The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-06-01

not take up so much room as They
do now. They wanted to use Nolan's
stateroom for something, and they
hated to do it without asking him to |,
the ball; so the captain said they
might ask him, If they would be re-
sponsible that he did not talk with |
the wrong people, "who would give him
intelligence" So the dance went on, |
the finest party that had ever been |
known, I dare say; for never heard
of a man-of-war ball that was not. For
ladies they had the family OF the
American consul, one or tvs travellers
who had adventured so far, and nice
bevy of English girls and matrons per-
haps Lady Hamilton herself.
Well, different officers relieved each
other in standing and talking with No
Ian in friendly way, so as TO be sure
that nobody else spoke to him. The
dancing went on with spirit, and after
while even the fellows who took this
honorary guard of Nolan ceased to fear
any contretemps. Only when some
English lady-Lady Hamilton, as
said, perhaps, called for set of
"American dancers" an odd thing hap
| pened. Everybody then danced con-
! tredanees. The black band, nothing
loath, conferred as to what american
dances" We're, and started of with
virginia Reel" which they followed
with "Money-Musk," which, in its turn
in those days, should have been fol.
lowed by s'Tne Old Thirteen" But
| Just as Dick, the leader, tapped for his
fiddlers to begin, and bent forward,
| about to say, in true negro state, The
Old Thirteen gentlemen and ladies II
as he had said, "'Virginny Reel if you
pleased" 'Money-Musk,' if you
please!' the captains boy tapped him
on the shoulder, whispered to him, and
he did not announce the name of the
dance; he merely bowed, began on
the air, and they all fell to, the off,
GERS teaching the English girls the
figure, but not telling them why it
had no name.
But that is not the story / started
to tell. AS the dancing went on, No
Ian and our fellows all got at ease, as
1 said, so much so that it seemed quite
natural for him to bow to that splendid
Mrs. Graf, and say:
81 hope you have not forgotten me
Miss Rutledge. Shall have the hon
or Of dancing?'
, He did it so quickly that Shubrick
, who was by him, could not hinder
him. She laughed and said:
: 81 am not Miss Rutledge any longer
/ Mr.. Nolan; but / will dance all tn
; same" just nodded to Shubrick, as
to say he must leave Mr.. Nolan to heI
e and led him off to the place where tn
dance was forming.
!, Nolan thought he had got his chanc
: He had known her at Philadelphia
z and at other places had met her, an
4 this was a godsend. You could n
talk in contredances, as you do
cotillions, or even in the pauses
Waiting; but there were chances
tongues and sounds, as well as
eyes and bushes. He began with b
| travels, and Europe, and Vesuvius, al
the French; and then, when they b
worked down, and had that long tai
ing time at the bottom of the set,
said boldly, little pale, she said,
II she told me the story, years after {:
q "And what do you hear from hon
a Mrs. Graff?"
Il And that splendid creature look,
through him. Jovei how she mu
have looked through him sHome
Mr.. Nolanil thought you were Il
I man who never wanted to hear
-, CHI Not
III up the deck to her husband, and lie
N poor Nolan alone, as he always wa
U He did not dance again.
N 1 cannot give any history Of him
VI order; nobody can now; and, indee
/ am not trying to. These are the tr
ditions. which / sort out, as belie1
them, from the myths which have bee
told about this man for forty year
N The fellows used to say he was IL
n Iron Mask" and poor George POI
" went to his grave in the belief TIL
this was the author of "Junius," wi
was being punished for his celebrate
n. libel on Thomas Jefferson. Pons W;
not very strong in the historical lin
" A happier story than either of these
+ have told Is of the war. That can
u along soon after. l have heard til
affair told in three or four ways, an
y indeed, it may have happened mo-
u than once. But which ship it was {
y l cannot tell. However. in one,
. least, of the great frigate duels wi
4 the English, in which the navy WI
\ really baptized, 1t happened that
+ round shot from the enemy enter,
u one of our ports square, and took rig
" down the officer of the gun himse
~ and almost every man of the gun
sc crew. Now you may say what "
q, choose about courage, but that is n
re nice thing to see. But as the m'
y who were not killed picked themselv
"a up, and the surgeons people were ca
:. rying off the bodies, there appeart
~ Nolan, in his shirt sleeves, with Il
~ rammer in his hand, and, Just as If
~ had hpen the officer told them off Wi