of male hormones and then we can come
back and finish this man-to-man talk in good locker room company."

"Don't you dare," Ben cried, "I wouldn't let you tamper with one
single, tiny one of your feminine traits, princess. I like you just
the way you are."

Kelly looked at him with a wide-eyed, cherubic smile. "You really mean
that, Ben?"

The older trooper flushed briefly and then turned quickly into the
galley. "I'm going to try for some shut-eye. Wake me at two, Clay, if
nothing else breaks." He turned to Kelly who still was smiling at him.
"And watch out for that lascivious young goat."

"It's all just talk, talk, talk," she said scornful. "You go to bed
Ben. I'm going to try something new in psychiatric annals. I'm going
to try and psychoanalyze a dummy." She sat back down on the jump seat.

At 2400 hours it was Vincennes Check with the density reports, all
down in the past hour. The patrol was settling into what looked like a
quiet night routine. Kelly chatted with Ferguson for another half hour
and then rose again. "I think I'll try to get some sleep," she said.
"I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee for you two before I turn in."

She rattled around in the galley for some time. "Whatcha cooking?"
Clay called out. "Making coffee," Kelly replied.

"It take all that time to make coffee?" Clay queried.

"No," she said. "I'm also getting a few things ready so we can have a
fast breakfast in case we have to eat on the run. I'm just about
through now."

A couple of minutes later she stuck her head into the cab. "Coffee's
done. Want some?"

Clay nodded. "Please, princess."

She poured him a cup and set it in the rack beside his seat.

"Thanks," Clay said. "Good night, Hiawatha."

"Good night, Babe," she replied.

"You mean 'Paul Bunyon,' don't you?" Clay asked. "'Babe' was his blue
ox."

"I know what I said," Kelly retorted and strolled back to the
dispensary. As she passed through the crew cubby, she glanced at Ben
sleeping on the bunk recently vacated by Ferguson. She paused and
carefully and gently pulled a blanket up over his sleeping form. She
smiled down at the trooper and then went softly to her compartment.

In the cab, Clay sipped at his coffee and kept watchful eyes on the
video monitors. Beulah was back on auto drive and Clay had dropped her
speed to a slow fifty as the traffic thinned.

At 0200 hours he left the cab long enough to go back and shake Ben
awake and was himself re-awakened at