146 WITH MR. CHAMBERLAIN IN THE 



" He did and he didn't know why," prove in great 

 demand, but it was a treat to hear some of the 

 prettiest women and cheeriest men in Washington 

 joining in the chorus of " Tenting on the old camp 

 ground," a ballad that attained enormous popu- 

 larity during the war. Sometimes I had a chorus 

 of quite another kind, but no less melodious never- 

 theless. I allude to the negro attendants at the 

 Arlington, of whom there was a very large congre- 

 gation. I remember that one day, when alone, I was 

 playing a few chords in our work-room, when, on 

 opening the door suddenly, I found the staircase 

 crowded with these darkies, so I told them to wait 

 a moment and I'd give them a tune or two. To 

 hear those coloured " pussons " sing the " Swanee 

 River " was a real treat. They could improvise 

 parts, and their voices were rich, melodious, and 

 always " on the key." In other respects they were 

 erratic individuals , these niggers . Wild horses would 

 not induce one of them to take on any job for which 

 he wasn't specifically ear-marked, so to speak. I 

 might ring my bell in bed in the morning and a 

 black head would bob in at the door saying, " Do 

 you ' warnt ' anything ? " " Yes, please," I would 

 reply ; " I want my fire lit." " Sure ! I'll send 

 along the engineer right away," would be the 



