1. JAMES IS
A MIXED TRAFFIC ENGINE.
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2. HE CAN PULL BOTH FREIGHT CARS
AND COACHES.
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3. HE'S PROUD
OF HIS SMART RED PAINT
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4. AND SO IS HIS DRIVER.
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5. "EVERYONE SAYS YOU BRIGHTEN UP
THEIR DAY, JAMES."
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6. ONE MORNING,
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7. JAMES WHISTLED LOUDLY
AT THE OTHER ENGINES!
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8. "LOOK AT ME,
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9. I AM THE SMARTEST,
MOST USEFUL ENGINE ON THE LINE."
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10. "RUBBISH,"
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11. REPLIED THOMAS.
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12. "WE'RE ALL USEFUL,
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13. "SIR TOPHAM HATT SAYS SO
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14. AND HE'S HEAD
OF THE WHOLE RAILWAY."
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15. "YOU KNOW WHAT, JAMES?"
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16. ADDED PERCY.
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17. "WHAT?"
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18. REPLIED JAMES.
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19. "YOU'RE GETTING
ALL PUFFED UP!"
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20. JAMES HUFFED AWAY.
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21. LATER, HE WAS STILL BOASTING.
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22. "I'M THE PRIDE
OF THE LINE."
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23. "I SAW YOU
PULLING FREIGHT CARS,"
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24. SNORTED GORDON.
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25. "YOU'RE ONLY
A GOODS ENGINE!" SNORTED GORDON.
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26. JAMES WAS FURIOUS
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27. "I PULL COACHES TOO!"
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28. "NOT AS MUCH AS I DO."
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29. "BUT SIR TOPHAM HATT
HAS PLANS FOR ME."
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30. JAMES WAS ONLY MAKING
THIS UP
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31. BUT GORDON BELIEVED HIM.
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32. "WHAT PLANS?"
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33. "UH... WAIT AND SEE."
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34. "OH DEAR,"
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35. HE THOUGHT.
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36. "NOW WHAT'LL I DO?"
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37. THOMAS WAS SHUNTING
SHINING NEW COACHES.
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38. "GOOD MORNING, JAMES."
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39. "ARE THOSE COACHES
FOR ME?"
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40. ASKED JAMES HOPEFULLY.
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41. "NO.
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42. "THESE ARE FOR
GORDON'S EXPRESS.
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43. I'LL FETCH
YOUR FREIGHT CARS NEXT."
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44. BUT JAMES WAS GOING TO PLAY
A TRICK ON THE OTHER ENGINES.
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45. "ACTUALLY, THOMAS,
I'MTAKING THE COACHES.
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46. SIR TOPHAM HATT
ASKED ME TO TELL YOU."
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47. "WHAT ABOUT THE CARS?"
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48. ASKED THOMAS.
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49. "UH, GIVE THEM TO GORDON."
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50. "COME ON, THOMAS,"
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51. SAID HIS DRIVER,
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52. "ORDERS ARE ORDERS."
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53. SO WHEN JAMES' DRIVER
RETURNED,
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54. JAMES WAS COUPLED
TO THE COACHES
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55. AND HE PUFFED AWAY.
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56. THOMAS RETURNED
WITH THE FREIGHT CARS
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57. AND A FEW MINUTES LATER,
GORDON ARRIVED.
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58. "WHERE'S THE EXPRESS?"
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59. THOMAS TOLD HIM
ABOUT JAMES.
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60. "... AND SO
HERE ARE YOURCARS."
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61. GORDON WAS VERY CROSS
AND SO WAS HIS DRIVER.
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62. "WAIT TILL SIR TOPHAM HATT
HEARS ABOUT THIS!"
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63. MEANWHILE, JAMES WAS ENJOYING
HIMSELF ENORMOUSLY.
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64. "WHAT A CLEVER PLAN,
WHAT A CLEVER PLAN,"
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65. HE CHUFFED.
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66. THEN HE SAW
SIR TOPHAM HATT.
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67. "SOME JOKES ARE FUNNY,
BUT NOT THIS ONE, JAMES.
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68. YOU HAVE CAUSED CONFUSION."
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69. "YES, SIR,"
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70. SAID JAMES.
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71. "YOU WILL NOW
STAY IN YOUR SHED
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72. UNTIL YOU ARE WANTED."
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73. THE OTHER ENGINES
TEASED JAMES.
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74. "I WONDER WHO'LL BE PULLING
THE EXPRESS TODAY?"
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75. SAID GORDON.
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76. "I EXPECT IT'LL BE YOU,"
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77. REPLIED HENRY.
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78. "JAMES IS STUCK IN THE SHED
FOR BEING SILLY!"
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79. JAMES FELT SAD.
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80. NEXT MORNING,
HE WENT BACK TO WORK.
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81. "HELLO,"
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82. WHISTLED THOMAS.
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83. "GOOD TO SEE YOU
OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN."
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84. "I'M SORRY
I TRICKED YOU,"
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85. SAID JAMES.
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86. "ARE THESE MY CARS?"
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87. "YES,"
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88. REPLIED THOMAS KINDLY.
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89. "THEY ARE PLEASED
TO HAVE YOU BACK."
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90. JAMES SET OFF
TO THE HARBOR
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91. WITH HIS TRAIN
OF FREIGHT CARS.
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92. HE BUSTLED ABOUT
ALL DAY,
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93. PUSHING AND PULLING THEM
INTO PLACE.
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94. "TIME TO
GO HOME NOW, JAMES,"
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95. SAID HIS DRIVER AT LAST.
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96. "NO CARS OR PASSENGERS;
JUST WE TWO."
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97. BUT HIS DRIVER
WAS WRONG.
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98. "EXCUSE ME," CALLED A MAN.
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99. "I HAVE A MEETING
WITH SIR TOPHAM HATT
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100. "AND I MUSTN'T BE LATE.
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101. MAY I RIDE BACK WITH YOU?"
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102. "OF COURSE,"
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103. REPLIED JAMES' DRIVER.
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104. THEN HE WHISPERED
TO JAMES,
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105. "THIS GENTLEMAN IS
A RAILWAY INSPECTOR."
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106. JAMES WAS MOST IMPRESSED.
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107. HE STEAMED ALONG THE LINE
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108. AS SMOOTHLY AND QUICKLY
AS HE COULD.
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109. SIR TOPHAM HATT
WAS WAITING ON THE PLATFORM
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110. AND THE RAILWAY INSPECTOR
GREETED HIM WARMLY.
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111. "THIS CLEVER ENGINE
GAVE ME A SPLENDID RIDE.
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112. YOU MUST BE PROUD OF HIM."
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113. "YES, INDEED.
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114. ONCE AGAIN, YOU ARE
A REALLY USEFUL ENGINE."
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115. AT NIGHT,
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116. WHEN THE OTHER ENGINES
ARE TUCKED AWAY IN THEIR SHEDS,
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117. YOU CAN STILL HEAR
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118. THE FARAWAY CALL
OF AN ENGINE'S WHISTLE
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119. AND THE CLICKETY-CLACK
OF TRAIN WHEELS TURNING.
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120. THIS IS THE SOUND
OF THE MAIL TRAIN.
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121. ONE TRAIN
IS PULLED BY THOMAS
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122. AND THE OTHER BY PERCY
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123. AS THE LOADS
ARE TOO HEAVY
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124. FOR ONE ENGINE
TO DO THE WORK ALONE.
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125. THE MAIL IS LOADED INTO
FREIGHT CARS AT THE HARBORS
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126. AND THE ENGINES
PULL THEIR TRAINS
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127. THROUGH THE SILENT STATIONS
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128. DELIVERING
THEIR PRECIOUS LOADS.
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129. ON A CLEAR NIGHT,
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130. A BIG SHINY MOON
BRIGHTENS THEIR JOURNEY
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131. BUT OFTEN THOMAS AND PERCY
CAN'T EVEN SEE THE STARS!
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132. BUT WHATEVER THE WEATHER,
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133. LAMPS ALONG THE TRACK
ALWAYS LIGHT THEIR WAY.
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134. ONE NIGHT PERCY WAS WAITING
AT THE JUNCTION.
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135. THE MAINLINE TRAIN
WAS LATE.
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136. AT LAST, HENRY ARRIVED.
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137. "SORRY,"
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138. HE PUFFED.
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139. "THE MAIL BOAT FROM
THE MAINLAND WAS DELAYED."
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140. "COME ON, PERCY,"
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141. SAID HIS DRIVER.
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142. "LET'S MAKE UP
FOR LOST TIME."
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143. PERCY PUFFED ALONG
AS QUICKLY AS HE COULD,
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144. THE SUN WAS ALREADY RISING
AS HE FINISHED HIS WORK.
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145. "NEVER MIND,"
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146. THOUGHT PERCY.
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147. "IT'S NICE
TO BE UP AND ABOUT
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148. "WHEN IT'S THE START
OF A NEW DAY
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149. AND THERE'S
NO ONE ELSE AROUND."
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150. PERCY WAS NOT ALONE
FOR LONG.
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151. "BOTHER,"
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152. SAID PERCY.
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153. "IT'S THAT
DIZZY THING, HAROLD."
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154. "GOOD MORNING,"
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155. WHIRRED HAROLD.
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156. "I ALWAYS SAID
RAILWAYS WERE OUT OF DATE
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157. "BUT YOU'RE SO SLOW
WITH THE MAIL,
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158. YOU SHOULD GIVE EVERYONE
THEIR STAMPS BACK."
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159. PERCY WAS TOO TIRED
TO EXPLAIN.
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160. "BIRDBRAIN,"
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161. HE MUTTERED.
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162. "GOOD MORNING, PERCY,"
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163. CALLED DUCK.
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164. "YOU'RE UP EARLY
THIS MORNING."
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165. "NO, YOU'RE WRONG,"
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166. SIGHED PERCY.
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167. "I'M BACK...
TIRED AND LATE."
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168. HE ROLLED INTO THE SHED
AND FELL ASLEEP
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169. ALMOST BEFORE
HIS BUFFERS TOUCHED THE BAR.
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170. HIS DRIVER DECIDED
TO SET OFF EARLY THAT EVENING.
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171. THOMAS WAS WAITING
AT THE STATION.
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172. "THANK GOODNESS
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173. I'VE A CHANCE
TO SPEAK TO YOU.
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174. "DRIVER SAYS THAT THE PERSON
IN CHARGE OF THE MAIL
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175. "HAS COMPLAINED
TO SIR TOPHAM HATT
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176. ABOUT THE DELAY
LAST NIGHT."
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177. "BUT THAT WASN'T
MY FAULT,"
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178. REPLIED PERCY.
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179. "I KNOW,"
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180. SAID THOMAS,
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181. "AND SO DOES
SIR TOPHAM HATT
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182. "BUT THIS MAIL PERSON
WOULDN'T LISTEN.
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183. TONIGHT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO
BE QUICKER THAN EVER BEFORE."
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184. THE ENGINES
WERE JUST LEAVING
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185. WHEN THEY HEARD
A FAMILIAR BUZZING.
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186. "I SAY, YOU TWO,
THERE'S NEWS FLYING ABOUT."
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187. "WHERE?"
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188. "ALL OVER THE PLACE."
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189. "THEY'RE GOING TO SCRAP
THE MAIL TRAIN
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190. "AND USE ME INSTEAD.
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191. WINGS WORK WONDERS,
YOU KNOW... ALWAYS."
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192. "RUBBISH,"
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193. THAT NIGHT,
EVERYTHING RAN LIKE CLOCKWORK.
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194. THOMAS AND PERCY
STEAMED THROUGH THE STATIONS
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195. MAKING GOOD TIME
EVERYWHERE THEY WENT.
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196. AT A STATION,
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197. THOMAS NOTICED A MAN
LOOKING COLD AND WORRIED.
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198. HE HAD MISSED
HIS TRAIN HOME.
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199. "WE CAN
GIVE YOU A RIDE,"
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200. SAID THOMAS' DRIVER,
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201. "BUT IT WILL BE
RATHER UNCOMFORTABLE."
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202. "THANK YOU,"
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203. "ANYTHING'S BETTER
THAN SITTING HERE."
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204. THE NEXT AFTERNOON
PERCY PASSED THE AIRFIELD
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205. AND SAW HAROLD.
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206. "HELLO, LAZYWINGS.
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207. ARE YOU TOO TIRED
TO FLY TODAY?"
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208. "THE WIND'S TOO STRONG,"
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209. GRUMBLED HAROLD.
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210. I'VE BEEN GROUNDED."
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211. "YOU NEED RAILS."
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212. LAUGHED PERCY.
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213. "THEY WORK WONDERS,
YOU KNOW... ALWAYS!"
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214. THAT NIGHT
SIR TOPHAM HATT
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215. SHOWED THE TWO ENGINES
A LETTER.
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216. IT WAS FROM THE MAN
WHO MISSED HIS TRAIN.
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217. "HE THINKS
YOU ARE BOTH SPLENDID,
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218. "AND EVERYONE SAYS
THAT THE MAIL TRAIN
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219. IS THE PRIDE OF THE LINE!"
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