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Bell hurried to Osgood Hennessy’s private car to ask hiloomy state of worry and defeat Franklin Moith him Both men appeared shattered And they seemed to reinforce each other’s pessimism

“Ninety percent of e,” the railroad president mourned “All in place for the final push Track, coal, ties, creosote plant, roundhouse, locoe that won’t hold a wheelbarrow I’m whipped”

Even the normally cheerful Mrs Co sympathet

ically, “Perhaps it is ti You can start fresh next year Start over in the spring”

“I’ll be dead by spring”

Lillian Hennessy’s eyes flashed angrily She exchanged a griraph table and perched her fingers on the key

“Father,” she said, “I better wire the Sacramento shop”

“Sacramento?” Hennessy asked distractedly “What for?”

“They’ve finished fabricating truss rods for the Cascade Canyon Bridge So they have ti chairs”

“Rocking chairs? What the devil for?”

“For retireeezers I ever saw in my life Let’s build a porch on the roundhouse you can rock on”

“Now, hold on, Lillian”

“You’re giving up, just like the Wrecker wants”

Hennessy turned to Mowery and asked him, with little hope in his voice, “Is there any chance of shoring up those piers?”

“Winter’s closing in,” Mowerydown on us, water’s already rising”