Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-05-13

NzsS Alter chasing {
man half round the world, and a littas
more, you don't expect to get through
your business with him in five minutes
When first saw him he was smoking {
cigar by fire that was built outside Of
one of them adobe huts, and drinking {
stuff they call pulque. which is the near
est they can get to whisky in that coun
try. and pretty poor stuff it is. Well,
stepped up to him and says |, Good
evening. Mr.. - giving him his name,
are that gentleman. He looked up at
me, and 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 a mustache and
chin beard, as if he meant to be Next
can through and through
Eyes, says he, looking up at me;
and have you any business with me?'
"'Well, says |, 4 think | may say
have, since I've come some fifteen thou
sand miles to find you. He stopped q
bit and then said, From England.
Oh? You are right sir, said /;
but before go 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 | may know you
are the man I'm sent to see, and no
other. And what if refuse? said he.
Then said l, all I'll have to do is to go
back where came from: though may
tell you that if you are the gentleman in
question it will be your loss, and big
loss, too, not to let me know it. >
Gas to that he says, 4 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 he took a
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 | suppose /
may as well take it that everything is
correct and regular SO then | 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,
Who's the next heir after me?
81 didn't see just what that had ito do
with it: but | said / supposed it would be
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 / 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 poundsy
says l. Not with that hundred and
fifty thousand. at any rate, said he.
But what are you going to do
about ity 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 a 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? | have got the papers and 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,!
1t was the queerest case ever heard
of, and didn't know what to make of
it. | sat there and talked and argued
with him for an hour and more, but
nothing could say made bit of diff
ference He wouldn't have the property
at any price. and he didn't care what
came of 1t. | gave it over, at last, for
the time being, and passed the night in
the hut; the next morning tried him
again, bpt he was as obstinate as ever
Well | didn't believe yet that he meant
all he said, SO made up my mind to
give him bit more rope told him
was going to Say in Mexico week or
two, and let him understand that.if he
wanted to change his mind he'd have an
opportunity; and then | said good day
and rode of. went hack to Mexico,
and put up at the hotel. and thought it
all over: hut the more thought about
it the less / 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 Inanas papers, and to personate him
why, then. what on earth could his
object be If not to get the properly? If
anything. that wond be the strangest
case of the two. 9< }it43 A
II bad been back from Pachuca Just
week when was told that there was
lady insthe hoalsn an English lady that
wanted TO see me. Thinks /, Now, what
does this meanY ! brushed myself up