Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-17

swollen. Night came on, and the dark.
ness added to the bleakness.
In q farmhouse near which ran q
railroad track a woman sat over q
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 surerings were not d.
minished. and she would put it down
with an exclamation Of despair.
A boy Of twelve stood by looking
pityingTy 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 go?" asked the boy.
"You go! Do you think would let
you go out in such q night as this, run
ming the risk OF losing you as well 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. 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 frishtful. Besides,
IL 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:o5." continued the boy.
How do you know, JakeyT'
81 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 CO." said the
mother, but 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.
"Oh. Jakey," she exclaimed, you're
| not going to cross that frightful bridge
| this terrible nightv'
~ can do it all right, mamma. Don't
| you worry about me. Just you stay here
] ,,,1 &,v - oAA tx,.g,. r..
Parker back with me. He's got a car
and can come by the road, If 1t is ten
miles around. as quick as I can get TO
him across the bridge"
The mother put her arms about him
and Rugged him. but he disengaged
| himself and with Now. don't you
worry about me, mamma" went out
into the night. A 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 a prayer for him she went back
to her baby.
Jakey soon gained the track and be.
gan to walk on path beside it toward
the bridge. He had glanced at a clock
before going out and saw that the time
was half past 10. 1t would be thirty
five minutes before IN 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 1t died down.
before another gust came. he 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 a short distance, stood
Mt the end OF the bridge.
1t was 800 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 a squall be
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 com.
ing OF the train. When the wind blew
fits strongest he crOuched between the
rails, bracing himself against sleeper
but as soon as its force was spent be
would crawl on, sometimes partly ris-
ing, sometimes standing, all the while
fofging onward.
And now he noticed that one rail-
was lower than the other. He knew
this could not be on account of q
curve in the bridge-bridges are never
20 constructed Fie feared that some
thing was giving way The farther
he proceeded the greater the inequaiit,
| ~ tho haf0hf % 3hn - 80