Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-05
THE MISSING DEED.
The Manner Of Finding It and
Winning a Bride.


/ am a Grant. / know there are 9TH
er Grants. A clumsy Englishman once
told me that Grant was a very common
name. There are the Grants of Grant
and the Grants of Dalvey; there are
Grants in Edinburgh and Grants IN
London. Alas! the Grants are a disin-
herited 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, | should have been-but
there, l am content to be what l am,
Grant of Tullybardane, and never a
dearer or lovelier home had Scottish
man to dwell in. My wife often laughs
at me for being so fond of the place.
But then the strangest event of my life
is bound up with its possession. And
surely | may well remember 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 l was living
here IN the Grange at Tul1ybardane.
The place had come to my father by be-
quest not many years before, and he
had scarcely learned to play the laird
before he died and left it to me. | was
only boy then. and my mother and
were quite content with our lives in the
Co 7
up to manhood, and there, in the course
of years, | fell in love. Accordingly,
one winter morning / rode across to
Glen Levannoch, and asked Mr.. Fraser
to give me his daughter to be my wife.
Of course. | had found out beforehand
that Miss Fraser was not unwilling to be
given.
Well, we had long interview, and
the results in brief were these. | had
left home tolerably confident, as one is
wont to be at four and-twentv, and |
returned about as detected and indir-
nant as any reasonable man ever was
Mr.. Fraser was an old friend. He had
been one of my guardians. He was my
fathers executor. IeXpected my decla-
ration to be heartily welcomed. FULLY
bardane is Il better property than Glen
LevannOch. What was there to stand
in our way? But when | came back |
felt like a man who has been stunned by
a treacherous blow. All of sudden,
for the first time in my life, l learned
that my title to Tullybardane was not
beyond dispute. l heard that certain
document had long been missing from
the title-deeds, and that till that docu-
ment were found, l 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
daughter hand.
What followed don't quite remem-
Der. / have a haunting fear that | lost
my temper, and that on one side or the
other good deal of strong language
was used. | know | swore l would
never give Nell up, not even if 1 were
turned out of Tullybardane neck and
crop next day. OF course. it was very
foolish, but then the circumstances
were exceptional. When | got home l
sent for the attorney, and for the next
four days L did moth ng. | think. except
consult lawyers and look over papers
and rummage every hole and corner of
the Grange for the missing deed. But
what Mr.. Fraser had told me proved to
be only too true.
In the week that followed / remember
three things distinctly, not that they
were in themselves important, but that
they bore upon that strange event which
made a turning point in my life. The
first is that / rode over to Glen Levan-
noch and was told that Mr.. and Miss
Fraser had left home, to stay with friends
in Edinburgh. The second is that my
man George, vino acted as footman and
valet to me, got drunk one night and
left the house door wide open-for
which have not ceased to thank Provi-
dence ever since. Now, as a rule, am
lenient to these failings. Whisky, re-
greet to say, has an attraction for men
in these northern climates. But,
whether it was that was out of sorts,
or whether 1t was that my mother was
alarmed, L don't know, but resolved
to make an example, and l turned the
man out of the house the next day.
The third incident was more important,
and shall be told at length.
l am a good sleeper. / don't dream
much. / don't believe in dream warn
ings and such things. l have no faith
in ghosts though I know for a fact
that nv cousins. the Mac Mocks have q
banshee in their family-as fact, Isay.
But about that time / used to try and
dream of certain lady, and so one
night fell asleep and 1 did dream. And
this is what dreamed.
thought was in Edinburgh, stand
ING in Princes street (and let me find
any street in England or anywhere else
which can compare with that) and wait
ing by the Waverly Monument OPP
iposite me was hotel, which | suppose
/ was watching, for out of it presently
came, as clear and vivid as in life. Nelly
Fraser, with veil over her head. She
came slowly toward me and lifted her
veil, revealing face so white and mis-
cradle that | scarcely knew it, and then,
as stepped forward. she raised one
hand, and, pointingup across the gorge
toward the High street hill. vanished
into moving mist. Then the shadows
began to shift and shuttle themselves.
and presently out came another vision
from my dream. I was there still,