Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-06-15

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 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 moment that was
over. and he said, God forgive me,
for l am sure / 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 1t had been some
body who knew somethingl But /
Uid % nCll dS tO1lQ lOlu VI
the English war. told him about Full
ton and the steamboat beginning. /
told him about old Scott and Jackson;
told him all l 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? I told him it was a very gal
liant officer named Grant and that b.
our last news, he was about to estaL'
fish his headquarters at Vicksburg.
Then, Where was Vicksburg? j
worked that out on the map; it was
about a hundred miles, more or less,
above his old Fort Adams; and
thought Fort Adams must be a ruin
now. 1T must be at old Vick's plan
tation,' said he; well, that is
changer
81 tell you, Ingham, it was a hard
thing to condense the history of half
century into that. talk with sick
man. And do not know what 1 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.
II remember he asked, all of a 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. I said no, that Old Abe
was a Kentuckian like himself, but ]
could not tell him OF what family; he
had worked up from the ranks. Good
for himp cried Nolan; I am glad of
that. AS I have brooded and won
dered, have thought our danger was
in keeping up those regular success.
sions in the first families Then ]
got talking about my visit TO Wash
ington. | told him of meeting the Ore
gon congressman, Harding; l told him
about Smithsonian and the exploring |
1 told him about the CAPT |
the statues for the pedimeni |
. and Crawford's Liberty = and |
Washington: Ingham, ] |
told him everything 1 could think OF |
that would show the grandeur of his
and its prosperity.
"And he drank it in, and enjoyed ii {
as 1 cannot tell you. He grew more
and more silent, yet 1 never thought
he was tired or faint. 1 gave him q
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 il
t did. There was his double red
mark down the page; l knelt down
md read, and he repeated with me
For ourselves and our country. o gra-
.ious God, we thank thee, NAT, not.
our manifold transgres.
ions of thy holy laws, thou hast con-
inued to us thy marvellous kindness
nd so to the end of that thanksgiv-
ng. Then he turned TO the end of
he same book, and 1 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
he Episcopal collect. 'Danforth,'
aid he, L have repeated those prayers
light and morning, it is now fifty-fve
ears And then he said he would
D to sleep. He bent me down over
i'm and kissed me; and he said,
.ook in my Bible, Danforth, when ]
N gone And l went away.
But 1 had no thought it was the ,
Id. l thought he was tired and
ould sleep. l knew he was happy, ,
Id l wanted him to be alone.
"But in an hour, when the doctor
ent in gently, he found Nolan had
eathed his life away with a smile. .
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