At this hour Washington was largely in bed. Away over to the east I could see the dim glow of lights marking the Mall, with the Capitol dome beyond that. Now that communism was dead, buried and unmourned in Russia and her satellites, with peace and prosperity booming from Iowa to Iran, even the President would be sleeping like a baby. Any day now I would be down to covering PTA meetings for the _Herald-Telegram_. That was okay with me; my big interest was "Saga of the Sioux"--the third in the series of books I was writing on the history of the American Indian. An early autumn breeze crawled in at the open window and moved the line of smoke from my cigarette. A quiet serene night, with the faint smell of burned leaves in the air and the promise of a cool, sunny, peaceful tomorrow. A lovely night, made far lovelier by the thought of the beautiful blonde waiting for me in the next room. After twelve years of marriage I still found her to be the most exciting and rewarding woman I had ever known. "... most of eastern Colorado," the radio said suddenly, "as well as the western fringes of Nebraska and Kansas." I turned the volume down. Weather report, probably, except that the announcer was making it sound like a declaration of war or a "sincere" commercial. "We repeat," the voice continued, "since 8:10 this evening, Eastern Standard Time, literally nothing has come out of that section of the country. All communication has ceased, outbound trains and planes are long overdue, highway traffic out of the area has stalled." "Sam?" "Yeah?" "You coming to bed?" "... tuned to this station for further bulletins con--" I clicked the set off. "Could I have three minutes for a fast shower?" "Umm ... I guess so." "I," I told her, "am coming to bed." * * * * * Lois rattled the handle of the stall-shower door, and I shut off the water. "Yeah?" "Telephone, darling." "At _this_ hour? Who is it?" "Sounds like Purcell." "For Crisake!" I came out and grabbed a towel. "This is worse than one of those Hollywood farces about honeymooners. What's he want?" "I didn't dare ask him, he sounded so grumpy." I kissed her. "About that nightgown ..." "You're getting me all wet!" * * * * * Purcell was night Editor at the _Herald-Telegram_, a small, intense, middle-aged, highly literate man. Years before, his wife had run off with a reporter, leaving Purcell with an undying hatred for all members of the profession. His voice, over the wire, cracked like a whip. "Sam?" "Listen, I'm off duty. You got any idea what time--" "You're wanted at the White House. Now." "The _White_ House? You mean--?" "The White House. The President wants to see you." "The _President_! Cut out the gags, will you? I'm in no--" "I don't kid with reporters, Sam. On your way." The phone went dead. I stood there staring stupidly at the receiver. Lois had to shake my arm to get my attention. "What did he want?"