Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-12-30

he RAD suddenly remembered nat
1t Was His TWenty-fifth Birthday.
perhaps need be no question of plain
and spinstered millions-there was
Katharine Fargo!
In his heart John Valiant was aware,
by those subtle signs which men and
women alike distinguish, that while
Katharine Fargo loved first and fore
most her own wonderful person, he
had been an easy second in her re-
gard
John Valiant looked down at the
bulldog squatted on the floor, his eyes
shining in the dimness. A little hot
ripple had run over him. mot on
your life, Chum!" he said. mo shame
less barter! There must be other
things besides money and social posi-
ton in this doddering old world, after
all! We're going to begin something
for ourselves, if it's only raising cab
bages! And we're going to stand it
without any baby-aching-t nurse
never held our noses when we took
our castor-oil!"
1t was folded down, that old bright
page. Finis had been written to the
rose-colored HAPPIER. And even as he
told himself, he was conscious of a
new rugged something that had been
slowly dawning within him, a sense of
courage, even of zest, and a furious
hatred of the self-pity that had
wronched him even for moment.
He turned from the window, picked
u, his letters, and followed by the dog,
went slowly up another flight to his
room.
He tore open the letters distracted
ly: the usual dinner-card or two,
tailor's spring announcement,
chronic serial from az exclamatory-
marble-quarrying company, quarterly
statement of a club house-committee
The last two missives bore a monde
script look.
One was small, with the name of
legal firm in it's corner. The other
was largish, corpulent and heavy, of
stout Manila paper, and bore, down
one side, gaudy procession Of post
age stamps proclaiming that it. had
been registered
whats in that, wonder?" he said
to himself, and then, with a smile at
the unmasculine speculation, opened
the smaller envelope
9 Dear Sir" began the letter, in the
most uncompromisingly conventional
of typewriting:
Dear Sir:
Enclosed please find, with title
deed, a memorandum opened in your
name by the late John Valiant some
years before his death 1t was his
desire that the services indicated in
connection with this estate should con-
tinue till this date. We hand you
herewith our check for $2362O 1.-TWO
hundred and thirty-six dollars and
twenty cents), the balance in your ia
vor, for which please send receipt,
And oblige,
yours very truly,
Emerson and Ball."
"(Enclosure)
He turned to the memorandum. 1t
showed a stable initial deposit against
which was entered a series of annual
IdA pdyu6uLS Will uluOE u1SDuTS0-
ments credited to inspection and
care" The tax receipts were pinned
to the account.
The larger wrapper contained an un-
sealed envelope, across which was
written in faded ink and in an unfa-
miliar dashing, slanting handwriting,
his own name. The envelope con-
tanned a creased yellow parchment,
from between whose folds there
dumped and fluttered down upon the
floor a long fiattish object wrapped
in paper, a newspaper clipping and
letter.
Puzzled he unfolded the cracking
thing in his hands. why" he said
half aloud, ''it's-it's a deed made over
to me-" He overran it swiftly. Part !
Of an old Colony grant /
plantation in Virginia, twelve hun
dred odd acres, given under the hand |
of a vice-regal governor in the six
Iteenth century. l had no idea titles
in the United States went back so far
as that" His eye fed to the end.