The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1917-06-02
The Man Without a Country
dance aas forming
By Edward Everett Hale

"" had know u her at Philadelphia. dlil
at other places had met her, aud tils
vas gptisend Yon could not talk in
cnnlrpdances. az yea do In ggttItans,
OF even in thr paHscs of Waiting, bat
there were chances for tongues and
sounds. as veil as tor eyes aUd blushes
lie began eith her travels and EUROPE
and vesuyius, and the French, and
then. when they had worked down, and
had that long talking time at the bot
ton OF the set. BE- said boldly a little
pale. she said as she told Hr The story
gears after
And ehat do yea hear from home
Mrs Gram"
And that splendid creature looked
through him J0ve' how she must have
looked through him "IlomeN Mr.
Nolan'H thought you were the maH
Nho never wanted to hear of home
again" and she walked directly up
the deck To her husband. and left poor
Nolan alone, as he always was he
aid not dance again.
cannot give any history of him Ia
order, nobody can nov and. Indeed
am not trying TO These are the ira.
ditieus, which | sort cut, as ! believe
them. from the myths which have been
told about this man for forty years
The fellows used to SAY he was the
Iron Mask, aud poor George Pons
vent To his grave In the belief that
this was the author OF "Junius." Who
vas being punished for his celebrated
libel or Thomas Jefferson pohs vas
not very strong In the historical line.
A happier story than either Of these
have told II Of the war. That came
along sooH after. | have heard this
affair told In three CT four ways, and
indeed. II may have happened more
than once But which ship II vas on /
cannot tell However. in Ont ~ least
Of the great frsgate duels With the
English. In which the navy vas hap,
tiIed. II happened that round shot
from the enemy entered one OF oar
ports square, and took right down the
officer Of the gun himself and almost
every man of the guns crew Now
you may say Rhet YOU choose about
courage, but that is not nice thing
io see. Hut as the men Who we're not
killed picked themselves up and the
surgeons people were carrying oil the
bodies. there appeared Nolan, In bis
shirt sleeves. with the rammer In his
hand. aud. just as If he bad been the
officer, told them OF With authority
Who should 20 TO the cockpit with the
wounded men. who should stay With
him, perfectly CHEEKY, and With that
way which makes men feel sure all Is
right and Is going to- be- right And he
finished loading the gun with his own
hands, aimed it, and hade the men fire.
And there he stayed, captain of that
gun keeping those fellows In spirits,
til the enemy struck sitting Oh the
carriage white the gan vas cooling,
though he was exposed all the time.
showing them easier ways 10 handle
heavy shot, making the raw hands
laugh at their own plumbers, and when
the gun cooled again getting Il loaded
and fired twice as often as any other
Run on the ship The captain walked
forward. By way of encouraging the
men, and Nolan touched his hal and
said
i am showing them how We De- this
In the artillery, sir
And this In a part Of the story where
all the legends agree that the com.
uo;iofe said
7 see you de-. end thank you sir,
and ! shall never forget tha day, sir
and you never shall, air"
And after The whole thing Was over,
and he had the Engllshman's sword,
In the midst of the state aud ceremony
Of the quarterback. he said
Where Is Nj Nolan ASK Mr. Nolan
Ia come here
And when Nolan came, the captain
said
Mr. Nolan. ae are all very grateful
to YOU today. you are enc Of us today
you Will b. named In the dispatches
And then the old man took on hIs
own sword OF ceremony aud gave Il to
Nolan, and made him pat II on The
man told mo this who saw it Nolan
cried like q baby. and we'll he might
Tie had not worn a sword since that
internal day al Fort Adams Hut al
ways afterward on occasions ef cere.
mony, be were that quaint old French
ssord Of the commodares
The captain did mention him In the
dispatches It was always said he