Braving a torrential thunderstorm, 15-year-old Kate Shelley crawls across a treacherous railroad bridge to warn an oncoming train of a wash-out ahead. Rhythm and tension combine to create a thrilling story for beginning readers of all ages. Based on a true incident which occurred in 1881, a useful afterword adds an extra note of interest: although she received one hundred dollars, a gold medal, and a lifetime railway pass, the heroine's favorite honor was that of being left off in front of her own house whenever she rode the train home. (Ages 7-10)