Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-06-15

Washington, that there were no spel
cial orders to give and that we must
act on our W judgment.
Here is the letter:
Levant, 20 q 8. q 1872 W.
Dear Fred-I try to find heart and life
to tell you that 1t 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 well and had not left his stateroom,
a 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 to"
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 a ma
jestic eagle. with iightnings blazing from
his peak and his foot just clasping the
whole globe, which his wings overshad-
owed. The dear old boy saw my glance
and said, with a sad smile. Here. you see.
/ have a country" And he pointed to the
foot of his bed, where I had not seen be-
fore a great map Of the United States as
he had draw 1t from memory and which
he had there to look Upon as he lay.
Quaint, queer old names were on 1t 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 !.
There cannot be a mar who loves the old
flag as i do or prays for 1t as / do or
hopes for 1t 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, DAN
FORTH he sighed out. tell me-tell me
something-tell me everything. Danforth,
before l der
Ingham, / swear to you that l felt like
a monster that l had not told him every
thing before. Danger or no danger, del
icacy or no delicacy. who was l that J
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 a boys
treason? Mr.. Nolan" said ]. Il will tell
you everything you ask about. only where
shall / begin?"
Ons the DleSSeu SIllle that CTSpL over niS
white facet 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, l told him the names in as good
order as l 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 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 lone 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, aTd he said,
God forgive me. for l am sure l forgive
him." Then he asked about the old wal
and settled down more quietly and very
happily to hear me tell in an hour the
history of fifty years.
How | wished it had been somebody
who knew something! | tell you, Ingham
it was a hard thing TO condense the his
Tory OF nail q century lIilO that TAIN Win
a sick man. And l 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 fifty-sis
years.
l 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 q
boy himself at some Indian treaty. l 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. u
am glad of hat. AS l have brooded and
wondered have thought our danger was
In keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS
in the first families" / told him every
thing 1 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
silent, yet l 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 a smile
that it would open at the RICH place,
and so it did. There was his double
red mark down the page. and l knelt
down and read. and he repeated with me.
For ourselves and our country, o 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 / 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 Episco-
pal collect. "Danforth." said he. II have
repeated those prayers night and morn
ing-it is now fifty-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 l am gone And l went away.
D.k lo5 80 kHA,,ohf e ruoc tho and /