The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-09

try, and pretty poor stuff it is. Well,
stepped up to him and says I, Good
evening, Mr.. - giving him his name,
you understand) for 1 am told that you
are that gentleman He looked up at
me, and l said to myself that had made
no mistake. He had on a Mexican
serape and wide brimmed hat; but his
figure and face answered well enough to
my description of him, though instead
of side whiskers he had q mustache and
chin beard, as if he meant to be Next
can through and through.
Yes says he. looking up at me;
and have you any business with me?'
"'Well.' says l, 4 think may say
have, since I've come some fifteen thou
sand miles to find you He stopped a
bit and then said, From England.
OhY You are right, sir, said l;
but before | so further, and to be
sure there's no mistake, l must
ask you to be kind enough to give
me an account of yourself-your family
and so forth-so that l may know you
are the man I'm sent to see, and no
other And what if l refuse?' said he,
Then, said |, all Ill have to do is to go
back where came from; though l may
tell you that if you are the gentleman in
question it vii! be your loss, and big
loss, too. not to let me know it."
LAS to that, he says, ! don't know
that you can give me anything care to
have, whatever you may have brought:
but if you want to know my history
always carry my papers about with me-
and I've no objection to your looking
them over And with that ne took
wallet out of his pocket, and handed it
to me. opened it and examined the
papers one after the other. They seem
all right, sir said, and L suppose l
may as well take it that everything is
correct and regular so then 1 went on
and told him what had happened, how
his brother was dead, and he the heir of
the property. He heard it all with
sort of strange look on his face; and
when l got through at first he said
nothing at all. He got up and took
turn up and down, smoking his cigar;
but at last he comes back, and says he,
" uO IllC llCAO ilC1L St1UO1 A1C.
81 didn't see just what that had to do
with it; but l said supposed it would be
his cousin or whatever relative was near
est his own blood. We'll, says he, chuck
ing away his cigar, whoever he is, he
may have it. I'm very well satisfied as
am, and l won't have anything to do
with it. Those were his very words, and
you may suppose was bit surprised.
You won't have anything to do with a
hundred and fifty thousand pounds?
says l. Not with that hundred and
fifty thousand. at any rate said he.
But what are you going to do
about it? says 1; the property is
yours, and it's entailed, and you can't
get rid of it. oh, don't trouble yourself
about that said he, with laugh. 1t
won't be buried in the ground. And if
the worst comes to the worst how do
you know that am the right man after
all? l have got the papers and l am
called by that name; but you yourself
said that you never saw me before; and
you could not swear that am not some
body else. should have to go to Eng
land in any case to prove my identity.
But prefer to stay here. and that's the
end of it,
sit was the queerest case ever heard
of, and 1 didn't know what to make of
it. l sat there and talked and argued
with him for an hour and more, but
nothing could say made bit of diff
ference. wouldn't have the property
at any price, and he didn't care what
came of it. l gave it over, at last, for
the time being, and passed the night in
the hut; the next morning l tried him
again, but he was as obstinate as ever
Well, didn't believe yet that he meant
all he said, so l made up my mind to
give him a bit more rope. 1 told him
was going to stay in Mexico week or
two, and let him understand that if he
wanted to change his mind he'd have an
opportunity; and then l said good day
and rode of. l went back to Mexico,
and put up at the hotel, and thought it
all over; but the more | thought about
it the less l could make it out. If he
was the right man land everything about
him showed he was) it didn't seem in
human nature to refuse the property;
and if he was an impostor, who had
somehow managed to get hold of the
right mans papers, and to personate him
why, then, what on earth could his
object be if not to get the property? If
anything, that would be the strangest
case of the two.
Il had been back from Pachuca just
week when l was told that there was
lady in the house-an English lady-that
wanted to see me. Thinks l, Now, what
does this mean? l brushed myself up
bit and went down to find out. She was
sitting at table in the patio. with cup
of tea in front of her. She was a good
looking woman, and as l judged might
be something under 80 years old.
Il made my bow, and she asked me to
DO seated. After little talk. says she.
4 hear you have been inquiring after Mr..
Valentine his full name, you
understand. told her that had. Did
you find hinl?' asked she. 1 did, said 1.
She seemed bit excited or anxious, and
l began to have my own ideas; but !
wasn't prepared for what she said next.
i wish you to know that am his wife
she said, and whatever is his business is
mine also. I am bound to inform you,
madam / said at last, that his family
has no knowledge Of his marriage; they
believe him to be bachelor 4 am