The Nevada County picayune., 1917-06-14


 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 baek-heavens how far-to ask about the Chesapeake, and what was done to Barron for surren- dering her to the Leopard and wheth- CT Burr ever tried again, and h. ground his teeth with the only passion he showed But in a moment that was over. and he said. God forgive me, for I am sure l forgive him Then he asked about the old war-told me the true story of his serving the gun the day We took the Jaya-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 1 did as well as I could l told him of the English war told him about Full Ion and the steamboat beginning. l told him about old Scott and Jackson; told him all I could think about the Mississippi, and New Orleans. and Texas. and his oVn old Kentucky. And do you know he asked who was in command of the Legion of the Westg I told him it was very gal lant officer named Grant, and that by our last news, he was about 10 estab- fish his headquarters at Vicksburg. Then. Where was yicksburg? 1 worked that out on the map; il was about a hundred miles, more or less, above his old Fort Adams; and 1 thought Fort Adams must be a ruin now. It must be at old Vick's plan- tation. said he; well, that is q change" "
 T tell you, Ingham, it was a hard thing to condense the history of half century into that talk with sick man. And I do not know what l told him-of emigration, and the means of it-of steamboats and railroads and teegraphS-of inventions and books and Iiterature-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- muIated questions of tifty=six years.
 T remember he asked all of q sud- den. who was president now; and when I told him. he asked if Old Abe was Gen. Benjamin Lincoln's son. He said he met old General Lincoln, when he was quite a boy himself, at some Indian treaty I said DO, that Old Abe was Il KentuCkian like himself, but 1 could not tell him of what family; he had worked up from the ranks. Good for him r cried Nolan; I am glad of that. As 1 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. I 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 Greenough's Washington Ingham, I told him everything I could think of that would show the grandeur of his country and its prosperity.
 And he drank it in. and enjoyed it as I cannot tell you. He grew more and more silent, yet I never thought he was tired or faint. 1 gave him glass of water but he just wet his lips, ard 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 it would open at the right place-and so if did. There was his double red mark down the page; l knelt down and read. and he repeated with me, For ourselves and our country. O gra- cious God. we thank thee, that. not withstanding our manifold tranSgres- sions of thy holy laws, thou hast con- tinued 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 heseech thee with thy favor to be- hold and bless thy servant. the presi- dent of the United States. and all others in authority the rest of the Episcopal collect Danforth, said he. I have repeated those prayers night and morning, it is now tifty-hve 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 1 went away.
 But I had no thought it was the end thought he was tired and would sleep. 1 knew he was happy and | wanted him to be alone.
 But in an hour, when the doctor went in gently, he found Nolan had breathed his life awny with a smile. He had something pressed close to his lips. IL was his fathers badge of the order of Cincinnati.