The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-05-31

Il
He looked very blank when he was told
to get ready to join her. He had
known enough of the signs of the sky
to know that till that moment he was
going ''hors" But this was dis
tinct evidence of something he had not
thought of. perhaps. that there was no
going home for him. even to prison.
And this was the first of some twenty
such transfers, which brought him
sooner or later into half our best YES
sells, but which kept him all his life
:. at least some hundred miles from the
country he had hoped he might never
hear of again.
It may have been on that second
cruise-it was once when he was up
the Notwithstanding Mrs. Graft,
the celebrated Southern beauty of
those days, sdanced with him. They
had been lying long time in the Bay
of Naples, and the officers were very
intimate in the English fleet, and 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 l am
sure l do not know. Perhaps it was
not the Warren, or perhaps ladies did
| not take up so much room as they
do now. They wanted to use NOlan's
staterooin for something, and they
hated to do it without asking him to
| the ball; SO the captain said they
m.,.ht ask him, If they would be re-
sptnsible that he did not talk with
TIL, wrong people, "who would give him
intelligence" So the dance went on,
the finest party that had ever been
known, l dare say: for I never heard
Of man-of-wa:- ball that was not. For
Ladies they had the family of the
Arlerican consul. one or two travellers
WHO had adventured so far, and nice
beyy of English girls and hatrons. per-
bass Lady Hamilton herself.
well, different officers relieved each
OTHER in standing and talking with No
lar, in a friendly way, so as to be sure
that nobody else spoke to him. The
dapcing went on with spirit, and after
While even the fellows who took this
Honorary guard of Nolan ceased to fear
am contretemps. Only when some
English lady-Lady Hamilton, as l
said, perhaps, called for a set of
american dancers" an odd thing hap
pe,led. Everybody then danced con-
tredances. The black band, nothing
loath, conferred as to what American
dances" We're, and started off with
virginia Reel" which they followed
wi-h "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
:. fitkll4fs to begin, and bent forward,
about to say in true negro state, 1.-The
Old Thirteen, gentlemen and ladies !"
ais he had said. "'Virginny Reel If you
please!" "'Money- Musk If you
please I" 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 1t
had no name.
But that is not the story l 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. Graft, and say:
II hope you have not forgotten me,
Miss Rutledge. Shall I have the hon.
or of dancing"
He did 1t so quickly that Shubrick,
who was by him, could not hinder
him. She laughed and said:
81 am not Miss Rutledge any longer,
Mr.. Nolan; but l 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. and
this was godsend. You could not
talk in contredanceS, as you do in
cotillions, or even in the pauseS OF
, waltzing; 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
| the French; and then. when they had
worked down, and had that long talk
ing time at the bottom Of the set, he
said boldly, q 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 himl Home f!
Mr.. Nolan!!l / thought you were the
man who never wanted to hear OF