The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-05-31
THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY
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besides furs." Then he went back
heavens, how far'--to ask about the
Chesapeake and what was done TO
Barron for surrendering her 10 the
Leopard. and whether Burr ever tried
again, and he ground his teeth with
the only passion he showed But in
a moment that was over, and he said,
God forgive me, for am sure ! for
give him" Then he asked about the
old war and settled down more quietly
and very happily to hear me tell in an
hour the history Of fifty years.
How | wished il had been somebody
who knew something tell you, Ing
ham, il was a hard thing TO condense
the history Of half a century into that
talk with sick man. And do not
know what | told him Of emigration
and the means Of it, of steamboats, and
railroads and telegraphs, Of inventions
and books and literature, of the col
leges and West Point and the naval
school, but with the queerest Interrupt
lions that ever you heard, You see,
ii was Robinson Crusoe asking all the
accumulated questions of ffty-six
years.
| remember he asked all of a sud
den who was president now, and
when | told him he asked if Old Abe
was General Benjamin Lincoln's son.
He said he met old General Lincoln
when he was quite boy himself at
some Indiean treaty. ! said no; that
Old Abe was a kentuckian, like him
self, but | could not tell him of what
family. He had worked up from the
ranks. Good for him. cried Nolan.
81 am glad of that. AS have brood
ed and wondered | have thought our
danger was in keeping up those .regu-
lar SUGGESTIONS in the first families.
told him everything could think of
that would show the grandeur of his
country and its prosperity.
And he drank it in and enjoyed it
as | cannot tell you. He grew more
and more silent, yet | never thought
he was tired or faint. gave him
glass of water, but he just wet his
lips and told me not to go away. Then
he asked me to bring the Presbyteri |
an Book of Public Prayer, which lay
there. and said, with smile, that il |
would open at the right place, and so
it did. There was his double red mark
down the page, and | knelt down and
read, and he repeated with me, "For
and our country, o gracious
God, we thank thee, that, notwith-
standing our manifold transgressions
of thy holy laws, thou hast continued
to us thy marvellous kindness" and so
to the end of that thanksgiving. Then
he turned to the end of the same book,
and | read the words more familiar to
me, "Most heartily we beseech thee
with thy favor to behold and bless thy
servant, the president of the United
States, and all others in authority"
and the rest of the Episcopal collect.
"Danforth," said he, 81 have repeated
these prayers night and morning-it
is now fifty-fve years" And then he
said he would go to sleep. He bent
me down over him and kissed me, and
he said, Look in my Bible, Danforth,
when | am gone" And | went away.
But had no thought it was the end.
thought he was tired and would
sleep. | knew he was happy, and
wanted him to be alone.
But in an hour when the doctor
vent in gently he found Nolan had
oreathed his life away with smile.
He had something pressed close to his
Ups. 1t was his fathers badge of the
Order of Cincinnati.
We looked in his Bible, and there
vas slip of paper at the place where
ne had marked the text:
"They desire country, even a
wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God; for he
,ath prepared for them a CITY,"
On this slip Of paper he had writ
en-:
"Bury me in the sea. 1t has been
ny home, and l love it. But will not
someone set up a stone for my mem
'ry at Fort Adams or at Orleans, that
ny disgrace may not be more than
'ught to bear? Say on it:
I'm memory of
PHILIP NOLAN,
Lieutenant
In the army of
the United States.
He loved his country as no other man
las loved her, but no man deserved
Il