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Show 10. "Yeah, yeah," she had to tolerate his superior airs. "Maybe tomorrow, huh?" she added, encouragingly, pushing herself to keep stride with him. Tomorrow. Sunday. Their last day. JD suspected that Stephanie didn't want this trip to end any more than he did. For him, at least, the weekend had had a special quality. The pressures were gone. It didn't matter if they talked or not. It was almost as if Time had been caught, suspended. Stephanie, too, had been wishing she could seal their sun-drenched day in a mason jar to keep forever. She had a very strong feeling that this might be the best time-the last private time--they'd have together. Next fall he'd be--who knew where? Off to school if he had his way. Northwestern University School of Journalism, maybe, if he got the big scholarship. Laramie if he didn't. Married, even. He and Gayle were getting serious. Anyway, he wouldn't be out crashing through the underbrush with her. JD and Stephanie had left the smooth, broad cut under the power lines to take a shorter way back to their campsite. Mostly uphill, it was harder hiking, but JD said they could pare twenty minutes off the time it took. Finally, just as Stephanie decided they were lost, they caught sight of the yellow VW through the trees. Even JD looked relieved to find camp where it was supposed to be. Now her legs were really screaming, but she'd have to keep it to herself, "Hey, I'll race you," JD grinned. Yeah, he knows I'm dragging, Stephanie thought, but she broke out ahead of him anyway, leaping over fallen logs and dodging the clumps of sage. It was hopeless. JD was two yards ahead of her in no time. "You win," she panted and threw herself full length on her sleeping bag. "I've had.it!" "Oh, no," JD laughed and poked her with the toe of his boot, "losers chop wood." "Oh yeah? Then winners cook dinner!" she shot back at him. In a little more than an hour, thanks to JD, they were eating their bowls of chili by a crackling campfire. The lantern hanging in the tree was the only other light warding off the deepening night. Stephanie wondered how cozy they must look from the line of trees across the clear- |