The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-04-23

W tuu asCoUhk
The larger wrapper contained an IN.
sealed envelope. across which was
written In faded ink and in an unfa.
miliar dashing. siantins hand writing. |
his own name. The envelope con-
tanned a creased yellow parchment.
from between whoss folds there
dumped and huttercd down upon the
floor q long fiattish object wrapped
In q paper. . newspaper clipping and
q letter.
Puzzled he untoided the cracking
thing In his hands. Why" he said
half aloud, "its-it's q decd made over
10 me" He overran II swiftly. Part
Of an old Colony grant
plantation In Virginia, twelve hun
dred odd acres. given under the hand
OF . ~yice-resal governor IN the six.
teenth century. ! had no idea titles
In the United States went back 30 far
90 that" His eye fed to the end.
1T was my fathers! What could he
have wanted Of an estate In virginia.
II must have come into his hands In
the course Of business"
He picked up the newspaper clip
ping. II WAS worn and broken In the
folds AZ II Il had been carried for
months In Q pocketbook.
1T will interest readers Of this sec-
ton Of Virginia tthe paragraph be-
gam to learn. from q recent transfer
received for record at the County
Clerks ONCE. that Damory Court has
passed to Mr.. John Valiant. minor"
He turned the paper over and found
. date: II had been printed In the year
OF the transfer to himself. when no
was six years old-the year his father
had died.
John Valiant. minor. the son OF
the former owner.
There are few indeed who do not
recall the tragedy with which In the
public mind the estate Ia connected.
The fact. moreover. that this old home
stead has been left In It's present state
lfor. as 10 we'll known. the house has
remained with all Its contents and fur.
nishiL ~ untouched) 10 rest during so
long a term OF years u~noccupled. could
not, OF course. fail to be commented
on. and this circumstance alone has
perhaps tended to keep alive u melan'
choly story which may we'll DO for
gotten"
lie read tho elaborate. rather stilted
p~hraseology In the twenty year'old pa
per with q wondering interest. An
old house." he unused. with q bad
name. Probably no couldn't sell II.
and maybe nobody would ever live In
Il. That would explain why It re.
NAMED 30 long unoccupied-why there
are no records Of rentals. Probably
the land was starved and run down.
IT'S an Offset to the hall.bedroom
idea. at any rate" he said to himself
humorously. 1T holds out an escape
from the noble army OF rent.payers.
When my t~wenty.eight hundred Is
gone. I could live down there n landed
proprietor. and by the same mark an
honorary colonel, and raise the cab.
bages | was talking about-ch, Chum?
while you stalk rabbits. How does
that strike your"
He laughed whimsically. lie. John
Valiant, OF New York. first.nighter ut
It's theaters. hailfellow.well.met In Its
club corridors and welcome diner at
any one of u hundred brilliant glass
MISUNDERSTANDING supper tables, en-
tombed on the wreck OF q Virginia
plantation, q would.be country gentle
man, on Ln automobile and ext u
nothing a year!
He b~ethought himself OF the fallen
letter and possessed himself CT II
quickly. II lay with the superscrip
tion side down. On II was written. In
the same hand which had addressed
the other envelope:
For my con, John Valiant.
When no reached the age Of twenty
i've.
That, then, had been written by hi,
fsther-and he had died nearly twenty
years ago! lie broke the seal with {
strange feeling rs II. walking In som,
familiar ~thoroughfare. he had stun
bled ON a lichened ant sunken tomb
stone.
When you read this, my son. 20,
will have come 10 mar . estate. II Il
curious 10 think that this black. blacl
Ink may be faded TO gray and Thu
white. white paper yellowed. Just from
q iyihb WnAhih8 po tch6 poe beiohboo
: OF all 10 to think that you yoursel
whose brown head hardly tops thi
desk. will be as tall Il hope as |
d How l wonder what you will look lik,
then! And shall the real. real /.
Q mean-be peering over your stronI
broad shoulder as you read? VIII
knows? Wise men have dreamed sucl
a thing possible-and | am not q bi
O. wise.
II John. you will not have forgotte,
10 that you are n Valiant. But you ar
is also IA Virginian. VIII you have dii
covered this for yourself2 Here Is tn
n decd to the land where I and m
~ father. and his father. and many. man
70 more Valiants before them were bori
ID Sometime. perhaps. you will know VIII
a. you are John Valiant OF New York II
stead OF John Valiant OF Damon
Court cur not tell you myself. b,
Az - go A.