Show DRAMATIC INCIDENT AT I 1 waft in his later life nast remembered much of this washington experience with that feeling of shuddering horror with which we recall a disordered dream mr albert bigelow balne writes in describing some of nast s ex perien ces just before the civil war in pearson s the atmosphere was charged with foreboding even the busy days about the willard hotel were strewn with ominous incidents the day of inauguration was one of gloom and the city drew a great breath of relief when it was over and had been no outbreak yet the tension was not relaxed the men who had swon that abraham lincoln should never take his seat were not gone night came down brooding danger it seemed to me said nast that the shadow of deita w s everywhere I 1 had endless visions of black funeral parades accompanied by mournful music it was as if the whole city were mined and I 1 know now that this was figuratively true A single yell of defiance would have inflamed a A shot would have started a conflict in my room at the willard hotel I 1 was trying to work I 1 picked up my pencils and laid them down as many as a dozen times I 1 got up at last and walked the floor presently in the rooms next mine other men were walking I 1 could hear them in the silence my head was beginning to throb and I 1 sat down and pressed my hands to my temples then all at once in the ebbett house across the way a window was flung up and a man stepped taut on the balcony the footsteps about me chased everybody had heard the man and was waiting breathlessly to see what he would do suddenly in a rich powerful voice he began to sing the star spangled banner the result was extraordinary win dows were thrown up crowds gath ered on the streets A multitude ot voices joined in the song when it was over the street rang with cheers the men in the rooms next milne joined me in the corridor the hotel came to life guests wept and flung their arms about one another dissen sion and threat were silenced it seemed to me and I 1 believe to all of us that washington had been saved by the inspiration of an unknown man with a voice to sing that grand old song of songs |