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The lumberjack did not blink Instead, he backed up four fast steps and pulled a second, shorter knife that had no handle “Want to bet I can throw this more accurate than you can shoot that snub nose?” he asked

“I’ from his coat, and shot the bowie knife out of the luave a howl of pain and stared in disbelief at his shiny knife spinning through the sunlight Bell said, “I can always hit a bowie, but that short one you’re holding I’ your hand instead”

The lu knife

“Where is Don Albert?” Bell asked

“Don’t bother him, mister He’s hurt bad”

“If he’s hurt bad, he should be in the hospital”

“Cain’t be in the hospital”

“Why?”

“The cinder dicks’ll blame him for the runaway”

“Why?”

“He was on it”

“On it?” Bell echoed “Do you expect me to believe he survived a mile-a-minute crash?”

“Yes, sir ‘Cause he did”

“Donny’s got a head like a cannonball,” said the old woman

Bell pried the story, step-by-step, out of the lumberjack and the old woman, who turned out to be Don Albert’soff an innocent drunk on the gondola when he interrupted theThe man had bashed him in the head with a crowbar