I haven't let you down before have I?" No but there's always a first time for everything Sarge."I busted up laughing and he stared at me a minute and ...tarted smiling at my laughter. He quickly wrote out the pass for Chung to get on the base, and said he would send the recorder to my hooch with a runner. I got up gave him a big smile, and made a big production of closing the door as I went out. I heard him groan out loud, and started laughing again as I headed for the PX to get something made. WJZ reported that I was the owner of a shadowy investment company with unreported ties to local politicians, and that it was doubtful that the truth would ever come out. The Baltimore Sun gave a very thorough breakdown of the reports, along with a second report on some of the wilder stories being reported by unnamed official sources.That was pretty much it for the news. By Friday we were way down the list of things to talk about, although WJZ kept us on their headlines. Then that issue went. With his help, I found a spot in my cabin where I placed most of my gold. Once satisfied that it hidden from all but the most ambitious of thieves, we headed into Dawson. Dawson was a beehive of activity. Odd how a man forgets what civilization is like when he is out in the wilds for an extended period of time. Our first stop was to purchase our supplies. I had to hand it to Swede, he knew what we needed, and was a shrewd bargainer. We paid the store owner and received a receipt for what we had. He had a way of sensing when there was something on my mind. I nodded.“I heard from the girls last night.”He nodded, playing it careful, “How are they doing?”“Good.” I glanced up at him, lowered my eyes to the wine glass in my hands. “They are coming home for a long weekend soon.”He nodded, again. “That’s wonderful. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”I nodded this time. I looked at him and blushed as I formed the words to put him. We’d always told each other we were ‘just friends’. It.