Part 41 (1/2)
”I should be the happiest of men I can take to Mr Jefferson, our best friend, the proof that he was right in his plans His great dream has come true, and I in some part helped to make it true Should I not now be happy?”
”You should be, Merne, but are you?”
”I a My friend, Will Clark, has co has been fortunate with us Look at hty arh without loss or injury--the splendid fellows! It is wonderful that in risks such as ours we met with no ill fortune”
”Yes, but are you happy? Turn your face to me”
But he did not turn his face
”I told htly, as he rose, ”to joinnow
York rides ahead, do you see? He is a free negro now--he will have stories enough to set all our blacks idle for a uests”
Willia over with his own joy of life, set all the household in a whirl There was nothing but cooking, festivity, dancing, hilarity, so long as he remained at Locust Hill
But the mother of Meriwether Lewis looked with jealous eye on Williaed to Meriwether Lewis, to theh like that of his friend? Her eyes followed her son daily, hourly, until at last she surrendered hier delay his journey to Washi+ngton
Spick and span, cap-a-pie, pictures of splendid young ate before the mansion house of the nation Lewis looked about him at scenes once familiar; but in the three years and a half since he had seen it last the ran had changed rapidly
Work yonder, certain improvements had been ro ate and at the door of the house were just as he had left the on ahead of his co it open, as he did so, with the freedoht
Tho bent over his desk, as usual littered with a thousand papers The long fra-machine was at one side Folded documents lay before hioose quills and an open inkpot stood beyond And on the top of the desk, spread out long and over all, lay a greatmen easily could tell--the Lewis and Clark map sent back from the Mandan country! Thomas Jefferson had kept it at his desk every day since it had come to him, more than two years before
He turned noard the door, casually, for he was used to the interruptions of his servants What he saw brought him to his feet He spread out his arms impulsively--he shook the hand of each in turn, drew them to him before he motioned them to seats Never had Meriwether Lewis seen such emotion displayed by his chief
”I could hardly wait for you!” said Mr Jefferson He began to pace up and down ”I knew it, I knew it!” he exclaimed ”Now they will call us constitutional, perhaps, since we have added a neorld to our country! My son, that was our vision You have proved it You have been both dreamer and doer!”
He came up and placed a half playful hand on Meriwether Lewis's shoulder
”Did I know men, then?” he demanded
”And did I, Mr Jefferson? Captain Clark----”
”You do not say the title correctly! It is not Captain Clark, it is not Captain Lewis, that stand before me now You are to have sixteen hundred acres of land, each of you You, my son, will be Governor Lewis of the new Territory of Louisiana; and your friend is not Captain Clark but General Clark, agent of all the Indian tribes of the West!”
In silence the hand of each of the young men went out to the President Then their own eyes met, and their hands They were not to be separated after all--they were to work together yonder in St
Louis!
”Governor--General--I welcome you back! You will come back to your old rooms here in my family, Merne, and ill find a place for your friend What we have here is at the service of both of you You are the guests of the nation!”
CHAPTER XV
MR JEFFERSON'S ADVICE