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Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard), 1880-1957

"The Valley of the Giants"

He will arrive late to-morrow night, and on
Sunday we will get that locomotive out of our way and install our
crossing."
"And Pennington--"
"Ah, the poor Pennington! Mon pauvre Seth!" Buck sighed comically.
"He will be just twenty-four hours late."
"You old he-fox!" Bryce murmured. "You wicked, wicked man!"
Buck Ogilvy lifted his lapel and sniffed luxuriously at his white
carnation, the while a thin little smile played around the corners of
his humorous mouth. "Ah," he murmured presently, "life's pretty
sweet, isn't it!"


CHAPTER XXXV

Events followed each other with refreshing rapidity. While the crew
of the big locomotive on the crossing busied themselves getting up
steam, Sexton and Jules Rondeau toiled at the loading of the
discarded boiler and heavy castings aboard two flat-cars. By
utilizing the steel derrick on the company's wrecking-car, this task
was completed by noon, and after luncheon the mogul backed up the
main line past the switch into the Laguna Grande yards; whereupon the
switch-engine kicked the two flat-cars and the wrecking-car out of
the yard and down to the crossing, where the obstructions were
promptly unloaded. The police watched the operation with alert
interest but forebore to interfere in this high-handed closing of a
public thoroughfare.


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