1. IT WAS WINTERTIME
ON THE ISLAND OF SODOR.
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2. THE SNOW COVERED
FIELDS AND RAILWAY LINES.
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3. ALL THE ENGINES
WERE HARD AT WORK...
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4. EXCEPT PERCY.
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5. "COME ON, PERCY.
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6. THIS IS NO TIME
TO HAVE A REST."
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7. "I'M STUCK!"
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8. MOANED PERCY,
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9. "AND MY FUNNEL'S
FREEZING UP.
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10. DRIVER'S GONE FOR HELP."
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11. "PAH!"
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12. HUFFED THOMAS
AND WENT ON HIS WAY.
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13. LATER, THOMAS HAD TO HELP
CLEAR SNOW BY A TUNNEL,
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14. BUT IT WAS TOO DEEP.
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15. AND HE GOT STUCK.
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16. THOMAS WAS VERY CROSS.
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17. "SNOW IS
NOTHING BUT TROUBLE,"
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18. HE MOANED.
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19. RUSTY WAS CLOSE BY.
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20. "DRIVER SAYS
THIS WINTER IS AS BAD
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21. AS THE WORST WINTER
OF ALL."
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22. "HOW 'WORST?'"
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23. ASKED THOMAS.
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24. "I'LL TELL YOU,"
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25. REPLIED RUSTY.
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26. AND THEN,
THE LITTLE ENGINE DID.
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27. SKARLOEY WAS WORKING
THE LINE
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28. TO THE SLATE MINE
IN THE MOUNTAINS.
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29. WHEN THE SNOW CAME,
IT WAS DIFFICULT TO WORK.
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30. THEY USED THE SNOW
AS A DOUBLE BUFFER ZONE,
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31. TO HELP STOP CARS
SKIDDING THROUGH THE RAVINE.
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32. ONE DAY SKARLOEY SET OFF
TO THE MINES
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33. WITH SOME EMPTY CARS.
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34. MEANWHILE,
THERE WAS TROUBLE AT THE MINE.
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35. THE WINCH THAT HAULS
THE CARS UP AND DOWN
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36. WASN'T WORKING PROPERLY.
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37. SKARLOEY HAD REACHED
THE RAVINE.
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38. HIGH ABOVE HIM
WERE THE MINE YARDS.
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39. "THAT SNOW LOOKS
DANGEROUS,"
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40. SAID HIS DRIVER.
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41. "THE SOUND OF YOUR ENGINE
AND THE FREIGHT CARS
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42. "COULD CAUSE AN AVALANCHE.
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43. I'LL SET OFF AN EMERGENCY CAP
AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS."
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44. SKARLOEY WATCHED
AS HIS DRIVER PREPARED IT.
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45. THEN, THEY RAN OVER THE CAP.
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46. THE BANG ECHOED
AROUND THE GORGE.
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47. NOTHING HAPPENED.
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48. "GOOD!"
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49. SAID HIS DRIVER,
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50. "ALL'S WELL.
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51. WE'LL HAVE A CUP OF COCOA
AND THEN MAKE OUR WAY."
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52. BUT HIGH ABOVE THEM
ALL WAS NOT WELL.
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53. A LONG LINE
OF FULL CARS
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54. WAS ABOUT TO BE WINCHED
DOWN THE SLOPE.
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55. THEY HAD JUST STARTED
THEIR JOURNEY,
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56. WHEN SOME EMPTY CARS
BECAME DERAILED.
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57. THE WINCH GROANED.
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58. "BREAK IT!"
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59. "SNAP IT!"
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60. SHOUTED THE FREIGHT CARS.
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61. AND THEY DID.
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62. "ON! ON!
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63. FASTER! FASTER!"
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64. THEY GIGGLED.
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65. "THE SNOW BANK AND BUFFERS
WILL STOP 'EM,"
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66. SAID A WORKMAN.
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67. BUT HE WAS WRONG.
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68. THE FREIGHT CARS PLUNGED
INTO THE RAVINE.
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69. SKARLOEY AND HIS DRIVER HEARD
THE NOISE AND LOOKED UP.
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70. "AVALANCHE!"
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71. THEY CRIED.
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72. WHEN THE SNOW PLUME CLEARED,
THERE WAS NO SIGN OF SKARLOEY.
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73. HE WAS BURIED
DEEP INSIDE THE HIGH DRIFT
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74. BLOCKING THE RAVINE.
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75. AND THEN CAME
THE FUNNY PART!
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76. "WHAT'S THE FUNNY PART
ABOUT AN AVALANCHE?"
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77. ASKED THOMAS.
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78. "WELL...
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79. NO ONE KNEW THAT THE HEAT
FROM SKARLOEY'S ENGINE
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80. HAD HELPED TO MAKE
AN IGLOO.
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81. "IT'S A SNOWBALL."
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82. "IT'S A SNOW HOUSE."
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83. "IT'S AN ENGINE!"
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84. THEY CLEARED AWAY THE ICE
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85. ONLY TO FIND SKARLOEY'S DRIVER
AND FIREMAN DRINKING COCOA
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86. AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED.
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87. "LUCKY FOR HIM,
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88. BUT IT JUST GOES TO SHOW,
YOU CAN'T TRUST FREIGHT CARS!"
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89. SAID THOMAS.
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90. "OR SNOW!"
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91. SAID RUSTY.
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92. THE MEN HAD JUST CLEARED
THE SNOW AWAY FROM HIM
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93. WHEN GORDON PUFFED BY
WITH HIS MACHINE.
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94. "HEY, LOOK OUT...
THERE'S SNOW ABOUT!"
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95. HE STOPPED BY THE TUNNEL
AND WHEESHED LOUDLY.
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96. THEN IT HAPPENED.
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97. "OH NO!"
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98. "HEEEELLLP!"
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99. CRIED GORDON.
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100. "IF SKARLOEY SURVIVED
A SNOWFALL,
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101. "SURELY A BIG, PROUD ENGINE
LIKE YOU
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102. CAN DO THE SAME!"
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103. CHUCKLED THOMAS.
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104. "PAH!"
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105. MOANED GORDON FROM WITHIN,
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106. AND THEN,
FELL SILENT AS THE SNOW.
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107. ON THE ISLAND OF SODOR,
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108. HIGH UP IN THE MOUNTAINS
WAS A MYSTERIOUS BOULDER.
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109. IT HAD STOOD ALONE
FOR A LONG TIME
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110. BUT ONE DAY WORKMEN ARRIVED
TO BUILD A QUARRY
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111. ON THE LAND BELOW.
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112. RUSTY, THE LITTLE DIESEL,
MET THOMAS AND PERCY.
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113. "WHERE'S ALL THIS ROCK
COMING FROM?"
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114. PERCY ASKED.
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115. "THE NEW QUARRY,"
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116. REPLIED RUSTY.
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117. "THIS MOUNTAIN ROCK IS GOOD
FOR MANY THINGS...
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118. ALTHOUGH IT'S DANGEROUS
UP THERE."
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119. "WHY?"
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120. ASKED THOMAS.
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121. "BECAUSE OF A BIG BOULDER.
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122. I THINK IT'S WATCHING ME!"
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123. SAID RUSTY NERVOUSLY.
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124. "HOW CAN IT BE?
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125. BOULDERS DON'T HAVE EYES."
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126. "WELL, PERCY, THERE'S SOMETHING
STRANGE ABOUT THIS ONE."
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127. JUST THEN EDWARD ARRIVED.
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128. HE WAS DELIVERING
A NEW PIECE OF MACHINERY
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129. FOR THE QUARRY.
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130. "WHAT'S THAT?"
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131. ASKED RUSTY.
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132. "IT'S CALLED 'THUMPER.'"
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133. APPARENTLY, IT HELPS
COLLECT THE ROCK FASTER,"
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134. REPLIED EDWARD.
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135. SOON THUMPER
WAS WORKING HARD.
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136. THE MEN WERE PLEASED,
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137. BUT NO ONE BOTHERED
TO CHECK THE BOULDER.
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138. WHEN IT RAINED
THE WORKMEN WENT AWAY.
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139. RUSTY GAZED UP AND SHIVERED.
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140. ABOVE STOOD BOULDER.
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141. SUDDENLY, A LARGE SLAB OF ROCK
LANDED ON THE RAILS.
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142. RUSTY WAS SHOCKED.
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143. DRIVER WAS CONCERNED,
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144. "WE'D BEST LEAVE
TILL THE WEATHER'S BETTER.
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145. THE RAIN LOOSENED
SOME OF THIS ROCK."
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146. "I THINK IT'S BOULDER
WANTING US TO GO AWAY."
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147. THE NEXT DAY
THE SUN SHONE.
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148. THUMPER WAS WORKING
HARDER THAN EVER.
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149. SUDDENLY,
RUSTY NOTICED SOMETHING.
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150. "BOULDER'S MOVING!"
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151. "DON'T BE SO DAFT;
IT CAN'T,"
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152. SAID THE DRIVER.
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153. BUT IT COULD.
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154. "IT'S ROLLING ALONG
OUR LINE!"
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155. "WE'LL STOP HERE
UNTIL BOULDER PASSES BY,"
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156. SAID THE DRIVER...
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157. BUT BOULDER WAS
NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.
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158. THEN...
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159. "OH NO!
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160. IT'S BEHIND US!"
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161. JUST AHEAD THEY SAW
A SMALL JUNCTION.
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162. ONE LINE WENT UPHILL.
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163. BOULDER THUNDERED PAST.
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164. MEANWHILE, SKARLOEY WAS MAKING
HIS WAY UP TO THE QUARRY.
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165. THEN HE SAW BOULDER.
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166. "HELLLLP!"
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167. BOULDER WAS CATCHING UP FAST.
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168. "WE MUST WARN THE YARDS!"
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169. SHOUTED SKARLOEY.
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170. "YES... BUT HOW?"
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171. CALLED RUSTY.
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172. BOULDER ROUNDED A BEND,
AND THERE AHEAD WAS RHENEAS.
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173. "IT'S RUNNING LOOSE!"
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174. YELLED RHENEAS.
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175. HIS DRIVER DROVE HIM BACK
AS FAST AS HE COULD.
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176. "HURRY!"
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177. "BETTER A SMASH
THAN A SQUASH!"
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178. SIGHED HIS DRIVER.
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179. AT THE YARDS,
PERCY WAS COLLECTING TRUCKS.
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180. THEN, HE HEARD BOULDER...
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181. "OH NO!
HEADING STRAIGHT FOR ME!"
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182. SQUEAKED PERCY.
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183. WHEN SIR TOPHAM HATT
INSPECTED THE DAMAGE
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184. HE DECIDED
TO CLOSE THE MINE.
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185. THEN HE LOOKED AT BOULDER.
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186. "WE SHOULD'VE LEFT
THIS PART OF THE ISLAND ALONE."
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187. THEY MOVED BOULDER
TO A HILL CLOSE BY THE YARDS.
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188. RUSTY IS SURE
THAT ON A CLEAR NIGHT
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189. IT IS GAZING UP AT THE MOUNTAIN
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190. AND THAT ITS SIGHS
ARE BEING CARRIED ON THE WIND
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191. TO WHERE IT ONCE USED TO STAND
PROUD AND SILENT.
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192. I WONDER IF RUSTY IS ALL RIGHT,
DON'T YOU?
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