Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1917-09-20


,usion to It. He had almost all the
foreign papers that came into the ship
sooner or later. only somebody must
70 over them trst and cut out any ad-
vertSement or stray paragraph that
alluded to America. Phillips told me
story of something which happened at
the Cape of Good Hope on Nolan's first
voyage. and it is the only thing ever
| knew of that voyage. Phillips had
borrowed lot Of English books from
an officer. which In those days. as IN
deed in these. was quite windfall
Among them, as the devil would order.
was the Lay of the Last Minstrel.
which they had all of them heard Of.
but which most of them had never
seen think it could not have been
published long Well. nobody thought
there could be any risk of anything ma
tional IN that. SO Nolan was permit.
ted to join the circle one afternoon
when lot Of them sat on deck smOk-
ing and reading aloud. Nolan took the
book and read to the others. and he
read very well. as know. Nobody in
the circle knew line of the poem.
only 1t was all magic and border chiv-
airy and was 10000 years ago. Poor
Nolan read steadily through the fifth
| canto. stopped minute and drank
something and then began. without a
thought Of what was coming:
"Breathes there the man with soul 80
dead
VINO never to himself hath said.
This is my own. my native land?"
Then they all saw something was to
pay. but he expected to get through.
suppose. turned little pale. but
plunged on:
Whose heart hath e'er within him burned
AS home his footsteps he hath turned
From wandering on foreign strand?
II such there breathe. go. mark him WELL"
BY this time the men were all beside
themselves. wishing there was any
way to make him turn over two pages.
but he had not quite presence Of mind
for that. He gagged little. colored
crimson and staggered on:
For him no minstrel raptures swell
High though his titles, proud his name.
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim.
Despite these titles. power and pelf.
The wretch. concentrated all in self
And here the poor fellow choked. could
not 60 on. but started up. swung the
book into the sea. vanished into his
stateroom. land. by Jove." said Phil
lips. I'VE did not see him for two
months again. And had to make up
some beggarly story to that English
surgeon why ! did not return his Wal
ter Scott to him"
That story shows about the time
when Nolan's braggadocio must have
broken down. AT first they said he
took a very high tone. considered his
imprisonment mere fsfrce, affected to
enjoy the voyage. and all that. but
Phillips said that after he came out OF
his stateroOm he never was the same
man again. He never read aloud
again unless it was the Bible or Shake,
sptHre or something else he was sure
Of. He was always shy afterward
when | knew him--very seldom spoke
Unless he was spoken to. except to a
very few friends He lighted up occa-
sionally. but generally be had the nerv-
Gus, tired look Of q heart wounded
man.
Nolan's transfer at sea to the War
rem was the first Of some twenty such
transfers. which brought him sooner
Or later into half our best vessels. but
which kept him all his fife at least
some hundred miles from the country
he had hoped he might never hear of
again.
1t may have been Oh that second
cruise-it was once when he was up
the Mediterranean that Mrs. Graf.
the celebrated southern beauty of tloS,
days. danced with him. They had
l9en long time In the bay Of Naples.
and the officers were very intimate
In the English .neet. aud there had k..en
great Festivities. and our men thought
they must give great ball on board
the ship. They wanted to use Noans
Stateroom for something. and they hat
cd to 10 IL without asking him to the
BALL so the captain said they might
ask him If they would he responsible
that he did not talk with the wrong
people. who would give him intelli.
gtnce." For ladies' they had the fam,
lily Of the American consul. one Or two
travellers who had ventured SO far and
nice bevy Of English girls and ma,
irons. perhaps Lady Hamilton herself
AS the dancing went on Nolan and
our fellows all got ut ease. us | said
So much SO that it seemed quite natu
RAJ for him to bow to that splendid
Mrs. Graf and say:
Il hope you have not forgotten me
Miss Rutledge. Shall I have the hon
81 Of dnncing?''
He did II so quickly that Shubrick
who was by him. could not hinder
him. She laughed and said:
4 am not Miss Rutledge any longer.
Mr. Nolan. but will dance all the
same just nodded to Shubrick as II
to say he must leave Mr.. Nolan to her
aud led him or to the place where the.
lance WAS forming.
Nolan thought he had got his chance