The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-22

them they shall go to the Mountains OF
the Moon if they like. 1 will sail the ship
through the Great Desert, but they shall
go home" Nolan made the translation
and then went down into the boat waiting
alongside. AS he lay back in the stern
sheets and the men gave way he said
to the boat officer, a young midshipms",
"Youngster, let that show you what it is
to be without a family without coun-
try. AS for your country, boy''-and the
words ratified in his throat, land for that
flag, never and he pointed to the ensign
flying above the ship-"never let night
pass but that you pray God to bless that
flag Behind all the men you have to do
with, behind officers and government and
people, there is the country herself-your
country. Oh, if anybody had said this
to me when l was of your age" Nolan
was calm, but his intense earnestness
rather frightened the young ntidship-
man.
Nolan never intentionally added to the
difficulties of those who had him in
charge, but accidents would happen.
When Texas was annexed there was
discussion among the officers of the ship
upon which the man without a country
was then cruising. The question was
whether they should get hold of Nolans
handsome set of maps of all countries ex-
cept the United States-and cut Texas out
of the map of Mexico. But it was de-
cided that such a proceeding would but
show Philip that Texas was a part OF
the United States and virtually reveal to
him what had happened. So it was no
fault of Nolan's that one day when he was
a passenger on the corvette George WASH
ington, lying in the River Plate, that
great botch happened at the captains
own table.
day and some officers who had just been
ashore on leave. The officers vera telling
about their adventures in riding the halt-
wild horses of the Pampas. Nolan was IN
an unusually bright and talkative mood,
He began to tell about his own adventure
in catching wild horses in Texas with his
adventurous cousin. He told his story
well and when he stopped speaking ST.
lence hung for an instant over the table.
For he asked, perfectly unconsciously:
pray what has become of Texas? After
the Mexicans got their independence
thought the province would come forward
very fast 1t is really one of the finest
regions of the EARTH There were at the
table two officers from Texas. The reason
moor Nolan did not know what hai be-
come of it was that when it became part
of the United States every allusion to it
had been cut from his newspapers. 1t
was an awkward moment for all when
Philip asked his question. The captain
came to the rescue by saying. Texas is
out of the map, Mr.. Nolan" and asked
him If he had read something or other
about something or other which had re-
Gently happened in India.
Nolan died aboard the Levant. Few
people saw the obscure paragraph among
the death notices of "a New York paper
which told all that was told officially of
his end. 1t simply read:
NOLAN-Died on board the United States
corvett Levant, lat. 2 deg. II min. s.,
long. 1871 deg. W., on the eleventh of
May, Philip Nolan.
Danforth commanded the Levant and he
told some of his friends afterward of the
end. The old man-for it was 1868 when
Nolan died. and remember he had been a
lieutenant in the days of Aaron Burr
the old man had been growing weaker for
the past few years, but no one imagined
that the end was so near. The doctor
came to the captain and said that the
poor fellow had not much longer to live,