Hyder weekly herald., 1932-12-24
The Bridge
By RAYMOND OTIS
e by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
 WNU Service

She was pretty woman. about thirty. It was surprising that she should speak to me; she didn't look like the aggressive kind. But she had spoken and 1 liked her looks, so l stood up in the aisle of the pullman.
 "A bridge?" I said. '"There must be many of them between here and the coast, especially where we cross the mountains"
 Well, this must be an unusual bridge-not over river-a great span over an abyss. And deep-deeper than anything"
 'I don't know of any"
 Are you going through this time, all the way?'
 ''Yes, am.-What about the bridge? Why does it bother you?"
 'I'n tell you." she said. "Listen. Last night I had dream. I dreamt that this train came to a great bridge And the bridge was broken. The train ran into the gap, and. :" She paused to shudder plunged a thousand feet to the rocks below"
 Well" said, that was a dream. Anybody killed?"
 Everybody. My dream was pro- pheticr'
 I shifted uneasily.
 "What do you mean by prophetic, exactly?"
 we'll don't know. I saw the things so clearly-every detail as If great searchlight were playing on the scene If there is such bridge I wouldn't go over it for fortune."
 "If you'll excuse me, I'll go back for a smoke,' I said. She simply nodded and I went to the smoking room. To save my life I couldn't get the pie ture of a train running off bridge out of my mind. Then I spotted a timetable on the windowsill. I turned a page and there was a span exactly as she had described. I read the legend under the picture. "One of the highest railroad bridges in the world" it said, lon the main line to California. Canyon Fiero.'
 looked up on the map, which was also in the folder, the town nearest the bridge and then searched the time table for the hour at which we were due at that town. Eight the next eve ming. So we did go over the bridge at night. Of course, all the time I was telling myself not to be fool. I slipped the folder into my pocket and went back into the car.
 Pardon me-" said to the dreamer, but I've looked up your bridge ." and at that I handed her the folder, opened to the picture And I watched her face infinitely.
 "My God.' she said In a throaty voice. its the bridge-Its the very bridge! When do we cross it?"
 Tomorrow night, between eight and nine"
 I'm going to get off this train,' she said, starting to rise.
 Not now.' objected. "We don't get there until tomorrow night"
 She settled back in the seat. Her hands twitched nervously. She de- clared that unless the conductor would consent to stop the train at the bridgehead, she would get off at the first station before it.
 By morning, strange thing had happened The whole train was talk ing about the Canyon Fiero bridge.
 Nobody. I thought. had yet consult ed the conductor about stopping the train at the bridgehead, so accosted him myself when he came through the car. Had he heard about the dream!
 Yes, I've heard about it. We don't make a custom of stopping these trains because of dreams. But I wired ahead and got a notification to proceed. There's nothing wrong with the bridge"
 Nothing could be more convincing than that. But the Russian. who had overheard the talk, suddenly flew out of her seat and came up to us.
 Don't you see what 1t is?" she said. "Of course they're not going to break the bridge until it's too late for tele- grams. It may be plot. Sabotage"
 Very well, madam. I'll stop the train"
 Thank you," she said, and turned