It was mended in less time than it
takes to tell about it, but every one feared that some accident had
happened to the Presidents, and for a few minutes there was a good deal of
galloping back and forth, and excitement among the leaders of the
procession.
As soon as the trace was mended the procession swept on, and reached the
Capitol without further delay.
An interesting part of the parade was the squad of soldiers on bicycles
which brought up the rear.
Inside the Capitol all was excitement, for the President and
President-elect were to be received in the Senate Chamber.
As a rule, the Senators and their desks spread out in a semicircle round
the raised dais on which is the Speaker's chair, and they take up pretty
much the whole of the Chamber.
On inauguration days the desks disappear, and the Senators are seated in
rows on one side. On this occasion they were placed on the right of the
chamber, packed just as closely together as they could be.
All the galleries of the Senate were also closely packed with the
families of the Ambassadors and Ministers, and the friends of the
Senators.
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