The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1917-05-31

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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 stateroon,
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. / 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 picture
Of Washington. and he had painted ma
jestic eagle. with lightnings blazing from
his beak 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.
1 have a country" And he pointed to the
foot Of his bed, where had not seen be-
fore 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. "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 l
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 man who loves the old
flag as | do or prays for 1t as ] do or
hopes for it as do. There are thrty-four
stars in ii now, Danforth. l thank God
for that, though do not know what their
names are. There has never been one
taken away 1 thank God for that.
hxy th,t fhaf harA hos haa
any successful Burr. oh, Danforth. Dam
FORTH" he sighed out, tell me-tell me
something-tell me everything, Danforth.
before | die"
Insham, | swear to you that l felt like
a monster that ! had not told him every
thing before. Danger or no danger. del
icacy or no deicacy. who was | that 1
should have been acting the tyrant all
this time over this DEAR santed old man
who had years ago expiated in his whole
manhood's life the madness of a boys
treason? "Mr. Nolan said /, Il will tel!
you everything you ask about only where
shall begin?"
Oh, the blessed smile that crept over his
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. | told him the names in as good
order as l could and he babe me take
uONn HIS Dedutilul map uIdW lhcih
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 hack-heavens. how
far.-to ask about the Chesapeake and
what was done 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
q moment that was over. and he said.
GOD forgive me. for l am sure 1 forgive
him." Then he asked about the old war
and 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 somebody
who knew something! tell you, Inghan.
II was a hard thing to condense the his
tory of half a century into that talk with
a sick man. And l do not now know
what I 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 tho
Queerest Interruptions that ever you heard.
You see. 1t was Robinson Crusoe asking
all the accumulated questions OF hfty-six
years.
who was president now. and when / told
him he asked IL Old Abe was General
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
\ LII. - hoe
family. He had worked up from the
ranks Good for him. cried Nolan. ~
am glad of that. AS | have brooded and
wondered ! have thought our danger was
in keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS
in the first families / told him every
thing l could think OF that would show
the grandeur of his country and Its pros
perity.
And he drank 1t in and enjoyed 1t as l
cannot tell you. He grew more and more
silent, yet | never thought he was tired
or faint. ] 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 1t would open at the right place.
and SO II did. There was his double
red mark down the page. and | knelt
| down and read. and he repeated with me.
For ourselves and our country. y gra-
! ClouS bOu, we tHdHh tute tHdt, nOtWltH-
standing our manifold traE.gressions 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, 81 nave
repeated those prayers night and morn
ing-it is now ffty-five years" And then
he said he would so TO sleep. He bent
me down over him and kissed me. and
he said, Look in my Bible. Danforth,
when | am gone" And | went away
But 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. He had some
thing pressed close to his lips. 1t was
his fathers badge Of the Order of Gin
cinnati.
We looked in his Bible, and there was
a slip of paper at the place where he had
marked the text:
"They desire country. even a heaven
ly: wherefore God Is not ashamed to be