Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1917-05-10

|
''rell them" said Vaughan. vel
pleased. that will take them all Il
Cape Palmas."
This did not answer so well. Caps
.ralmas was practically as far frou
the homes o. most Of them as New Or
leans or Rio Janeiro was that is. they
would be eternaliy separated fron
home there. And their interpreters. as
we could understand instantly said
"Ah. non Palmas." and began to pro
pose infinIte other expedients In most
voiuble language. Vaughan was
rather disappointed at this result OF
his liberaIlty and asked Nolan eagerly
what they said The drops stood on
poor Nolan's white forehead as be
hushed the men down. and said:
"He says Not Palmas.' He says.
| Take us home, take US to our own
country. take rs to our own house,
| take us to our own pickaninnies and
our own women And this one says"
choked out Nolan, that he has not
heard a word from bis home in six
months, while he has been locked up In
an internal barracoon.
Vaughan always said be grew gray
himself while Nolan struggled through
this Interpretation. J, who did not IN
derstand anything OF the passion In
yolyed In 1t, saw that the very !ele-
Mehts were melting with fervent heat
and that something was to pay some
where. Even the negroes themselves
stopped bowling as they saw Nolan's
agony and yaughan's almost equal
agony Of sympathy. AS quick as he
could get words, he said:
"Tell them yes, yes Tell them they
shall 20 to the Mountains of the Moon
II they will II ! sail the schooner
through the Great White desert they
shall 80 bonner
And after some fashion Nolan said
60 And they all fell to kissing him and
wanted to rub his nose with theirs.
But he could not stand 1t long, and,
getting Vaughan to say be 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: "Youngster, let that show you
what 1t lie to be without family.
without a home and without a coun-
try. And II yon are ever tempted to
say word or to do thing that shall
put a 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 1t. Let 1t be
nearer and nearer to your thought the
farther yon have to travel from 1t, and
rush back to II 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 n dream but OF serving
her as she lids you. though the service
carry you through thousand bells.
No matter what happens to you. no
matter who tiatters you or whe abuses
you. never look at another nag. never
let a night pass but you pray God to
bless that dag Remember. boy, that
behind all these men you have to do
with. behind officers and government
and people even, there is the country
herself. your country. and that you be-
long to her Ms yon belong to your own
mother stand by her. boy, as you
would stand by your mother II those
devils there had got hold Of her to
dayr
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 |
else lie hardly seemed to
hear me. hut he did, almost In a. whis |
per, say, "Oh, IL anybody had said so |
to me when ! was of you age"
think it was this half confidence of
his, which never abused. for never |
told this story till now, which after
ward 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 1870. and later In life.
when | thought had some influence |
In Washington. | moved heaven and
earth to have him discharged. But 1t
was like getting ghost out of prison
They pretended there WAS no such man
and never was such a man. They will |
say so nj the department now!
There is story that Nolan met Burr
once on one OF our vessels. when a
party of Americans came ON board In
the Mediterranean But this | believe
to be lie. or. rather. II Ia a myth. well
found, involving a tr, mendUus blowing
up with which he sunk Burr-asking
him how be liked to be without =
After that cruise | never saw Nolan
again. | wrote to him at least twice
year. for in that voyage we became even
confdentially intimate: but he never
wrote to me The other men tell me
that in those fifteen years be aged very
fast And now ii seems the dear old