The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-05-31

through this Interpretation. !, whit
did not understand anything Of ,h'
passion involved in it, saw that thu
very elements were melting with fer
vent heat and that something was Il
pay somewhere. Even the negroes
themselves stopped bowling as the,
saw Nolan's agony and sympathy Al
quick rs he could get words, he said
"Tell them yes, yes, Tell them they
shall go to theMountains Of the Moon
il they will. II ! sail the schooner
through the Great White desert they
shall go homcw
And after some fashion Nolan said
so. 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 go
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: "Youngstcr, let that show you
what it is to be without family,
without home and without coun-
try. And if you are ever tempted to
say word or to do thing that shall
put 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, "and for that flag" and he
pointed to the ship, never dream
dream but of serving her as she bids
you, though the service carry you
through thousand bells. No matter
what happens to you, no matter who
fatters 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, be-
hind officers and government and
people even, there is the country her
self, your country, and that you belong
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-
day.
| was frightened to death by his
calm, hard passion, but ] Numbered
out that 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, ooh, if anybody had said SO
to me when ! was of your age"
l think it was this half confidence
of his, which | never abused, for
never told this story till now, which
afterward 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 infu-
ence 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
4 party of Americans came on board {
IN the Mediterranean. But this ! be- ]
ieve to be a lie or, rather, it is
myth, well found, involving tremen-
lous blowing up with which he suRk |
Burr-asking him how he liked to be
without country" II
After that cruise ! never saw Nolan
lgain. I wrote to him at least twice {
! year, for in that voyage we became /
ven confdentially intimate; but he I
lever wrote to me. The other men c
ell me that in those fifteen years he 7
lged very fast. And now it seems the I
lear old fellow 1t dead. He has found '
home last, and country.
Since writing this l have received =
rom Danforth, who is on board the
evant, a letter which gives an ac- +,
cunt of Nolan's last hours. 1t re-
moves all my doubts about telling this
tory.
To understand the first words of the
.tter the non-professional reader