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“The beat,” said Bell “A sharp blow to push your opponent’s blade aside”

“You coth in the interest of coths of steel joined cannot be as strong as one Why do you ask, Mr Bell?”

“I was curious what it would be like to make a knife turn into a sword,” said Bell

“Surprising,” Mowery said drily, “to the fellow on the business end”

The bridge builder took a final look around and steadied himself on Eric’s arm

“Let’s go, Eric No putting it off any longer I’ve got to report to the old man exactly what Mr Bell reported, which is exactly what the old man doesn’t want to hear Who the heck knohat happened But we found no evidence of sabotage”

When Mowery did erous voice, “Was the engineer killed?”

“Barely a scratch He must be the luckiest locomotive driver alive”

“Fire hie, then excessive speed caused that wreck That’ll show the hands I don’t tolerate reckless engineers risking their lives”

But firing the engineer did nothing to calm the terrified workmen employed to finish the Cascades Cutoff Whether the wreck had been an accident or the work of a saboteur, they didn’t care Although they were inclined to believe that the Wrecker had struck again Police spies reported that there was talk in the camp of a strike

“Strike!” echoed the apoplectic Hennessy “I’ them top dollar What the hell else do they want?”

“They want to go ho close track of thehis covert operatives in the cookhouses and saloons and visiting personally to gauge the effect of the Wrecker’s attacks on the Southern Pacific labor force “They’re afraid to ride the work train”

“That’s insane I’e”

“They say that the cutoff has becoerous line in the West”

Ironically, Bell admitted, the Wrecker had won this round, whether he intended to or not