St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-12-10

DGOlINlDI lOs lCt
thatI should have been acting the ty-
rant all this time over this dear, sainted
old man, who had years ago czpiated,
in his whole manhood's life, the mad
ness of boys treason ?? 'Mr. Nolan,''
said IL will tell you everything you
ask about. Only where shall I begin I?
"Oh, the blessed smile that crept
over his white face !. and he pressed my
hand and said, God bless you! Tell
me their names,' he said, and he point
ed to the stars on the flag. The last I
know.is Ohio. Ny father lived in Ken
tucky. But have guessed Michigan
aud Indiana and Mississippi-that is
where Fort Adams is-they make twen-
ty. But where are your other fourteen ?
You have not cut up any Of the old
ones, I hope?'
"We)l, that was not bad text, and l
told him the names, in as good order as
/ could, and he bade me take down his
beautiful map and draw them in as best
I could with my pencil. He was wild
with delight about Texas, told me how
his broth her died there; he had marked
a gold cross where he supposed his
brothers grave was; and he had guess
ed at Texas. Then he was delighted
as he saw California and Oregon =
that, he said, he had expected, partly
because be had never been permitted to
land on that shore, though the ships
were there SO much. 'And the men.
said he, laughing, brought off good
deal besides 'furs.' Then he went back
heavens, how far'!-to ask about the
Chesa 2cake, and what was dono to Bar.
ron for surrendering her to Leopard,
and whether Burr ever tried again
and he ground his teeth with the only
passion he showed. But in moment that
was over and he said, God forgive ME,
lam sure I forgive HIM Then he ask
ed about the old war,-told me the true
story of his serving the gun the day VIC
took Java,-asked about dear old Da'
vid Porter, as he called him. Then he
settled down more. quietly, andTery hap,
lily, to hear me.tell in an hour. the his.
tory of fifty years. u" = .'..' ''.''
"How I wished it had been some.
body who knew something! But 1 did
as we'll as I could. I told him Of the
English war. L told him about Fulton
and the. steamboat beginning. I told
him about old Scott, .and Jackson
told him all l could think about the
Mississippi, and New Orleans and Tex
as, and his own old Kentucky. Ano
do you think he asked who was in com
lnaud of the "Legion Of the West." -
I told him it was very gallant officer
named Grant, and that, by our last
news he was about tocstablish his head.
quarters at Vicksburg, Then, Where
was Vioksburg?' l worked that out
on the map; it was about a hundred
miles, more or less, above his old For,
Adams; and I thought Fort Adams
must be ruin now. 1T must be at old
Vic's piautstion,' said he; well, that
is changed
4 tell you, 1ngham, it was a hard
thing to condense the history Of half a
century into that talk with sick man
And / do not now know what I told
him,-ot emigration, and the means OF
t,-of steamboats, and railroads and tel
egraphs,-of inventions and books and
literature,-of the colleges and West
Point and the Naval School, but with
the queerest Interruptions that ever you
heard. You sec it was Robinson Cru
soc asking all the accumulated ques-
tions of ffty-six years.
II remember he asked all Of a sud-
den, who Was Presidentnew and when
I told him, he asked if Old Abe was
General Lincolu's son. He said be
met old General Lincoln when he was
quite boy hin'self, at some Indian
treaty. I said ne, that Old Abe was a
Kentuckian like himself, but l could
not tell him of what family; he had
worked up from the ranks; Good for
him = cried Nolan Il am glad Of that.
As l have brooaed and wondered, l
have thought that our danger was in
keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS in
the high families Then l got talk
ing about my visit to Washington. I
told him Of meeting the Oregon Con-
gressman, Harding; I told him about
the Smithsonian and the Exploring Ex-
pedition; / told him about the Capitol
and the statues for the pediment- End
Crawford's Liberty-and Greenough's
Washington Ingham, I told Him ev-
erything I could think Of that would
show the grandeur Of his country, and
it's prosperity but l could not make
up my mouth to tell him a word about
the Internal rebellion. 49,. ;
"And he drank it in aud enjoyed it
as 1 canaot tell you. He grew more
and more silent; yet I never thought
he was tired and faint. I gave him u
glass of water, but he just wet his lips,
and told me aot 10 go away. 'Thon he
asked me to bring the Presbyterian
Book Of Public Prayer, which lay there,
and said with, q smile, that it opened at
the right placo,-aud. so it>did. There
was his double red marx. down the page
and I knelt down: and road, and he re:
peated with. me, ,-sFor ourselves, and