The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-04-16


sealed envelope, across which was
written In faded ink and in an unfa.
miliar dashing, slanting handwriting. !
his own name. The envelope con
tanned creased yellow parchment. !
| from between whose folds there !
dumped and nuttered down upon the !
floor a long nattish object wrapped
] In a paper, a newspaper clipping and
letter.
Puzzled he unfolded the cracking
thing in his hands Why" he said
half aloud, "its-its a deed made over
to me" lie overran II swiftly Part
OF an old Colony grant
plantation in Virginia. twelve hun.
dred odd acres. given under the hand
OF vice-regal governor in the six
teenth century had no Idea titles
In the United States went back so far
as 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. 1t was worn and broken in the
|
months in Il pocketbook.
1t will interest readers OF this sec
ton OF Virginia (the paragraph be-
gam to learn. from a recent transfer
received for record at the County
Clerks office, that Damory Court has
passed to Mr.. John Valiant, minor
He turned the paper over and found
date; 1t had been printed in the year
OF the transfer to himself, when he
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 is connected.
The fact. moreover, that this old home
stead has been left in it's present state
(for. as is we'll known, the house has
remained with all its contents and fur
nishings untouched) to rest during so
long a term OF years unoccupied. could
not, OF course, fall to be commented
on. and this circumstance alone has
perhaps tended to keep alive a melan-
choly story which may well be for
gotten"
He read the elaborate, rather stilted
phraseology in the twenty-year-oid pa
per with wondering interest. An
old house" he mused, with a bad
name. Probably he couldn't sell II.
: and maybe nobody would ever live in
it. That would explain why It re-
NAMED 30 long unoccupied-why there
| - n l.f
the land was starved and run down.
ITS 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.
T. When my twenty-eight hundred is
gone, could live down there a landed
proprietor, and by the same mark an
honorary colonel, and raise the cab
, bages l was talking about-eh, Chum
while you stalk rabbits. How does
: that strike you!"
, He laughed whimsically. He, John
Valiant, OF New York, first-nighter al
i, it's theaters, hail-fellow- well-met In II:
:. !. club corridors and Welcome diner a
= any one OF hundred brilliant glass
misunderstanding supper tables, en-
. tombed on the wreck OF Virgins
plantation. a would-be country gentle
man, on hn automobile and next L
nothing a year,
He bethought himself OF the faller
letter and possessed himself CT 1
quickly. It lay with the superscrip
tion side down. On 1t was written. II
the same hand which had addresse,
the other envelope:
For my son, John Valiant,
When he reaches the age Of twenty
I'VE.
That, then. had been written by hi
fsther-and he had died nearly twent
years ago! lie broke the seal with
strange feeling as IL, walking in som
familiar thoroughfare. he had stun
bled on lichened ant sunken tomt
stone
When you read this, my son. yo
will have come to man estate. 1t
curious to think that this black, blac
ink may be faded to gray and thi
white, white paper yellowed, just fror
=, lying waiting so long. But stranges
4, OF all is to think that you yoursel
whose brown head hardly tops thi
desk. will be as tall Il hope as.
ID How ! wonder what you will look lik
then! And shall 1.-THE real. real |.
le mean-be peering over your stron
al broad shoulder as you read! VII
knows! Wise men have dreamed sue
a thing possible-and | am not a b
To- wise.
ur "John you will not have forRotte q
ne that you are Valiant. But you al
is also a Virginian. VIII you have di
In covered this for yourself? Here is II
n deed to the land where and m
ou father, and his father. and many. man
'o more valiants before them were Dor
nd Sometime. perhaps. you will know VIII
Ia you are John Valiant OF New York 4
| sLead Of lnhn Valiant of na MOI