The Washington herald., 1920-11-14
An Q. Henry Story
Bexar Scrip No. 2692

1t was not to be found in the file
and no memorandum OF date on the
wrapper to show that It had ever
been filed.
Under the law the land( Was va
cant. unappropriated public do
main. and open to location.
The land was occupied by a widow
and her only son and she supposed
her title good.
The railroad had surveyed a new
line through the property. and II
had doubled in value.
Sharp. the land agent. did not
communicate with her in any way
until he had filed his, papers. rushed
his claim through the departments
and into the patent room for patent
ing.
Then he wrote her a letter, offer
ing her the choice of buying from
him or vacatipg at once.
He received no reply.
One day he was looking through
some files and came across the miss
ing certificate. Some one, probably
an employe of the office, had, by
mistake, after making some exami-
nation. placed 1t in the wrong file,
and curioE5ly- enough another in
advertence, in there being no record
of its fling on the wrapper, had
completed the appearance of its hav-
ing never been filed.
Sharp called for the file in which
1t belonged and scrutinized II care
fully. fearing he might have over
looked some Endorsement regarding
its return to the office.
On the back of the certificate was
plainly indorsed the date OF fling.
according to law, and signed by the
chief clerk.
II this certificate should be seen
by the examining clerk, his own
claim, when 1t came up for patent
Ing, would not be worth the paper
on which ii was written.
Sharp glanced furtively around.
A young man, or rather a boy about
lS years of age, stood few feet
away regarding him closely with
keen, black eyes.
Sharp. a little confused, thrust
the certificate into the file where 1t
properly belonged and began gath
ering up the other papers.
The boy came up and leaned on
the desk beside him.
"A right interesting office, siri''
ne said Il have never been in here
before. All those papers, now, they
are about lands, are they notp The
titles and deeds. and such things %
Yes" said Sharp. That are sup
posed to contain all the title pa
pers." q
This one. now" said THE boy,
taking up Bexar Scrip mo. 1892,
what land does this represent the
title of? All. see six hundred and
forty acres in B-county? Alb
salon Harris, original grantee
Please tell me, am so ignorant of
these things, how can you tell a
good survey from a bad one am
told that there are a great many
Illegal and fraudulent surveys in
this office. l suppose this one is all
right?"
NO" said Sharp. ''The certificate
is missing. II is invalid"
That paper just saw you place
in that file, 1 suppose is something
else-feld notes, or transfer prob
Yes" said Sharp. hurriedly, Cor
rected field notes. Excuse me, / am
a little pressed for time"
The boy was watching him with
bright. alert eyes.
1t would never do to leave the
certificate in the file: but he could
not take il out with that irquisitive
boy watching him.
He turned to the file room, with a
dozen or more files in his hand, and
accidentally dropped part of them
on the floor. AS he stopped to pick
them up he swiftly thrust Bexar
Scrip No. 2692 in the inside breast
pocket of his coat.
This happened at Just half-past
four o'clock, and when the file clerk
took the files he threw them in a
pile in his room, came out ana
locked the door.
The clerks were moving out of the
doors in long. struggling lines.
1t was closing time.
Sharp did not desire to take the
file from the Land Office.
The boy might have seen him
place the file in his pocket, and the
penalty of the law for such an act
was very severe.
Some distance back from the file
room was the draftsman's room now
entirely vacated by its occupants.
Sharp dropped behind the out
going stream of men, and slipped
slyly into this room.
The clerks trooped noisily down
the iron stairway. singing, whistling
and talking.
Below the night watchman awaited
their exit, ready to close and bar
the two great doors to the south
and east
1t is his duty to take careful nots
each day that no one remains in the
building after the hour of closing
sharp waited until all sounds had
ceased.
1t was his intention to linrer nm
til everything was quiet, and then
to remove the certificate from the
hle. and throw the latter carelessly
on some draftsman's desk, as II
1t had been left there during the
business of the previous day.
He knew also that he must re-
move the certificate from the office
or destroy II, as the chance finding
OF 1t by some clerk would lead to
Its Immediately being restored to
its proper place, and the conse-
quent discovery that his location
over the old survey was absolutely
worthless.
As he moved cautiously along the
stone floor. the loud barking of the
little black dog, kept by the watch
man, told that his sharp ears had
heard the sounds of his steps.
The great, hollow rooms echoed
loudly. move as lightly as he could.
Sharp sat down at a desk and laid
the file before him..
In all his queer practices and
cunning tricks he had not yet in
cluded any act that was downright
criminal.
He had ALWAYS kent ON tha ,atn