The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1914-08-19

act on our own judgment.
Here Is the letter:
1evant. q p s. o 1872 w.
r,..r rrred-I trvlto Ana heart and life
TO tell you that IL Is all over with dear o'd
Nolan The doctor had been watching
him very carefully and yesterday morning
came 10 me and told me that Nolan was
not SO well and had not left his stateroom,
n thing 1 never remembered before re
had let the doctor come and see MIN az nc
lay there. the first time the doctor had
been IN the statcroom, and he said he
should like TO see me- Oh, dear, 90 you
remember the mysteries we boys used g.
invent about his room In the old lntrepid
days7 Well. went In, and there, 70 be
sure, the poor fellow lay In his berth
smiling pleasantly as he gave me his
hand. but looking very frail l couia 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 I'D above and around picture p
OF washington, and he had painted a ma
jestic eagle. with lightnings blazing from
his beak and is foot just clasping< the
whole globe. which his wings ovepshad-
owed. The dear old boy saw my glance
and said. with sad smile, Here. you see.
I have countryI, And he pointed to the
foot of his bed, where 1 had not seen be-
fore great map Of the United States as
he had drawn II 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. II
know l am dying. cannot get home
SUI efyyou will tell me something now
stop. stop, Do not speak till say what a
am sure t0usrff<n n6w-.<hat 4 eeTe ~ not IN
this ship, that there Is not In America
God bless heri-a more loyal man than !.
There cannot be man who loves the OLD
flag as l do or prays for 1t as DO or
hopes for 1t as do. There are thirty-four
stars in IL now, Danforth. l thank God
for that, though do not know what their
names are. There has never been one
taken away. i 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 l die"
Ingham, / swear to you that l felt like
a monster that 1 had not told him every
thing before. Danger or no danger, DELI
icacy or no delicacy, who was l that 4
should have been acting the tyrant all
this time over this dear, sainted old man
who had years ago expiated in his whole
manhood's life the madness Of boys
treason? "Mr. Nolan" said /. Il will tell
you everything you ask about, only where
shall l begin?' -
Oh, the blessed smile that, cr;ept over his
white FACET And he PRESSED my hand and
said: God bless you'll Tell me their
names.' he said. and he pointed to the
stars on the flag.
Well. told him the names in as good
order as 1 could and he bade me take
down his beautiful map and draw them
in as 1 best could with my pencil. He
was wild with delight about Texas; told
me how his brother died there. He had
marked a 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 off a good deal besides
furs" Then he went back-heavens, how
far!-to ask about the Chesapeake and.
what was done to Barron for surrender'ing
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 | 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 ii had been somebody
who knew something, tell you, Ingham.
tory of half a century into that talk with
a sick man. And 1 do not now know
what / told him of emigration and the
means of il, 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-six
years
/ remember he asked all OF a sudden
who was president now, and when told
him he asked IL 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 Kentuckian, like
himself. but l could not tell him of what
family. He had worked up from the
ranks. GOOD for him." cried Nolan. II
am glad Of that. As l have brooded and
wondered have thought our danger was
in keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS
thing l could think OF that would show
the grandeur OF his country and its pros
perity.
And he drank IL in and enjoyed il as l
cannot tell you. He grew more aud more
silent yet 1 never thought he was tired
or faint l gave him a glass Of water.
but he just wet his lips and told me not
W 50 away 1Hctl dSheu Tie 10 Drlnk
the Presbyterian Book OF Public Prayer 4
which lay there. and said. with smile
that IT would open at the right place.
and so II did. There was his double
red mark down the page, and 1 knelt
down and read and he repeated with me.
For ourselves and our country, gra-
cious God. We thank thee. that, notwith-
standing our manifold transgressions OF
thy holy laws. thou hast continued 10 us
thy marvel us Kindness" and so to the
end OF that thanksgiving Then he turned
to the end of the same book, and read
the words more familiar to me, Most
heartily We beseech thee with thy favor
to behold and bless thy servant, the pres
dent OF the United States. and all others
In authority" and the rest OF the Eplseo-.
pal collect. "Danforth." said he, 81 have
those prayers night and MORN
Ing-it is now fifty-fivc years" And then
he said he would go 10 sleep Tie bent
me down over hc and kissed me. and
he said. Look i&ny Bible. Danforth,
when am gone" And | went away.
But had no thought It was the end
thought he was tired and would sleep /
knew he was happy, and l wanted him TO
be alone.