The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-05-30

lance 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 a godsend. You could not
talk in contredances, as you do IN
4 cotillions, or even in the pauses OF
Waiting; but there were chances for
tongues and sounds as we'll as for
eyes and bushes. He began with her
travels and Europe and Vesuvius, and
the French; and then, when they had
j worked down, and had that long talk
Ing time at the bottom of the set, he
said boldly, little pale, she said, as
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 must
have looked through him "HOme !
Mr.. Nolan!! I thought you were the
man who never wanted to hear OF
home again p and she walked directly
up the deck to her husband, and left
poor Nolan alone, as he always was.
He did not dance again.
I cannot give any history Of him in
order; nobody can now; and indeed.
l am not trying to. These are the ira
ditions, which sort out, as I believe
them, from the myths which have been
told about this man for forty years.
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 punished for his celebrated
libel on Thomas Jefferson. Pons was
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. I have heard this
affair told In three or four ways, and,
indeed, it may have happened more
than once. But which ship it was on
cannot tell. However, in one, at
least, Of the great frigate duels with
the English, In which the navy was
really baptized, it happened that a
round shot from the enemy entered
one Of our ports square, and took right
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 not
nice thing to see. But as the men
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 he
had been the officer, told them off with
authority, who should go to the cock
pit with the wounded men, who should
stay with him, perfectly CHEEKY, and
with that way which makes men feel
sure all is right and is going to be
right. And he finished loading the
gun with his own hands, aimed it, and
babe the men fire. And there he
stayed, captain of that gun, keeping
those fellows in spirits, till the enemy
struck, sitting on the carriage while
the gun was cooling, though he was
exposed all the time, showing them
easier ways to handle heavy shot, max
ing the raw hands laugh at their own
blunderS, and when the gun cooled
again, getting it loaded and fired twice
IS often as any other gun on the ship.
The captain walked forward, by way
If encouraging the men, and Nolan
,Ouched his hat and said:
81 am showing them how we do this
n the artillery, SIR"
And this is part Of the story where
Ill the legends agree; that the commo-
lore said:
II see you do, and thank you, sir;
md I shall never forget this day, sir,
nd you never SHALL SIR
And after the whole thing was over,
nd he had the Englishman's sword,
n the midst of the state and ceremony
f the quarterback, he said:
"Where is Mr.. Nolan? Ask Mr.. No
an to come here"
And when Nolan came, the captain
aid:
"Mr Nolan, we are all very grateful
, you today you are one of us today;
on will be named in the dispatches"
And then the old man took off his
wn sword of ceremony, and gave it to-
'olan, and made him put it on. The
ian told me this who saw it. Nolan
red like baby, and well he might
lie had not worn a sword since that
lfernal day at Fort Adams. But al
avs afterward, on occasions of cere-
Ony, he wore that quaint old French
word of the commodore's.
The captain did mention him in the
spatches. 1t was always said he
;ked that he might be pardOned. He
rote special letter to the secretary
war. But nothing ever came of it.
5 I said, that was about the time
hen they began to ignore the whole
ansaction at Washington, and when
olan's Imprisonment began to carry
,elf on because there was nobody to
op it without any new orders from
me.
| have heard it said that he was with
'rter when he took possession of the
lkahiwa islands. Not this Porter,
u know, but old Porter, his father,
sex Porter, that is, the old Essex
rter, not this Essex. AS an artil-,
y officer, who had seen service in
, West, Nolan knew more about for