echanisms.

"This the world learned today when an earth-shaking explosion
rocked...."

* * * * *

Inside the Circle T ranch house, Hetty, bathed and cleaned and only
slightly the worse for her experiences, was hustling about the kitchen
throwing together a hasty meal. Johnny and Barney had swept up a huge
pile of broken glass, crockery and dirt and Hetty had salvaged what
dishes remained unshattered by the blast.

She weaved through a dozen men grouped around the kitchen table, some
in military or security police garb, three of them wearing the uniform
of the atomic scientist in the field--bright Hawaiian sports shirts,
dark glasses, blue denims and sneakers. Johnny and Barney huddled
against the kitchen drainboard out of the main stream of traffic. The
final editions of the San Francisco _Call-Bulletin_, Oakland _Tribune_,
Los Angeles _Herald-Express_ and the Carson City _Appeal_ were spread
out on the table. Hetty pushed them aside to put down dishes.

The glaring black headlines stared up at her. "Dairy Detonation
Devastates Desert," the alliterative _Chronicle_ banner read; "Bossy's
Blast Rocks Bay Area," said the _Trib_; "Atomic Butter-And-Egg Blast
Jars LA," the somewhat inaccurate _Herald-Ex_ proclaimed; "Thompson
Ranch Scene of Explosion," the _Appeal_ stated, hewing to solid facts.

"Mrs. Thompson," the oldest of the scientists said, "won't you please
put down those dishes for a few minutes and give us the straight story.
All afternoon long its been one thing or another with you and all we've
been able to get out of you is this crazy milk-egg routine."

"Time enough to talk after we've all had a bite to eat," Hetty said,
juggling a platter of steaks and a huge bowl of mashed potatoes to the
table. "Now we've all had a hard day and we can all stand to get on the
outside of some solid food. I ain't had a bite to eat since this
morning and I guess you boys haven't had much either. And since you've
seemed to have made yourselves to home here, then by golly, you're
going to sit down and eat with us.

"Besides," she added over her shoulder as she went back to the stove
for vegetables and bread, "me 'n Johnny have already told you what
story there is to tell. That's all there is to it."

She put more platters on the now-heaping table and then went around the
table pouring coffee from the big ranch pot. "All right, you men sit
down now and dig in," she ordered.

"Mrs