child up in her arms and ca
ress it, but its sufferings were not di-
minished. and she would put it down
with an exclamation of despair.
A boy of twelve stood by looking
pityingly on his baby sister. He was
sturdy little fellow and old enough to
realize that he might lose her.
"Oh, for some one to send for doc
tori walled the mother.
Cant l go?" asked the boy.
you go. Do you think | would let
| you go out in such a night as this, run
ming the risk of losing you as we'll as
your little sister? If you could go by
the road | would send you. but you
would have to cross the railroad bridge.
The wind would blow you down into
the gulf below
'I've crossed the bridge. know how
to do it in wind. I can crawl"
you should not have done so even
by day. The danger would be far
greater at night and on such a night
as this it would be frightful. Besides,
if a train should come along what
would you do?'
"Hang on to tie"
The mother shuddered. Beneath the
ties hundred feet below a river was
boiling over rocks.
There's no train to cross the bridge
till 11:05," continued the boy.
"How do you know. Jakey"
II know all about the trains"
This was true. Jakey Summers was
much interested in the railroad, the
running of trains, and was known to
the employees of the company at the
station few miles from his home.
Many free ride had been given him
both on trains and locomotives
81 wish l dare let you 60" said the
mother. ''but l DON'T
A spasm passed over the baby that
frightened her and Jakey too. The
boy went out into the kitchen. and
when his mother was not conscious of
his presence he was standing before
her with lighted lantern.
ooh. Jakey," she exclaimed, you're
not going to cross that frightful bridge
this terrible night!'
81 can do it all right. mamma. Don't
you worry about me. Just you stay here
and take care of Betty. I'll bring DR..
Parker back with me- He's got car
and can come by the road, if it is ten
miles around. as quick as can get to
him across the bridge"
The mother put her arms about him
and Rugged him. but he disengaged
himself and with a Now. don't you
worry about me. mamma" went out
into the night gust of wind blew
in as he opened the door, and his moth
er started up to prevent his going, but
he pulled the door to. and from win
dow beside it she saw his light dis
appearing down toward the track.
With prayer for him she went back
to her baby,
Jakey soon gained the track and be-
gan to walk on a path beside it toward
the bridge He had glanced at clock
before going out and saw that the time
was half past 10. 1t would be thirty
FIVE minutes before an express train
would reach the bridge. but the bridge
was half a mile away, and he must
necessarily be long while getting
over it. For this distance he breasted
the wind, though ordinarily it would
have been easy walking on the path.
He had no means of noting the time
and must take his chances as to being
on the bridge when the train passed
over it. He trudged on as fast as he
could and was conscious of making
pretty good time.
A gust of wind howled through the
branches of the trees and caused a
loud wall among the telegraph wires
above his head. When it died down,
before another gust came. ne heard
the boiling waters of the river. He
paused awe stricken. In order TO
brace his resolution he thought of his
baby sister and his anxious mother
and, moving on short distance. stood
at the end of the bridge.
1t was 300 feet long. with an abut-
ment on each bank and one in The mid
die of the river Taking his lantern
in his left hand that he might cling
with his stronger right, he began to
crawl over the ties. After squall he
stood erect and made a distance of
some forty feet before another blast
came. when he was obliged to get
down and cling for dear life.
Now he was over the boiling waters.
well calculated TO strike terror into
an older person. But his mind was in
tent on getting across before the CON-
ing of the train. When the wind blew
its strongest he crouched between the
Eails. bracing himself against sleeper.
but as soon as its force was spent he
would crawl on. sometimes partly ris-
ing, sometimes standing. all the while
forging onward.
And now he noticed that one rail
was lower than the other. He knew
This could not be on account of q !