The Sunday herald., 1886-08-22
THE MISSING DEED.

There are the Grants OF Graut and the
Grants OF Dalvey; there are Grants In Edin
burgh and Grants In London. Alas the
efants are a disnhefited race, for their
ktahdJalheis, It seems, always sHusndered
the fortunes which they ouRht 10 have left
to their sons. Al least, know that was the
case with my own grandfather. Had he moi
played ducks and brakes with my inheri.
tance, | should now have been-but there.
am content to be what am, Grant Of Tully
bardane, and never dearer nor loveliei
home had Scottish man 10 dwell In. My
wife often laughs at me for being so fond ol
the place. But then the strangest event o
my life is bound up with its possession
And surely may well remember and be
thankful for that event, for without II yon-
der lady with the silver hair would scarcely
now have been sitting near me and laughing
at the folles Of an old man as she does.
fiveAand. thirty years ago, | was living
here in the Orange at Tully bardane. The
place had come TO my father by bequest moi
ihaby yeats before, and he had scarcely
learned to play the laird before he died and
left IL to me. was only boy then, and
my mother AID were quite content with
our lives in the new home. 80 there lived
and grew up TO manhood, aud there In the
course of years fell in love. Accordingly,
tne winter morning rode across to Glen
levahnorh, and asked Mr.. Fraser to give me
his daughter to be my wife. OF course
had foind ont beforehand that Miss Fraser
was hot Unwilling 10 be given.
Well, we had long Interview, and the
festiits in bflef were these: bad left home
tolerably confident, as ohs is wont 10 be at
fotir.and twenty, aud returned about as
d-j "ct,d and Indignant as any reasonable
flah ever was. MIR. Fraser was an old
friend. lis had been one of my guardians.
He was my fathers executor. l expected
my declaration to be heartily welcomed
Tull ybardaue is a better property than Glen
Lsvannocll. What was there to stand In
our way But when came back l felt like
man who has been stunned by a treacher
In my life, lrained that my title to Tully.
bardane was not beyond dispute | heard
that q certain document had long been
missing from the ti,le.deeds, and that till
that document was found could never be
entirely secure In my own home. But what
vas far worse, Under the circumstances, MIR.
Fraser informed me he could not encourage
fny suit for his daughters hand.
What followed don't Quite remember.
have haunting fear that lost my temper
and that OH one side or the other good dea
of strong language was used. l know
sw"re would never give Nelly up, not even
II were turned out of Tully bardane neck
and crop next day. OF course it was very
foolish, but then the oircumst anc. were ex
c-ptional. When got home sent for the
attorney, aud fur the next four days l did
nothing, thirk, 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 iu
themselves important, but that they bore
upon that strange event which made turn
over to Glen Levannoch and was told that
MIR. and Miss Frazer had left home to stay
with friends in Edinburgh. The second is
that my man George, who acted as fuotman
aud valet TO me, got drunk one night and
left the house door wids open.-for which
have not ceas,d d to thank Providence ever
since. Now, as a rule, am lenient to these
failings. Whisky, regret to say, has an
attraction for men in these Northern climates
which few can resist. But, whether IL 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 thiid incident was more import.
ant. and shall be told at length.
am good sleeper; don't dream much /;
dou't believe in dream warnings and such
things. have no faith in ghosts-though I
know for fact that my cousins the Mac
Mocks have banshee in their family-as q
fact, l say. But about that time used to
try and dream Of certain lady. and SO one
plSubt fall oa1aor, MI I dtJ AOI
this is what dreamed.
thought was in Edinburgh, standing in
Princes street (and let me find any street in
England, or anywhere else, which can com.
pare with thap, and waiting by the Waver-
ley Monument. Opposite me was hotel,
which suppose was watching, for out of
1t presently came, as clear and vivid as in
life, Nellie Fraser, with veil over her head
she came slowly toward me and lifted her
veil, revealing face so white and miserable
that scarcely knew It, and then, az | step.
ped forward, she raised one hand, and point.
ing up 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. l was there still.
standing, but all the surroundings had
changed. l seemed to be in q sort Of shop or
Office. counter was before me, aud all
around me were thin phantom figures, with
no features that | could see. Only one
among these misty shapes had a visible hu-
man face. And that one advanced toward me
with smile which shall never forget. II
was the face Of young man, slightly droop
ed, as II its owner were shy or deferential,
with blue, bright eyes aud gentle, handsome
features, and fair hair, and lips that seemed
to DO made for laughter, and q smile that
shone like CLEAN of sunshine there.
And In a moment the face and forms had
vanished. The darkness seemed to grow
darker. heard soft steps walking In the
air. felt as II cold wind were blowing In
my face. Suddenly saw the chill sea shin.
ing far of under the white stars. voice
that was harsh broke out in hOarse laughter
beside me, and them woke.
Two days after set out for Edinburgh
with three objects. wanted to consult an
eminent advocate. l wanted to get new
servant. And wanted at least TO find out
where the Frasers were.
saw the great advocate, and he confirmed
my fears. "Unless the missing deed is found
my dear sir" he said In his blandest accents,
"your title is SO defective as TO be legally
worthless should rival claimant arise"
did not see the Frasers, but got their
auhhenoS anu Wioto ohu icttui w tuo idtucI
and four to the daughter.
engaged new man -servanti In this way:
Our need of a servant being pressing
went, for the first aud last time of my life,
to registry office. The shop lay in the
south Of the town, up beyond the High street,
and when ! entered II there were several
subiued looking beings, unfortunate appli-
cants, | suppose, standing round. Behind
the counter was man and woman, and
to the former, having prejudice in favor oil
doing business with my own sex, begotteu
perhaps OF shyness, applied. He kept me
waiting long time. Then he looked over a
prodigous ledger, and read me out numer.
GUS applications, which were perfectly use
less. At last, however, he came to one
which thought would do. | told him so,
and he th.reupon invited me to wait little
longer, as tho "young man" in question was
likely to call shortly. At first refused, but
on consideration decided to so out and have
my hair cut, AMI then TO return and see II
the young man was there.
When came back, some twenty minutes
later, tho small office was full OF people. Al
! entered something In the look of the place
aud the attitude Of the figure struck me as
familiar. But dismissed the idea at once.
The shopunan came to meet me.