The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-03-25
The
Claimant
By EUNIcE BLAKE

On the estate of Lucien Marivaud, In
France. lived a poor man named Sou
bise and his wife. Marie. the couple
having little son, Francois. M. Mari
vaud had extensive vineyards, from
the product of which he manufactured
wine. Soubise had charge Of the grape
growing, and Marivaud not only val
Fued his services highly. but was very
I fond of him. Soubise's wife died. and
no soon followed her, leaving little
FRANCOIS without home.
4 M. Marivaud had son. Victor. about
Francois age. When the latter was
left an orphan he was taken to the
chateau and became playmate of
Victor. There was brother Of Vic
tor. Louis, much younger than either
of these two boys.
When Victor was eighteen he enter
ed the military school and became an
army officer. Upon graduating he was
4 ordered to join his regiment in Ton
kin. Francois was anxious to see serv-
8 ice and, enlisting In the same regi-
ment. went out with Victor. who
8 agreed to interest himself in his pro
n motion that he might become an off,
Ger.
A year later after fight Lieutenant
Marivaud was reported missing. This
meant that he had fallen into the
hands Of the Chinese, In which case 1t
s was quite likely that he had been muir
i dered. When nothing was heard from
3 him for several years he was given up
A by his family, and when his brother.
& Louis. came of age he inherited the
3 family patrimony. his father having
died without will. M. Marivaud had
s. purposely omitted to make one because
he never ceased to hope that his son
would one day turn out to be among
q the living.
81 Ten years after the departure Of Vic
& tor Marivaud, when there was no mem
a Der Of the family living. Louis. who
3 had for some time possessed and man
4 aged the wine business, became engag
8 ed to Hortense villaret. the daughter
4 of a neighbor Mile. vnlaret belonged
n 10 an aristocratic family, but the es-
8 tate had been conf1scated during one
h Of the many changes in the sovereign.
4 ty Of France. and she was very poor.
4 She and Louis were much In love with
3 each other. and her father favored the
s match because Louis was wealthy and
n could enable Hortense to return to the
style of living to which the family had
Il formerly been accustomed.
All went happily for the lovers till a
A few weeks before the day set for the
4 wedding. Then one day man appear
a ed at the chateau claiming TO be Vic
tor Marivaud Louis was but twelve
years old when his brother left home.
and. granting that this man was Vie
tor. he would not have remembered
him. There was no other person at
hand who had been familiar with Vic
tor to identify him.
But the claimant was able to tell of
many incidents that had happened on
the estate. which went far to prove
that he was what he claimed to be. He
explained his long absence in this wise:
During the fight In which he was re
ported missing he was knocked on the
head by the butt of musket in the
hands Of a Chinaman and stunned.
When he came to himself he remem
bered nothing Of the past, not even his
name. The dead were lying about him;
the wounded had been removed. He
arose and walked till he came to a
city. where he eventually entered the
service Of a French merchant After
passing through various vicissitudes be
was taken suddenly III and was remov-
ed to a hospital. After having been de
nrious on returning to his former con
dition he had exclaimed, you rascally
Chinaman, take that for yoursp' But
seeing a nurse before him instead OF
Chinaman he appeared much sur
prised. BE had returned to a normal
state. remembering that he was Vic
tor Marivaud.
His appearance was terrible blow
TO the lovers, for. according to tho
French law of inheritance, Victor Ma
nvaud was the owner of the estate. in.
Guiding the wine business. He told
Louis so many things that had occur
red during the latter's childhood that
Louis became convinced that the stran
ger was his brother. Nevertheless II
was not to be expected that he would
De pleased to see brother of whom
ne had no remembrance and whC
would dispossess him Of his property
but the severest blow was that NJ. VII
'aret Immediately withdrew his con
sent to his daughters marriage unles
II could be proved that the claimant
was an impostor
Ihere was an old blind woman liv
ing on the place. who. on hearing o
.ne Claimant. desired that he b'
brought to her She asked him few
questions, which seemed to trouble
nim, though he answered them cor
lectiy' Then the old woman directed
mat ne be uncovered to the waist
ms was done. and her hand wa