Evening star., 1924-03-03
CONTINUED from Yesterdays star)

Did any eye see Meriwether Lewis
IS he sat there In the dark at his last
campfire? Did any r, :. guilty aaS, eye look on
He sat alone by the little fire. HIS
hand, dropping sometimes, responsive
only to the supreme effort OF his Will,
fumbled in the bosom Of his old coat.
There were some papers there-some
things which no other eyes than ms
must ever see! Here was a secret
1t must always be a secret-her secret
and his! He would hide forever from
the world what had been theirs in
common. =.
twice. thrice. five times-stx times In
all! One by one he had placed then,
on the fames-these letters that he
had carried on his heart for years
the six letters that she had written
him when he was far away In the
trying to see the words. He groaned
He Was almost blind. His trembling
finger found the last word OF the last
letter. 1t rose before him In tall char
acters now. all done In flame and not
in block-Theodosia!
ever see them. No one could know
how he had treasured them all these
years. She was safe!
Before his soul, in the time of his
great accounting. there rose the
passing picture Of the years. Free
from suffering. now absolved, resign
ed, he was a boy once more. and al
the world was young. He saw again
the slopes of old Albemarle. beautiful
tumn day in old Virginia. He heard
again his mothers voice. What was
1t that she said? He bent his head as
II to listen.
your wish-your great desire
your hope-your dream-ail these
the trail be long, even though the
burden be too heavy to, carry far
ther.'
So then she had known-she had d
spoken the truth in her soothsaying
that day so long ago! Now his fad
ing eye looked about him. and he
nodded his head weakly. as If to as
sent to something he had heard.
He had so earnestly lonSed-he had
30 greatly desired--to be an honor
able man! He had SO longed and de-
sired to do somewhat for others than
himself! And here was peace, here
indeed was conquest. His great de-
sire was won.
His lax hands dropped between his
knees as he sat. a little gust OF
wind sweeping down the gully caught
up some of the white ashes-stained
as they were with blood that dropped
from his veins as he bent above them
carried them down upon the tiny
thread OF the little brook. 1t carried
them away toward the sea-his blood,
the ashes. the secret which they hid.
At length he rose once more. ms
speinid will still forcing his broken
body to do it's bidding. Half crawl,
ing up the bank, once more he stood
erect and staggered back across the
yard into the room. The woman heard
him there again. Pity arose in her
breast; once more she mastered her
terror and approached the door,
I'm Gods name, madam, said ne,
bring me water-wine! l am SO
strong, am hard to die. Bind up
my wounds have work to do. Heal
me these wounds"
But not her power nor any power
could heal such wounds as his. once
more she called out for aid, and none
came.
The night wore away. The dying
man lay on his bearskin pallet on the
floor, motionlesS now and silent, but
still breathing, and calm at last. II
was dawn when the recreant servant
found him there.
"Peria," said Meriwether Lewis,
turning his fading eye on the man.
"do not fear me. I will not hurt
you. But my watch-1 cannot find II
1T seems gone. I am hard to die. II
seems. But the little watch-it had
-.-nIcture-Ah"