Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1917-05-09

going nome" But this was dis
tinct evidence of something he had not
thought OF, perhaps, that there was no
going home for him, even to a prison.
And this was the first of some twenty
such transfers, which brought him
sooner or later into half our best ves-
sells, but which kept him all his life
at least some hundred miles from the
country he had hoped he might never
hear Of again.
1t may have been on that second
cruise-it was once when he was up
the Mediterranean-that Mrs. Graft,
the celebrated Southern beauty of
those days, danced with him. They
had been lying long time in the Bay
OF Naples, and the officers were very
intimate in the English fleet, and there
had been great festivities, and our
men thought they must give great
ball on board the ship. How they
ever did it on board the Warren l am
sure I do not know. Perhaps 1t was
not the Warren, or perhaps ladies did
not take up SO much room as they
do now. They wanted to use Nolan's
stateroom for something, and they
hated to do 1t without asking him to
the ball; so the captain said they
might ask him, II 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, dare say for never heard
Of man-of-war ball that was not. For
ladies they had the family of the
American consul, one or two 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
a 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-
tredances. The black band, nothing
loath, conferred as to what american
dances" were, and started off with
Virginia Reel" which they followed
with Money Musk" which, in its turn
in those days, should have been fol-
lowed by 1.-The 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 7"
as he had said, 'Virginny Reel If you
please" 'Money-Musk,' II 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 1t
aad no name.
But that is not the story l started
to tell. AS the dancing went on, No
Ian and our fellows all got at ease, as
said, so much so that 1t seemed quite
natural for him to bow to that splendid
Mrs. Graf, and say:
II hope you have not forgotten me,
Miss Rutledge. Shall l have the hon.
or of dancing?"
He did it so quickly that Shubrck,
who was by him, could not hinder
him. She laughed and said:
II am not Miss Rutledge any longer,
- hnt I will oil
same" just nodded to Shubrick, as IL
to say he must leave Mr.. Nolan to her.
and led him off to the place where tho
dance was forming.
Nolan thought he had got his chance.
He had known her at PHILADELPHIA,
and at other places had met her, and
this was gOdsend. You could not
talk In contredances, as you do in
cotillions, or even in the pauses OF
waltzing; but there were chances for
tongues and sounds, as well as for
eyes and bushes. He began with her
travels, and Europe. and Vesuvius, and
the French; and then. when they had
worked down, and had that long talk
Ahs liht Ut tilt boltb1U VI the set, ne
said boldly. little pale, she said, as
she told me the story, years after:
"And what do you hear from home,
Mrs. Graff?"
And that splendid creature looked
through him. Jove! how she must
have looked through him! Home II
Mr.. Nolan!!! I thought you were the
man who 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 did not dance again.
cannot give any history Of him in
order; nobody can now; and, indeed,
I am not trying to. These are the ira
ditions, which l sort out, 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" and poor George Pons
went to his grave in the belief that