The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-06-28
Bv EDWARD EVERETT HALL :

country, take us To our own house
take US to our own pickaninnies and
our own women And this one says
heard a word from his home In six
months, while be has been locked up in
an Internal b~arracoon."
Vaughan always said he grew gray
himself while Nolan struggled through
this Interpretation. /. who did not un-
derstand anything OF the passion in
volved in il. saw that the very ele-
ments 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 Naughan's almost equal
agony OF sympathy. AS quick as he
could get words, he said:
Tell them yes, yes. Tell them they
shall go 20 the Mountains OF the Moon
If they will. If | sail the schooner
through the Great White desert they
shall go home!"
And after some fashion Nolan said
SO. And they all fell 10 kissing him and
wanted to rub bis nose with theirs.
But he could not stand it long, and,
getting Vaughan to say he 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 it is to be without a family.
without a hnfnn nd uyifhnt1t a nnIn-
try. And If you are ever tempted TO
say a word or TO do a 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 10 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 il. Let it be
nearer and nearer TO your thought the
farther Won have to travel from it. and
rush back TO il 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" ard he pointed TO the ship,
never dream a dream but of serving
her as she bids you. though the service
carry you through a thousand bells.
No matter what happens to you. no
matter who latters you or who abuses
you, never look at another flag. never
let a night pass but you pray God to
bless that flag, 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 as you 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-
day.
l was frightened to death by his
calm, hard passion, but | blundered
out that | would, by all that was holy.
and that l had never thought of doing
anything else. He hardly seemed to
lear me. but he did, almost in a whis-
per, say, "Oh. IL anybody had said go
to me when | was Of you age!"
/ think II 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 1880, and later in life.
when | thought l had some influence
In Washington. l moved heaven and
earth TO have him discharged. But 1t
was like getting n ghost out Of prison
They pretended there was no such man
and never was such a man. They will
say so at the department now.
There is n 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 De a lie; or. rather. Ii is a myth, well
found, involving a trt mendous blowing
up with which he sunk Burr-asking
him how he liked to be without a
country"
After that cruise | never saw Nolan
again. ] wrote to him at least twice a
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 1t seems the dear old
fellow is dead. He has found a home
at last. and a country.
Since writing this ! have received
from DanfOrfh who ia on hoard fhc
Levant, a letter which gives an &C.
count Of Nolan's last hours. 1t removes
all my doubts about telling this story
To understand the 6rst words Of the
letter the nonprofessiOnal reader should
remember that after 1917 the position
Of every officer who had Nolan In
charge was one Of the greatest deli
cacy. The government had failed to
renew the order Of 1907 regarding him,