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Show -34 "Is that true?" she said. Jacob nodded. "More or less." I looked at him. "Yes, it's true." His face changed. "Look out, Buck!" A green log-truck had come around the bend completely on our side of the road and was bearing down on us with blazing lights. "No!" Morgan said. She covered her face with her hands. I blinked our lights and leaned on the horn. At the last second I turned right and drove off on the shoulder. His chrcne bumper flashed by my window, so near that every rivet and bolt-head stood out clear as life. The soft-sprung Plymouth slewed around in the muddy gravel and began to tip over; I steered into the skid and lifted my foot off the gas; the big car settled down again. "Thank God," Morgan said. But I felt the front end fall into the ditch; our lights shone for a long time straight down into coffee-colored water; we were upside-down. The last thing I thought was that now Jacob had been cheated out of his traditional American ending; I wanted to tell him I was sorry. The car came to a stop lying on its side and I had to have a boost from my brother before I could open the driver's door above me and climb out. Nobody was much hurt; Jacob had come out on the bottom of the pile and had a bloody nose; m y leg was scraped; Morgan's coat was torn at the sleeve. |