Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-02-26
The BRIDGE

! py years there and many sad ones
! The ones when / used to walk home
with Louise every night were the
mighty happy ones.
| had seen her going past at night
with the others. She worked. you
see, at the stocking factory just be-
low our mill.
1t was summer when | first saw
her walking on ahead of me in the
long twilight. All that fall l never
walked with her, although we were
about the only two who took the
bridge path home.
As winter came on the darkness
came sooner, and it was always dark
on the bridge, and we just sort Of
naturally got to walking across to-
gether at night. She would wait
until / was through and then we'd
go across together. l got SO I'd
wait for night to come. Of course
was always ready enough for quit
ting time, but that wasn't the rea-
son any more, you understand. l
used to make myself feel chesty and
light-headed by Dragging to myself
about how she must enjoy walking
with me.
Maybe 1 didn't feel scared when |
spring came and the days got so |
long that she could have got home |
before night if she had wanted to;
but maybe l wasn't tickled when she
kept on waiting and walking with
me just the same.
During this time she had got pro-
NOTED and was teaching the other
girls the efficiency method. One day
she told me she had to go to Ohio
to teach the method in the branch
plant there.
l got letters, lots of them, at first,
but they began to fall off, and soon
there wasn't any coming at all.
kept writing to the address, and, al
though none of them ever came back,
there was no answer.
A year and half later one night |
/ was coming from work alone. III
was thinking how happy those nights
used to be and how lonely they had
become, when l heard a woman cry
ing, and hurrying on saw a richly |
dressed woman tear off her fur coat |
and start to climb toward the water |
side of the rail. 1 got her, though, |
before she had made it and yanked |
her back. She was sobbing and |
struggling and begging me to let her
go and end it all.
/ tried to quiet her down, put her
coat on her and everything that l
could think of; but she still kept
moaning under her big hat with the
red ostrich plumes. l tried to get
her home, but she burst out and
says: 81 haven't any home. My sis
-ers couldn't stand the disgrace of
it. and it would kill my mother to
know what I've been. Let me end it
Ill here"
l took her head between my hands
and looked into her face, for that
voice was like something you remem-
Der from away back, but can't place.
1t was Louise. My face was in the
lark more and she didn't know me
until l told her. l can't tell how l
lcted nor how weak and stunned l
ielt, but l gathered her up in my
lrms and told her to tell me what
lad happened to make her feel and
lct this way. |,
She began and told me all her sad
tory. II
She says: 81 suppose you might as
veil know it all. You used to be the
'est friend l had, and / must tell
You know when went
o Ohio l kept writing to you for a
While and then stopped. 1 got
ashamed to write any more to you.
knew how good you were."
I tried to stop from feeling so
'oolish about that, but she went on. ,
81 met what thought was a nice
7oung fellow, who took me out to
OTIS of things and who showed me a
yood time always. was sending all
If the money | could spare home to
mother, and so he brought me all the
pleasure | had then.
"One holiday we went to Column /;
'uS He said he had apartments
here. He proposed To me that eve