Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-15
THE MISSING DEED.
Tho Manner of Finding 1t and
Winning a Bride,

Tho Manner of Finding 1t and
Winning a Bride,
lam n Grant | know there are otn-
or Grants. A clumsy Englishman once
told me that Grant was very common
name. There are the Grants of Grant
md the Grants of Dalvey; thcro arc
Grants in Edinburgh and Giants IN
London. Alas! the Grants arc disin-
heritcd race, for their grandfathers, 1t
seems, always squandcrcd the fortunes
which they ought to have left TO their
sons At least, know that it was the
case Of my own grandfather. Had hc
not played ducks and brakes with my
inheritance. should have been-but
there, | ara content TO be what am,
Grant of Tullybarlane, and never a
dcarer or lovelcr home had Scottish
man to dwell in. My wife often laughs
at me for beng SO fond of the place.
But then the strangcst event of my life
is bound up with It's possession. And
surely may well remember and be
thankful for that event, for without it
yonder lady with the silver hair would
scarcly now have been sitting near me.
md laughing ut the foilics of an old
man rs she docs.
Fvc-and-thirIy years ago ] was living
here IN the Grange at Tullybardane.
The place had como to my father by be-
quest not many years before, and he
had scarcely learned to play the Ia ri
before he died and left il to me. was
only boy thon, and my mother and |
were quito content with our lives in the
new home. SO there | lived and grow
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
10 give me his daughter 10 b, my wife.
OF course, had found out beforehand
that Miss Fraser was not unwilling to be
given. IT.
Well, we had long interview, and
the results in brief were these. had
10 I home tolerably confident, as one is
wont 10 be ut four and-twenty, and
returned about rs detected and indig-
nant MS amy reasonable man ever was.
MIR. Fraser was an old fr,oad. He had
bcon ono of my guardians, He was my
fnthor's executor, lcxpected my decla-
ration 10 be heartily welcomed. Tully-
bardane is u botior property than Glen
Lovannoch. What was there to stand
in our wayP But when / came back
felt like Il man who has been stunned by
n ireacherous blow. All of sudden,
for the first tine in my life, learned
that my title to Tullybartanc was not
beyond dispute. heard that certain
document had long been missing from
the ttle-deeds, and that till that docu-
ment were 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 followed don't quito rcmem.
bcr l have haunting fear that | lost
my temper, and that on one side or the
other good deal of strong language
was used. know | sworc | would
never give Nell up, not even II were
turned out of Tullybardane neck and
crop next day. OF course, it was very
foolish, but then the circum stances
were exceptional. When | got home
rent for the attorney, and for the noxt
four days did moth NC, think, except
consult lawyers and look over papers
and rummage every hole and corner OF
the Grange for the missing deed. Blu,
what Mr.. Fraser had told me proved tc
b. only too true
In the wock that followed remember
three things distinctly, not that the,
were in themselves important, but thai
they bore upon that strange event whicl
made y turning point in my life. Tho
first is that | rode over to Glen Lcvan
poch and was told that Mr., and Miss
Fraser had left home, to stay with friond,
in Edinburgh. The second is that m,
man George, who acted rs footman ant
valet 10 mo, got drunk ono night anC
left the house door vide open-fol
which have not ceased to thank Proy
dcnce cvor since. Now, as n rule, an
lcnient to those failings, Whisky, / re-
grct 10 say, has an attraction for nor
in these northern climates But
whether it was that was out of sorts
or whether 1t was that my mother wa.
alarmed, don't know, but resolved
to make an example, and | turned the
man out of the house tho next day
The third incident was more important
and shall be told at length.
/ am good sleeper. | don't dream
much. fdon't believe in dream warn
| ;no,s aud euob th;rns JLo,,o -, s,iu