Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-06-29

and that these devils caught him In
the bay just in sight Of home. and
that he has never seen anybody from
home since then. And this one says"
choked out Nolan, that he has not
heard a word from his home in six
months, while he has been locked up
in an internal barracOon."
Vaughan always said he grew gray
himself while Nolan struggled through
this Interpretation. /, who did not I'M
derstand anything of the passion in
volved in ii, 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 rs they saw N0lan's
agony, and Vaughan's almost equal
agony Of sympathy. AS quick as he
could get words, he said:
"Tell them yes, yes; tell them they
shall go to the Mountains of the Moon.
if they will If l sail the schooner
through the Great White Desert, they
shall go home!"
And after some fashion Nolan said
so. And then they all fell to kissing
him again and wanted to rub his 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 family, with
out a home, and without a country.
And if you are ever tempted to say a
word or to do thing that shall put
bar between you and your family,
your home, and your country, pray
God i'm 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 ii
be nearer and nearer to your thought,
the farther you have to travel from it
and rush to it, 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 a dream but of serving
her as she bids you, though the serv-
ice carry you thScAgh a thousand hells.
No matter what happens to you, no
matter who fiatters you or who abuses
you, never look at another flag, never
let n 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
belong to her as you belong to your
own mother. Stand by her, boy, as
you would stand by your mother, If
those devils there had got hold of her
todayw
l was frightened to death by his
calm, hard passion; but l Numbered
out that / would, by all that was holy,
and that l had never thought of doing
anything else. He hardly seemed to
hear me; but he did, almost in
whisper, say: "Oh, if anybody had
said so to me when was of your age!"
l think it was this half-confidence of
his, which never abused, for 1 never
told this story till now, which after
ward made us great friends. He was
very kind to me. Often he sat up, or
even got up, at night to walk the deck
with me when 1t was my watch. He
explained to me a great deal of my
He lent me books, and
helped me about my reading. He new
er alluded so directly to his story
again; bnt' from one and another Off
Ger / have learned, in thirty years,
what l am telling. When we parted
from him in st. Thomas harbor, at the
end of our cruise, / was more sorry
than l can tell. l was very glad to
meet him again i'm 1880; and later in
life, when l thought l had some in
fluence in Washington, moved heav-
EN- and earth to have him discharged.
But it was like getting 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 ! Perhaps they do not know. 1t
will not be the first thing in the serv-
zee of which the department appears
10 know nothing. /
(TO BE CONTINITFDl