The Dermott news., 1917-05-31

was delighted as he saw California and Oregon-that, he said, he had sus~ pected partly, because he had never been permitted to land on that shore, though the ships were there SD much. And the men said he, laughing, 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 surren- dSring her to the Leopard, and wheth- CT Burr ever tried again. and he ground his teeth with the only passion he showed. But in q moment that was over. and he said, God forgive me, for I am sure I forgive him. Then he asked about the old war-told me the true story of his serving the gun the day we took the Java-asked about dear old David Porter, as he called him. Then he 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 some body who knew something! But I
 
 the English war. told him about Full ton and the steamboat beginning. l told him about old Scott and Jackson; told him all could think about the Mississippi and New Orleans, and Texas. and his own old Kentucky. And do you know he asked who was in command of the Legion of the f trnl Iant officer named Grant, and that by our last news. he was about to estab- fish his headquarters at Yicksburg. Then, Where was Nicksburgg 1 worked that out on the map; 1t was about a hundred miles. more or less, above his old Fort Adams; and l thought Fort Adams must be Il ruin now. It must be at old Viek's plan tation, said he; well, that is Il changer
 T tell you, Ingham, il was a hard thing to condense the history of half q century into that talk with a sick man. And I do not know what told him-of emigration, and the means of it-of steamboats and railroads and | and literature-of the colleges and West Point and the Naval school but with the queerest interruptions that ever you heard. You see 1t was Robinson CruSee asking all the accu- mulated questions of fifty-six years.
 'I remember he asked. all of q sud- den, who was president now; and |. l. ha was Gen Benjamin Lineoln's son. He said he met old General Lincoln, when he WIS quite a boy himself at some Indian treaty I said no. that old Abe WAS d Keutuckian like himself, but l could not tell him of what family: he had worked up from the ranks. Good for him. cried Nolan; I am glad of that. As I have hrooded and won- dered. I have thought our danger was in keeping up those regular success Sions in the first families. Then l got talking about my visit to Wash ington. l told him of meeting the Ore gon congressman, Harding: l told him about Smithsonian and the exploring expedition: I told him about the capi- tol-and the statues for the pediment - and Crawford's Liberty - and Greenoughs Washington: Ingham, told him everything l could think of that would show the grandeur of his country and it's prosperity.
 And he drank it in, and enjoyed 1t as I cannot tell you. He grew more and more silent, vet never thought he was tired 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 1t would open at the right place-and so it did There was his double red mark down the page; I knelt down and read, and he repeated with me, i For ourselves and our country, 0 gra- cious God. we thank thee, that, not withstanding our manifold transgres- sions of thy holy laws thou hast con- tiuued to Us thy marvellous kindness and so to the end of that thanksgiv- Ing. 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 be- hold and bless thy servant, the presi- dent of the United States, and all others in authority '-and the rest of the Episcopal collect. 'Danforth,' said he, I have repeated those prayers night and morning, 1t is now flfty-five years And then he said he would go to sleep. He bent me down over him and kissed me; and he said, Look in my Bible, Danforth, when am gone. And I went away.
 But I had no thought 1t was the end. l thought he was tired and would sleep. l knew he was happy. and l wanted him to be alone.
 But in an hour, when the doctor went in gently, he found Nolan had breathed his life away with a smile.