Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-13

and the officers were very intimate in
the English fleet There had been
great festivities and our men thought
they must give a great ball on board
the ship. How they ever did it on
board the Warren 1 am sure l do not
know. Perhaps it was not the Warren,
or perhaps the ladies did not take up
SO much room as they do now. They
wanted to use Nolans stateroom for
something and they hated to do 1T with
out asking him to the ball; SO the cap
tain said they might ask him If they
would be responsible 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, I dare say, for 1
never heard of a man-of-war ball that
was not. For ladies they had the fam
lily of the American consul, one or two
travellers who had adventure so far.
and nice bevy of English girls and
matrons, perhaps Lady Hamilton her
self.
Well. different officers relieved each
other in standing and talking with No
Ian in a 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 set of american
dances" an odd thing happened. Every
body then danced contra dances. 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 followed my THE Old Thir-
teen" But just as Dick, the leader,
tapped for his fiddles to begin, and bent
forward, about to say, in true negro
state, The or Thirteenth gentlemen
and ladies'" as he had said "Virginny
Keel, If you p1eaSer" and 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.
to-the officers teaching the English
girls the figure, but not telling them
why it had no name.
But that is not the story started to
tell AS the dancing went on, Nolan
and our fellows all got at ease, as I
said-so much so that 1T seemed quite
natural for him to bow to that splendid
Mrs. Graft and say:
Il hope you have not forgotten me
Miss Rutledge? Shall I have the honor
Of dancing?'
He did it so quickly that Fellows, who
was by him. could not hinder him. She
laughed and said:
Il am not Miss Rutledge any longer,
Mr.. Nolan: but I will dance all the
same" just nodded to Fellows as il to
say he must leave Mr.. Nolan to her and
ied MN OH 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. and this was
godSend. You could not talk in contra
dances as you do in cotilons or even in
the pauses of Waiting: 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 then the French; and then when
they mad worked down. and had that long
talking time at the bottom of the set he
said, boldly-a little pale she said. as
And what do you hear from home Mrs
Graffc'
And that splendid creature looked
through him. Jove how she must have
looked through him
'Hone!! Mr.. NoIan!,. / thought YOU
were the man who never wanted to hear
of home again." And she walked di-
rectly 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 or
am not trying to- These are the tradi-
tons. which / sort out. as believe them,
from the myths which have been told
about this man for forty years The lies
that have been told about him are legion.
The fellows used to say he was the Iron
Mask and poor George Pons went to
his grave in the belief that this was the
author of "Junius.' who was being pun
ished for his celebrated libel on Thomas
the historical line. A happier story than
either of these | have told is of the war
That came along soon after. | have heard
this affair told in three or four WayS-and