h instrument,
from which the tape continued to come forth, and said in a deeply moved
voice: "Harry, this hour is greater than the Fourth of July. And now,
Harry, I remember it, that song of the German poet; may it become our
prayer of thanksgiving:"

"From tower to tower let the bells be rung,
Throughout our land let our joy be sung!
Light every beacon far and near,
To show that God hath helped us here!
Praise be to God on High!"

Then the President stepped over to the window and pushing aside the
curtains, opened it and looked out into the cold winter morning for a
long time.

"Harry," he called presently, "doesn't it seem as though the bells were
ringing? Thus far no one knows the glad tidings but you and I; but very
soon they'll awake to paeans of victory and then our flag will wave
proudly once more and we'll have no trouble in winning back the missing
stars."

It was a moment of the highest national exaltation, such as a nation
experiences only once in a hundred years.

A solitary policeman was patrolling up and down before the White House,
and he started violently as he heard a voice above him calling out:

"Run as hard as you can and call out on all the streets: The enemy is
defeated, our troops have conquered, the Japanese army is in full
retreat! Knock at the doors and windows and shout into every home: we
have won, the enemy is retreating."

The policeman hurried off, leaving big black footprints in the white
snow, and he could be heard yelling out: "Victory, victory, we've beaten
the Japs!" as he ran.

People began to collect in the streets and a coachman jumped down from
his box and ran towards the White House, looking up at its lighted
windows.

"Leave your carriage here," shouted the President, "and run as hard as
you can and tell everybody you meet that we have won and that the
Japanese are in full retreat! Our country will be free once more!"

Shouts were heard in the distance, and the noise of loud knocking. And
then the President closed the window and came back into the room. But
when the Secretary of War wanted to read the balance of the message, he
said: "Don't, Harry; I couldn't listen to another word now, but please
rouse everybody in the house."

Then bells rang in the halls and people were heard to stir in the rooms.
There was a joyous awakening in the quiet capital that ninth day of
February, the day that dispelled the darkness and the gloom.

That day marke