The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-05-30

me their Names he said and he point
ed to the stars on the flag. The last
know is Ohio. My father lived in
Kentucky. But I have guessed Mich
igan and Indiana 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, 1 hope?'
"Well that was not a bad text, and
1 told him the names, in as good or
der as 1 could and he babe me take
down his beautiful map and draw them
in as 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 sus-
pected partly, because he had never
been permitted to land on that shore,
! though the ships were there so 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-
dering her to the Leopard, and wheth-
er 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,
two
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 I wished it had been some
body who knew something! But L
did as well as 1 could. l told him OF
the English war. told him about Full
ton and the steamboat beginning. L
told him about old Scott and Jackson;
told MIN all 1 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
West? 1 told him it was very gal
liant officer named Grant, and that by
our last news, he was about to estab-
fish his headquarters at Vicksburg.
Then, Where was VicksburgT l
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 ruin
now. 1T must be at old Vick's plan
tation,' said he; well, that Is a
changed
81 tell you, Ingham, it was hard
thing to condense the history of half
a century into that talk with a sick
man. And 1 do not 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 accu-
INFLATED questions of fifty-six years.
'T remember he asked, all of sud-
den, who was president now; and
when / told him, he asked if Old Abe
was Gen. Benjamin Lincoln's son. He
said he met old General Lincoln, when
he was quite boy himself, at some
Indian treaty. 1 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; I am glad OF
that. AS l have brooded 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; 1 told him about the capt.
tol-and the statues for the pediment. |
and Crawford's Liberty = and
Washington: Ingham, l
told him everything 1 could think Of |
that would show the grandeur of his |
and it's prosperity.
"And he drank it in, and enjoyed 1t |
as 1 cannot tell you. He grew more
and more silent, yet l never thought |
ne 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 |
here, and said, with a smile, that it |
would open at the right place-and so.
t did. There was his double red
mark down the page; / knelt down
md read, and he repeated with me,
For ourselves and our country, o gra-
.ious God, we thank thee, that, not
our manifold transgres-
ions of thy holy laws, thou hast con-
inued to us thy marvellous kindness
md so to the end of that thanksgiv
ng. Then he turned to the end Of
he same book, and read the words
lore familiar to me: Most heartily
re beseech thee with thy favor to be-
old and bless thy servant, the presi-
ent Of the United States, and all
theirs in authority'-and the rest OF