Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-13

there, to be sure, the poor fellow lay
in his berth. smiling pleasantly as he
gave me his hand, but looking very
frail. could not help q glance round
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
majestic eagle. with lightnings blazing
from his beak and his foot clasptng
the whole globe, which his wings over
shadowed The dear old boy saw my
glance and said, with sad smile.
Here, you see, I have a countryv And
then he pointed to the foot of his bed,
where / had not seen before 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 1t in
large letters: Indiana Territory, Mis-
sissippi Territory and Louisiana Ter
ritory,' as ! suppose our fathers learned
such things; but the old fellow had
patched in Texas, too: he had. carried
his western boundary all the way to the
Pacific, but on that shore he had de-
fined nothing.
80 Danforth' he said. 4 know I am
dying. 1 cannot get home. Surely you
will tell me something noW?-Stop.
stop, Do not speak till I say what am
ship, that there is not in America-God
bless her!-a more loyal man than L.
There cannot be a man who loves the
flag as I do. OF prays for 1t as do, or
hopes for it as I do. There are thirty
four stars in it now. Danforth. I thank
God for that, though I 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. o
Danforth, Danforth,' he sighed out. how
like wretched nights dream a boys
idea of personal fame or of separate
sovereignty seems. when one looks back
on it after such a life as mine, But
tell me-tell me somethins-teii me
everything, Danforth, before l die
''Ingham, l swear to you that l felt
like a monster that 1 had not told him
everything before. Danger OF no dam
ger. delicacy or no delicacy, who was
I, that l should have been acting the
sainted old man. who had years ago ex-
plated, in his whole manhoods life. the
madness of boys treason? Mr.. Nolan
said I. I will tell you everything you
20 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. The last l know
is Ohio. My father lived in Kentucky.
But / have guessed Michigan and In
diana and Mississippi-that was where
Fort Adams is-they make twenty. But
where are your other fourteen? You
have not cut up any of the old ones.
hope2
Well, that was not bad text. and
told him the names in as good order
as / could, and he babe me take down
his beautiful map and draw them in as
I best could with my pencil. He was
wild with delight about Texas, told
me how his cousin died there: he had
marked a gold cross near where he
supposed his grave was; and he had
guessed at Texas. Then he was de-
lighted as he saw California and Oregon
that, he said, he had suspected part
ly. because he had never been permitted
to land on shore, though the ships were
there so much. And the men, said he.
sides furs.' Then he went back
heavens, how far!-to ask about the
and what was done to
Barron for surrendering her to the
Leopard, and whether Burr ever tried
again-and he ground his teeth with
that was over. and he said.
God forgive me, for / am sure I for
give him. Then he asked about the
old war-told me the true story Of his
serving the gun the day we took Java
asked about dear old David Porter.
more quietly. and very happily. to hear
me tell in an hour the history of fifty
years.
How I wished it had been some
body who knew something! But I did
as well as I could. I told him of the
and the steamboat beginning. told
him about old Scott and Jackson: told
him all I could think of about the
and New Orleans, and Texas
and his own old Kentucky. And do
you think he asked who was in COM