Brave Tom; Or, The Battle That Won

overb

rd on the ferry-boat D. S. Gregory, one wintry night, as she was approachi

onfusion and excite

n doors, and were pushing toward the bow, eager to be the first to leap ashore, scarc

one was dreaming of anything wrong, when the

he swinging of the ponderous working-beam at the same second that he received the

re was such a general rush toward the bow that a dangerous dipping of the cra

is

e jump

he

he pu

e be s

re i

given, a woman gave utterance to the most heart-rending scream, and made such frantic attempts t

be her

eaker, when, falling limp and despairing into the

go to her; she is all that is lef

rd," called out some one who had seen

dy clave the air and dropped into the water within a few yards o

led out an excited individual. "Are all t

ance, had also fallen into the river, a belief which was quickly

and a goose and a fish all together; he jumped over to save that little girl

ain from more than one heart, and instantly transferred all interest to the brave you

dent took place, and the lights from the shipping

steam-tugs were puffing and darting here and there, in and out among the shipping, as though they were playing hide-and-seek with each other; another f

mething floating in the water; and though no one could define exactly what it was with the aid of the sight

working his way toward th

he steamer, which was gliding so closely by them that

efore recorded. It was natural that he should be deeply interested when his dearest friend was risking

! do you wa

ith enthusiasm, "and if there's a spalpeen on boord that don't jine in

n idle spectators during the f

er the life-preservers and hurling out the ropes, that none reached the lad, who was too in

r caused a slight and only partial reverse movem

ing so far over the rail that he was in danger of

nt. The boy was supporting the little form with o

e fling was made, the coil dropping so near the boy

the r?le, he certainly was a genius in his w

s environed by death. The most skillful swimmer in the world cannot sustain himself in sea-foam, or in the white caps of the break

been drowned, but the boy held on with the grip of death, and

; I'm al

ill holding the senseless girl with one arm, was drawn up on deck, and receive

nto the cabin where her mother had just recovered from her swoo

ndred men were demanding the name of the young hero, praising him, offering to make up

ling of chains, the crowd swarmed off t