Part 19 (1/2)
He did not note the sudden flush on his friend's face--indeed, gave him no time to answer, but went on, absorbed in his own executive details
”What sort of ood ones, I think Young Shannon and an areant by the naood ht on Collins froood stuff, I think McNeal, Potts, Gibson--I got those around Carlisle We need more men”
”I have picked out a few here,” said Clark ”You know Kentucky breeds explorers I have a good blacksmith, shi+elds, and Bill Bratton is another blacksun if need be Then I have John Coalter, an active, strapping chap, and the two Fields boys, whoood men; and Charlie Floyd, Nate Pryor, and a couple of others--Warner and Whitehouse We should get the rest at the forts around St Louis I want to take ood-natured under hardshi+p, and a laugh now and then will not hurt any of us”
Lewis nodded assent
”Your judgood as mine, Will But co All my men have the fall hunt in their blood--they will start for any place at any moment Let us o across, horseback, to Kaskaskia I have some business there, and I will try for a fewshall stop us, Merne, and we cannot start too soon I want to see fresh grass every night for a year But you--how can you be content to punish yourself for so long? For o that you weretobacco and negroes, like anyone else Tell me, how about that old affair of which you once used to confide to ether here, years back? 'Twas a fair New York maid, was it not? From what you said I fancied her quite without coabonding out into a country where you one for years--or never coirls do not wait!”
As he spoke, so strange a look passed over his friend's face that William Clark swiftly put out a hand
”What is it, Merne? Pardon ravely
”She o She is the wife of Mr
Alston, a wealthy planter of the Carolinas, a friend of her father and a e for her--for him--for both”
The sadness of his face spoke more than his words to his warmest friend, and left the bark between his fingers and flipping away the pieces
”Well, in th, ”I have no ties to cut
'Tis as well--we shall have no faces of wo there, Merne--the ways of the trappers are best But we must not talk too much of this,” he added
”I'll see you yet well settled down as a Virginia squire--your white hair hanging down on your shoulders and a score of grandchildren about your knees to hamper you”
William Clark meant well--his friend knew that; so now he smiled, or tried to s an arm across his friend's shoulders, ”pass over this affair--cut it out of your heart
Believe me, believe me, the friendshi+p of men is the only one that lasts We two have eaten from the same pannikin, slept under the same bear-robe before noe still may do so And look at the adventures before us!”
”You are a boy, Will,” said Meriwether Lewis, actually slad you are and alill be; because, Will, I never was a boy--I was born old But now,” he added sharply, as he rose, ”a pleasant journey to us both--and the longer the better!”
CHAPTER XIII
UNDER THREE FLAGS
The day was but beginning for the young American republic All the air was vibrant with the passion of youth and roht be fae to adventure
The world had not yet settled down to inexorable grooves of life, froht its way out save at cost of sweetness and content and hope The chance of one ht still equal that of another--yonder, in that vast neorld along the Mississippi, beyond the Mississippi, o
Into that world there now pressed a flowing, seething, restlessnew avenues of hope and life, of adventure and opportunity Riflethe Cossack laugh at thethem
Over this neorld, alert, restless, full of Homeric youth, full of the lust of life and adventure, floated three flags The old war of France and Spain still s of Great Britain had withdrawn itself to the North