Wichita eagle., 1886-11-12
-sEsc>>AiLI<sSR
Daily Ea9le
THE MISSING DEED.

Gil q pldeil. L KNOW CneTe are other
Grants A clumsy Englishman once told mo
that Grant was very common name There
are the Grants of Grant and the Grants Of
Daivey; there arc Grants in Edinburgh and
Grants In London. Alas! the Grants are q
disinherited race, for their grandfathers, it
seems, always squandered the fortunes which
they ought to have left to their sons At
least, l know that it was the case of my own
grandfather. Had he not played ducks and
brakes with my Inheritance 1 should now
have been-but there, I am content to be
what 1 an, Grant Of Tullybardane, and
never dearer or lovelier home had Scottish
man to dwell in. My wife often laughs at
ne for being SO fond OF the place But then
the strangest event of my life is bound up
with its possession. And surely l may well
remainder and be thankful for that event,
for without it yonder lady with the silver
hair would scarcely now have been sitting
near me- and laughing at the follies Of an Old
man as she does.
Five-and-thirty years ago was living here
in the grange at Tullybardane. The place
had come to my father by bequest not many
wears before. and he had scarcely learned to
play the laird before he died and left it to
me. I was only O boy then, ard my mother
and were quite content with our lives IN the
new home 50 there l lived and grew up 10
manhood, and there in the course Of years
fell il love. Accordingly, one winter morn
ing | rode across to Glen LevannOch, and
asked -tg. Fraser TO give re his daughter 10
bo my wife. OF course l had found out be-
1o-chand that Miss Fraser was not unwilling
TO be given.
Well, VIC had 4 long interview, and the re-
suits in brief were these. I had left home
toler3bly confident, as one is wont to BE- at
fou--ard-twcnty, and l returned about Is de-
jccte1 and Indignant a5 any reasonable man
ever was. Ir. Fraser w2S an old friend. ILs
had been one Ct my guardians. He was ray
fathers executor. expected my declaration
to be heartily welcomed TuIIybarJlane is q
bcttcr property than Glen Levannoch. What
was there 10 stand il our wdyl But when [
came bacl; felt like q man who has been
stunned by t-eacherous blow. All Of a sud
den, for the first time in my life, 1 learned
that nv title to Tullybarlane was not beyond
dispute! l heard that q certain document had
long been missing from the title deeds, and
that till that document was found | could
never be entirely secure in my own home.
But what was far worse, under the circum-
stances, Mr.. Fraser informed me he could
not encourage my suit for his daughters
hand.
What foIl2wed l dent quite remember. I
have = haunting fear that l lost my temper,
and that on one side or the other a good deal
of strong language was used. | know l
swOTc | would never give Nellie up, not even
if I were turned out of Tullybardane neck
and crop next day. OF course, it was very
foolish, but then tho circumstances were ex-
ception2l. When got home l sent for the
attorney, and for the next four days | did
nothing, think, except consult lawyers and
look over papers and rummage every hole
and corner OF the grange for the missing
decd. But Eilat Mr. Fraser told mo proved
to be only too true.
n the week that followed remember three
things distinctly, not that they were them
selves important, but that they bore upon
that strange event which made 4 turning
point in my life. The first is that l rode over
to Glen Levannoch and was told that Ir. and /
Mis- Fraser had left home to stay with friends /
IN Edinburgh. The second is that my man /
George, vino acted as footman and valet 10 !
me, got drunl; one night and left the house F!
door wide open-for which | have not ceased I
to thank Providence ever since. Now, as 4 7.
rule, am lenient TO these faiIings. Whisky, /
l regret to say, has All attraction for men in /
they, northern climates which few can resist
But. whether It was that was out OF sorts,
or whether it was that my mother was
alarmed. don't know, but [ resolved to make
an example, and turned the man out OF the
house the next day. The third incident
WAS more important, and shall be told at
length.
am good sleeper, l don't dream much, l
don't believe in dream warnings and such
T I
know for fact that my cousins the Mac
Mocks have q banshee in their family-as 4
fact, say. But about that time l used to
try and dream Of certain lady, and SO ono
night fell asleep and did dream And this
is what dreamed
thought l was in Edinburgh, standing in
Princes street (and let me find any street ii /
England, or anywhere else which can compare /
with that and waiting by the Waverly !
monument Opposite Lie was a hotel, which (,
1 suppose was watching, for out of it pres
emily came, as clear and vivid as il life, /
Nelly Fraser, with a veil over her head; she /
came slowly toward me and lifted her veil, !
revealing face 50 white and miserable that
I scarcely !.new il, and then, as I stepped for
ward, she raised one hand, and, pointing up
across the gorge toward the High street hill,
EkLc ~ IilDN IAASN. AtASL ZIG
shadows began to shift and shuttle themselves,
and presently out came another vision from
my dream. l was there still, standing, but
all the surroundings had changed seemed
to be in q sort OF shop or ofiice. \ counter
was before NE, and ell around me were thin
phantom figures, with no features that l
could sec Only one among these misty
SHAPES had visible human face. And that
ar,s1, with n which
I shall never forget It was the face OF
Young man, slightly dropped, cs if its owner
were shy or deferential, with blue, bright
eyes and gentle, handsome features, and fair
hair, and lips that seemed to be made for
laughter, and a smile that shone Like gleam
of sunshine there.
And in moment the face and forms had
vanished. The darkness seemed TO grow
darker. l heard soft steps walking il the air. l
feIt as if cold wind wero blowing III my facc.
Suddenly l saw the chill sea shining afar OF
under the white stars. A voice that was
harsh broke out in harsh laughter beside me,
and then-I woke.
Two dcrs after l set out for Edinburgh,
with thre, objects Iwanted 70 consult an
eminent advocate l wanted to get new
servant. And wanted, at least, to find out
w-hcre the Trasers were.
Isaw the great advocate, and he confirmed
nv fears ~Unlezs the missing deed IS found,
nv dear sir he said in his biGndeSt accents,
"your title Is so defective as to be legally
worthless should q rival claimant arise.
I did not see the FraseyS, but l Sot thelr ad-
dress. and wrote one letter to the father and
four to the daughter.
1 Iencagci new man servant in this way;
Our need of a servant being pressing, l
went, for the first and last time Il Ily lie, =
% rariStr1- c.-i,n Tba Sion IaT II Ihc scGth Of