Whistles And Sneezes is a story.
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One morning, soon after Henry returned from Crewe in his new shape, Gordon, who is jealous that Henry now gets to pull the express, starts to complain and asks why Henry got to have time off and be sent away while the other engines had to do his work. He then starts to bitterly moan that Henry whistles too loudly at stations, saying that "it isn't wrong, but we just don't do it". For the first time since he got back, Henry stops feeling happy and is hurt at these words, but Percy reassures him that he likes his whistling. Gordon leaves to pull the express, but not before self-importantly telling Henry to think about what he said.
Henry arrives at Wellsworth where Edward is waiting. Edward tells Henry that he was glad to hear his whistle, cheering Henry up. Suddenly, the sound of a far-off and continuous whistle can be heard much to the engines joint confusion. Edward notes that it sounds like Gordon's whistle, but Gordon never whistles like that.
Edward is right, it is Gordon, who flies down the hill as fast as he can. He does not stop, speak, or even look at Henry and Edward as he screams straight through the station. Edward is surprised, while Henry tells him what Gordon had said about whistling.
Gordon tears down the line, the awful noise from his whistle continuing until he reaches the station. Everyone holds their ears and Sir Topham Hatt screams to take Gordon away and have the noise stopped. Gordon leaves the express behind and is taken to some fitters who stop the whistling by knocking his whistle back into place.
Gordon sneaks home that night to an empty shed, much to his relief. As the other engines arrive back, Henry quietly murmurs that "It isn't wrong, but we just don't do it". Whistles, however, are never mentioned.
The next day, Henry takes a train feeling as well as ever and enjoying the run. The coaches run behind happily and Henry soon approaches a bridge where three boys are waiting. Henry whistles in greeting, but suddenly feels pain as the boys, rather than waving or taking his number, instead drop stones on him which breaks the glass of the coaches windows.
Nobody is hurt, but Henry and the passengers are furious and want the police called. Henry's driver, however, has a plan to get their own back. After getting everyone to promise to keep the plan a secret, the driver tells everyone that Henry is going to "sneeze" at the boys. Henry and the passengers are satisfied and proceed to the station.
Lots of people wait at the station before the bridge, eager to see what will happen. The driver warns everyone to keep their windows shut until they are past the bridge. The plan is to have Henry release the ashes that are built up in his smokebox by sneezing.
Soon Henry approaches the bridge where the boys are waiting with stones. Judging the moment, Henry's driver has him sneeze at exactly the right time, causing Henry to cover the boys from head to toe in soot.
Henry goes home that night hoping that Gordon and the boys had learned not to be so mean.