Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-05-18

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, 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 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
while even the fellows who took this
honorary guard of Nolan ceased to fear
any contretemps. Only when some
English lady-Lady Hamilton, as I
said, perhaps, called for a 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 "The Old Thirteen" But
just as Dick, the leader, tapped for his
tiddlerS to begin, and bent forward,
about to say, in true negro state, 1.-The
Old Thirteen gentlemen and ladies p
as he had said, "'Virginny Reel if you
please!" '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 1 started
to tell. AS the dancing went on No
Ian and our fellows all got at ease, as
| said, so much so that it 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 Shubrick
) who was by him, could not hinder
him. She laughed and said:
II am not Miss Rutledge any longer
Mr.. Nolan; but 1 will dance all the
same" just nodded to Shubrick, as if
to say he must leave Mr.. Nolan to her
and led him off to the place where the
dance was forming.
Nolan thought he had got his chance
He had known her at Philadelphia
and at other places had met her, anG
this was a gOdsend. You could not
talk in contredances, as you do il
cotillions, or even in the pauses OF
waltzing; but there were chances fol
tongues and sounds, as well as fol
eyes and bushes. He began with hel
travels, and Europe, and Vesuvius anC
the French; and then, when they hat
worked down, and had that long talk
ing time at the bottom of the set, hi
said boldly, little pale, she said, al
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 mus
have looked through him! "Home
Mr.. Nolan!!! l thought you were tn,
| man who never wanted to hear o.
home again! !" and she walked direct!
up the deck to her husband, and lef
| poor Nolan alone, as he always was
] He did not dance again.
L cannot give any history of him ir
order; nobody can now; and, indeed
am not trying to. These are the ira
ditions, which l sort out, as believe
! them, from the myths which have beer
| told about this man for forty years
The fellows used to say he was thu
Iron Mask" and poor George Pom.
| went to his grave in the belief tina
this was the author of "Junius," wht
was being punished for his celebrated
!. libel on Thomas Jefferson. Pons wa!
not very strong in the historical line
A happier story than either of these
have told is of the war. That came
along soon after. 1 have heard thi!
affair told in three or four ways, and
> indeed, it may have happened more
than once. But which ship it was OF
| cannot tell. However, in one, al
y least, of the great frigate duels will
: the English, in which the navy wa!
really baptized, it happened that {
. round shot from the enemy entered
: one of our ports square, and took RICH
!, down the officer of the gun himself
and almost every man of the guns
crew. Now you may say what you
:, choose about courage, but that is no
a nice thing to see. But as the meI
> who were not killed picked themselves
up, and the surgeons people were car
!, rying off the bodies, there appeared
!, Nolan, in his shirt sleeves, with the
: rammer in his hand, and, just as If hi
had been the officer, told them off witt