It seemed to me that I might be able to pull it off if I was careful. I needed to think some more on that, so put it in the back of my mind for later ...rocessing.With that said I got my ax, skinning knife and put on my gun belt. Dana took the flint knife that Humbret had carried. We exited the cave carefully, looking around as we did for anything nasty. There were some carrion birdlike creatures working on the carcass of the cat. I shoed them away and took my ax to the paws of the cat. Dana took. You have to give me a chance to prove to you that I love you and that I will be good. You simply must," she said. She was beginning to cry. That stopped me. Call me a fool, Call me pussywhipped, I just can't let a woman cry when I can do something to stop it."Okay, Lana, I guess a date won't be all that big a deal. I'll pick you up at 7:00." And I did.The date was good. No sex though. I wasn't going for any of that until I was sure that she really had turned over a new leaf.Two months later I. My intention was to stop soldiering."Y'acted plumb crazy out yonder," she said, looking at me for the first time that I knew about."Did I?"She nodded, wide-eyed. "Never saw nothin' like it. Y'was a stabbing and yelling and a shootin' and runnin' around like you was crazy." I was scared," I told her, knowing that was true and feeling my stomach still quivering."Why'd you shoot those two?" She waved toward the barn."Germans," I said as though that were enough of an answer."Oh," she said,. She's a young girl, but my god, man, she's as hard as a diamond, so damned hard.'I sat down on the couch, and took a sip of my beco, an aromatic dark brew made from beets. It had a rich satisfying flavour, and cleared the mind.'I need to talk to her, ' I decided. 'I need to see if we can work this out. If she's not too damaged, maybe we can salvage her.''Good luck there, man, ' Murchison said, not sounding hopeful.'Maybe that's all I need, ' I said.I wasn't needed for the court case. My.