The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-05-14


Washington. that there were no spe-
cial orders to give and that We must
act on our own judgment.
! Here is the letter: !
| Levant, 90 2" S. q 1870 w.
| Dear Fred-l try to find heart and life
TO tell you that it is all over with dear old
Nolan. The doctor had been watching
him very carefully and yesterday morning
came to me and told me that Nolan was
not so we'll and had not left his stateroom.
| thing | never remembered before He
| had let the doctor come and see him as he
| lay there. the first time the doctor had
| been in the stateroom. and he said he
| should like to see me. Oh, dear do you
| remember the mysteries we boys used 10
invent about his room in the old Intrepid
| days? Well l went in. and there. to be
| sure. the poor fellow lay in his berth.
smiling pleasantly as he gave me his
| hand, but looking very frail. l could not
| help a glance round, which showed me
! what a little shrine he had made of the
| box he was lying in. The stars and stripes
| were triced up above and around a picture
| of Washington. and he had painted ma
| jestic eagle. with lightnings blazing from
his beak and4 his foot just clasping the
whole globe. which his wings overshad-
| owed The dear old boy saw my glance
| and said, with sad smile, Here. you see.
| l have a country" And he pointed to the
| foot of his bed, where had not seen be-
| fore a great map Of the United States as
he had drawn it from memory and which
| he had there to look upon as he lay.
| Quaint queer old names were on it in
| large letters "Oh, Danforth," he said. Il
know l am dying. l cannot get home.
| Surely you will tell me something now
stop. stop! Do not speak till say what
am sure you know-that there is not in
this ship. that there is not in America
God bless her!-a more loyal man than l.
There cannot be man who loves the old
flag as | do or prays for it as ! do or
hopes for it as do. There are thirty-four
stars in 1t now, Danforth. l thank God
for that though do not know what their
names are. There has never been one
taken away l thank God for that.
know by that that there has never been
any successful Burr. Oh, Danforth. Dam
FORTH he sighed out. tell me-tell me
something-tell me everything. Danforth.
before 1 dier'
Ingham, l swear to you that felt like
a monster that / had not told him every
thing before. Danger or no danger. del
icacy or no deicacy. who was l that
should have been acting the tyrant all
this time over this dear. sainted old man
who had years ago expiated In his whole
manhoods life the madness of boys
treason? ''Mr. Nolan" said I, Il will tell
you everything you ask about. only where
shall begin?"
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 pointed to the
stars on the flag.
Well 1 told him the names in as good
order as 1 could and he babe me take
down his beautiful map and draw them
in as l best could with my pencil. He
was wild with delight about Texas: told
me how his brother died there. He had
marked gold cross where he supposed
his brothers grave was, and he had
guessed at Texas Then he was delighted
as he saw California and Oregon. That,
he said, he had suspected partly because
he had never been permitted TO land on
that shore. though the ships were there
so much And the men, said he, laugh
| ing brought Oft a good deal besides
furs." Then he went hack-heavens. how
| far!-to ask about the Chesapeake and
| what was done to Barron for surrendering
| her to the Leopard and whether Burr
| ever tried again. and he ground his teeth
with the only passion he showed But in
a moment that was over, and he SAID,
God forgive me. for l am sure forgive
him" Then he asked about the old war
and settled down more quietly and very
happily to hear me tell in an hour the
history of fifty years.
How l wished it had been somebody
who knew something! tell you. lnghan.
it was hard thing to condense the his
tory of half a century into that talk with
a sick man. And do not now know
what l told him Of emigration and the
means of it. of steamboats, and railroads
and telegraphs. 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 see, it was Robinson Crusoe asking
all the accumulated questions Of ffty-sx
years.
| remember he asked all Of a sudden
who was president now, and when l told
him he asked if Old Abe was General
Benjamin Lincoln's son. He said he met
old General Lincoln when he was quite
boy himself at some Indian treaty. SAID
no; 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. -
am glad of that. AS | have brooded and
wondered l have thought our danger was
in keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS
in the first families" l told him every
thing l could think of that would show
the grandeur Of his country and its pros
perity.
And he drank it in and enjoyed it as
| cannot tell you. He grew more and more
or faint l gave him a glass OF water.
| but he just wet his lips and told me not
| to go away. Then he asked me to bring
| the Presbyterian Book of Public Prayer.
| which lay there and said, with smile,
that it would open at the right place
| and so 1t did. There was his double
| red mark down the page. and | knelt
! down and read. and he repeated with me.
For ourselves and our country. y gra-
| cious God. we thank thee. that. notwith-
| standing our manifold transgressions OF
| thy holy laws. thou hast continued to US
| thy marvellous Kindness. and so to the
end of that thanksgiving. Then he turned
to the end Of the same book. and l read;
the words more familiar to me. Most
| heartily we beseech thee with thy favor
to behold and bless thy servant. the pres
ident Of the United States. and all Others
in authority" and the rest Of the Episco-
pal collect "Danforth." said he. Il have
repeated those prayers night and morn
ing-it is now fifty-fve years." And then
he said he would 60 to sleep. He bent
me down over him and kissed me, and
he said. Look in my Bible. Danforth,
when am gone" And l went away.
| But had no thought it was the end.