The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-04-17
'.rell them yes, yes. Tell them they

Iell them yes, yes. Tell them they
shall go to the Mountains Of the Moon
II they WILL II I sail the schooner
through the Great White desert they
shall 60 home!"
And after some fashion Nolan said
90. And they all fell to kissing him and
wanted to rub his nose with theirs.
But he could not stand it long, and.
getting Vaughan to say he might 60
back, he beckoned me down into our
boat As we lay back in the stern
sheets and the men gave way. he said
to me: "Youngster, let that show you
what 1t is to be without a family.
without home and without a coun.
try. And II you are ever tempted to
say word or to do thing that shall
put a bar between you and your fam
lily. your home and your country. pray
God in his mercy to take you that in
slant home to his own heaven. Stick
by your family. boy. Forget you have
a self, while you do everything for
them. Think of your home. boy Write
and send and talk about it. Let it be
nearer and nearer to your thought the
farther you have to travel from it, and
rush back to it when you are free. as
that poor black slave Is doing now
And for your country, boy" and the
words ratified in his throat, land for
that flag" and he pointed to the ship
never dream a dream but of serving
her as she bids you. though the service
carry you through thousand hells
No matter what happens to you. no
matter who datters you or who abuses
you, never look at another flag. never
let night pass but you pray God to
bless that flag Remember, boy, that
behind all these men you have to do
with. behind officers and government
and people even, there is the country
herself. your country. and that you be-
long to her as you belong to your own
mother. Stand by her. boy. as you
would stand by your mother If those
devils there had got hold Of her to-
dayy'
was frightened to death by his
calm. hard passion. but | blundered
out that l would. by all that was holy.
and that ] had never thought Of doing
anything else. He hardly seemed to
hear me. but he did, almost In whis.
per. say. "Oh. II anybody had said so
to me when was of you age!"
think 1t was this half confidence of
his, which never abused. for I never
told this story till now. which after
ward made US great friends. He was
very kind to me. When we parted
from him in st. Thomas harbor at the
end Of our cruise was more sorry
than can tell. was very glad to
meet him again in 1880, and later in life.
when thought had some influence
in Washington. moved heaven and
earth to have him discharged. But it
was like getting ghost out of prison
They pretended there was no such man
and never was such man. They will
say so at the department now!
There is story that Nolan met Burr
once on one Of our vessels. when
party Of Americans came on board In
the Mediterranean. But this l believe
to be lie: or. rather. 1t Is a myth. we'll
found, involving tremendous blowing
up with which he sunk Burr-asking
him how he liked to be "without
country"
After that cruise I never saw Nolan
again. ! wrote to him at least twice a
year. for in that voyage we became even
conddentially intimate; but he never
wrote to me. The other men tell me
that in those fifteen years be aged very
fast. And now 1t seems the dear old
fellow is dead. He has found a home
ut last. and country.
Since writing this ! have received
from Danforth. who is on board the
Levant, d letter which gives an &C.
count Of Nolan's last hours. 1t removes
all my doubts about telling this story.
TO understand the first words of the
letter the nonprofessional reader should
remember that after 1917 the position
Of every officer who had Nolan in
charge was one Of the greatest dell
cacy. The government had failed to
renew the order of 1907 regarding him.
What was man to do? Should be let
him go? What. then. If he were called
to account by the department for vio-
lating the order of 1907? Should he
keep him? What. then. II Nolan should
be liberated some day and should bring
an action for false Imprisonment or
kidnapping against every man who had
had him in charge? The secretary al.
ways said, as they SO often do at
Washington, that there were no spe-
cial orders to give and that We must
act on our own judgment
Here Is the letter:
Levant, 20 2" 8. @ 1917 w.
Dear Fred-I try to find heart and life
to tell you that it is all over with dear old
Nolan. The doctor had been watching
him very carefully and yesterday morning
came to me and told me that Nolan was
not SO we'll and had not left his stateroom.
q thing I never remembered before. He
had let the doctor come and SCI him az he
lay there, the first time the doctor had
been in the stateroom. and he said he
should like to see me. Oh. dear. do you
remember the mysteries we boys used to
invent about his room In the old Intrepid
days? Well. 1 went In. and there, to be
sure. the poor fellow lay In his berth.
smiling pleasantly as he gave me his
hand. but looking very frail could not
help glance round. which showed me
what q little shrine he had made of the
box he was lying in. The stars and stripes
were triced up above and around picture
Of Washington. and he had painted ma
5estic eagle. with lightnings blazing from
his beak and his foot Just clasping the
whole globe. which his wings overshad-
owed. The dear old boy saw my glance
and said. with sad smile. "Here. you see.
have a country" And he pointed to the
foot of his bed where 1 had NOT seen he.