Chesbro sighed, "I'm getting tired of waiting here, all the same. These tinhorn heroes are getting under my skin. The next idiot that wants to know if I'll help out with the salvage squads or let them take this car for emergency duty gets a tire-iron across the face." Sharon said sympathetically, "You'd think they'd know enough to leave you alone, wouldn't you?" There was a siren scream from down the road, and they both sat up straight to look. But it was only an ambulance; it slowed briefly at the roadblock, the troopers waved it by and it sped away. Sharon took out a cigarette and pressed the dashboard lighter; then she remembered it didn't work and lit the cigarette with a match. It wasn't much of a car they were in; but it was the best car Chesbro had been able to rent for what money he had in his pocket. And naturally he wouldn't have been able to do it by himself, she thought comfortably. She was the one who had learned that Representative Akslund was coming into the disaster area on an inspection tour; she was the one who had located the car; and she was the one who had put the idea in Chesbro's head of meeting the congressman and riding with him. Nicely done, Sharon, she told herself; and the best part of all was that she had succeeded in making him think it was his own idea. "I wonder how Polly's making out," Chesbro said. Sharon permitted herself a frown, her face turned away. She said gaily, "Probably loving every minute of it, Arthur. It must be pretty exciting for her. Anyway," she added blandly, "Mickey Groff's probably taking good care of her." "Mickey Groff?" He looked at her with surprise. "Polly?" Sharon said, "Well, he _did_ seem rather interested--" Chesbro shook his head. "Oh, no. You don't know Polly. Believe me, men aren't her--" He hesitated, and said, "Believe me, she has too much sense to get involved with a two-bit operator like him. She's loyal, Sharon. Absolutely loyal to me." He was silent for a moment and then, without looking at the girl, he said, "Polly's a funny kid. She isn't, uh, _normal_, if you know what I mean, like you'd think a wife would be--but she's loyal. Absolutely." Sharon Froman took a deep, quiet breath. Ah-ha, Mr. Chesbro, she thought to herself with satisfaction, the wife isn't quite normal, eh? Somehow or other she doesn't respond when you get that urge, and the years go by, and then you notice that you aren't getting the urge as often--as far as she's concerned at any rate. So after a while you don't even worry when she's off with another man. Sharon nodded wisely to herself. Just the way it had been with Hesch and his first wife. She'd made a man out of Hesch, even if he had finally let her down, and she could make a man out of this unpromising lout too-- The unpromising lout sat up sharply. "Hey," he yelled, "something's coming! It's got a state-police escort. Maybe it's Akslund!" * * * * *