Categories
- Antiques & Collectibles 13
- Architecture 36
- Art 48
- Bibles 22
- Biography & Autobiography 813
- Body, Mind & Spirit 137
- Business & Economics 28
- Computers 4
- Cooking 94
- Crafts & Hobbies 4
- Drama 346
- Education 45
- Family & Relationships 57
- Fiction 11812
- Games 19
- Gardening 17
- Health & Fitness 34
- History 1377
- House & Home 1
- Humor 147
- Juvenile Fiction 1873
- Juvenile Nonfiction 202
- Language Arts & Disciplines 88
- Law 16
- Literary Collections 686
- Literary Criticism 179
- Mathematics 13
- Medical 41
- Music 40
- Nature 179
- Non-Classifiable 1768
- Performing Arts 7
- Periodicals 1453
- Philosophy 63
- Photography 2
- Poetry 896
- Political Science 203
- Psychology 42
- Reference 154
- Religion 498
- Science 126
- Self-Help 79
- Social Science 80
- Sports & Recreation 34
- Study Aids 3
- Technology & Engineering 59
- Transportation 23
- Travel 463
- True Crime 29
The Young Alaskans on the Missouri
by: Emerson Hough
Categories:
Description:
Excerpt
CHAPTER I
FOLLOWING LEWIS AND CLARK
ÐÑвâ¬Ðâ
Well, sister,ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ said Uncle Dick, addressing that lady as she sat busy with her needlework at the window of a comfortable hotel in the city of St. Louis, ÐÑвâ¬ÐâIÐÑвâ¬вâÑm getting restless, now that the war is over. Time to be starting out. Looks like IÐÑвâ¬вâÑd have to borrow those boys again and hit the trail. Time to be on our way!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâRichard!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ The lady tapped her foot impatiently, a little frown gathering on her forehead.
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWell, then?ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWell, youÐÑвâ¬вâÑre always just starting out! YouÐÑвâ¬вâÑve been hitting the trail all your life. WasnÐÑвâ¬вâÑt the war enough?ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâOh, well!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ Uncle Dick smiled humorously as he glanced at his leg, which extended before him rather stiffly as he sat.
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâI should think it was enough!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ said his sister, laying down her work.
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâBut it didnÐÑвâ¬вâÑt last!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ said Uncle Dick.
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâHow can you speak so!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWell, it didnÐÑвâ¬вâÑt. Of course, Rob got in, even if he had to run away and smouch a little about how old he was. But he wasnÐÑвâ¬вâÑt through his training. And as for the other boys, Frank was solemn as an owl because the desk sergeant laughed at him and told him to go back to the Boy Scouts; and Jesse was almost in tears over it.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâAll our boys!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâYes! All our boys. The whole countryÐÑвâ¬вâÑd have been in it if it had gone on. America doesnÐÑвâ¬вâÑt play any game to lose it.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâYes, and look at you!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
Uncle Dick moved his leg. ÐÑвâ¬ÐâCheap!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ said he. ÐÑвâ¬ÐâCheap! But we donÐÑвâ¬вâÑt talk of that. What I was talking about, or was going to talk about, was something by way of teaching these boys what a country this America is and always has been; how it never has played any game to lose it, and never is going to.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWell, Richard, what is it this time?ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ His sister began to fold up her work, sighing, and to smooth it out over her knee. ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWeÐÑвâ¬вâÑve just got settled down here in our own country, and I was looking for a little rest and peace.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâYou need it, after your Red Cross work, and you shall have it. You shall rest. While you do, IÐÑвâ¬вâÑll take the boys on the trail, the Peace TrailÐÑвâ¬вÐÑthe greatest trail of progress and peace all the world ever knew.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWhatever can you mean?ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâAnd made by two young chaps, officers of our Army, not much more than boys they were, neither over thirty. They found America for us, or a big part of it. I call them the two absolutely splendidest and perfectly bulliest boys in history.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâOh, I know! You mean Lewis and Clark! YouÐÑвâ¬вâÑre always talking of them to the boys. Ever since we came to St. LouisÐÑвâ¬вÐÑÐÑвâ¬вÐÑÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâYes, ever since we came to this old city, where those two boys started out West, before anybody knew what the West was or even where it was. IÐÑвâ¬вâÑve been talking to our boys about those boys! Rather I should say, those two young gentlemen of our Army, over a hundred years agoÐÑвâ¬вÐÑCaptain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
His sister nodded gravely, ÐÑвâ¬ÐâI know.ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâWhat water has run by here, since 1804, in these two rivers, the Mississippi and the Missouri! How the country has grown! How the world has changed! And how we have forgotten!
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâThatÐÑвâ¬вâÑs why I want to take them, even now, my dear sister, these young Americans, over that very same old trailÐÑвâ¬вÐÑnot so long and hard and full of danger now. Why? Lest we forget! Lest our young Americans forget! And we all are forgetting. Not right.
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâYou see? Because this old town of St. Louis was then only a village, and we just had bought our unknown country of France, and this town was on the eastern edge of it, the gate of itÐÑвâ¬вÐÑthe gate to the West, it used to be, before steam came, while everything went by keel boat; oar or paddle and pole and sail and cordelle. Ah, Sis, those were the days!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâThink of the time it must have taken!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâThink of the times they must have been!ÐÑвâ¬ÐÑ
ÐÑвâ¬ÐâBut now one never hears of Lewis and Clark....