登陆注册
15467900000015

第15章 CHAPTER VIII(1)

OF COUNSEL FOR IT

Meanwhile Roscommon had waited. Then, in Garcia's name, and backed by him, he laid his case before the Land Commissioner, filing the application (with forged indorsements) to Governor Micheltorena, and alleging that the original grant was destroyed by fire. And why?

It seemed there was a limit to Miss Carmen's imitative talent.

Admirable as it was, it did not reach to the reproduction of that official seal, which would have been a necessary appendage to the Governor's grant. But there were letters written on stamped paper by Governor Micheltorena to himself, Garcia, and to Miguel, and to Manuel's father, all of which were duly signed by the sign manual and rubric of Mrs.-Governor-Micheltorena-Carmen-de-Haro. And then there was "parol" evidence, and plenty of it; witnesses who remembered everything about it,--namely, Manuel, Miguel, and the all-recollecting De Haro; here were details, poetical and suggestive; and Dame-Quicklyish, as when his late Excellency, sitting not "by a sea-coal fire," but with aguardiente and cigarros, had sworn to him, the ex-ecclesiastic Miguel, that he should grant, and had granted, Garcia's request. There were clouds of witnesses, conversations, letters, and records, glib and pat to the occasion. In brief, there was nothing wanted but the seal of his Excellency. The only copy of that was in the possession of a rival school of renaissant art and the restoration of antiques, then doing business before the Land Commission.

And yet the claim was rejected! Having lately recommended two separate claimants to a patent for the same land, the Land Commission became cautious and conservative.

Roscommon was at first astounded, then indignant, and then warlike,--he was for an "appale to onst!"

With the reader's previous knowledge of Roscommon's disposition this may seem somewhat inconsistent; but there are certain natures to whom litigation has all the excitement of gambling, and it should be borne in mind that this was his first lawsuit. So that his lawyer, Mr. Saponaceous Wood, found him in that belligerent mood to which counsel are obliged to hypocritically bring all the sophistries of their profession.

"Of course you have your right to an appeal, but calm yourself, my dear sir, and consider. The case was presented strongly, the evidence overwhelming on our side, but we happened to be fighting previous decisions of the Land Commission that had brought them into trouble; so that if Micheltorena had himself appeared in Court and testified to his giving you the grant, it would have made no difference,--no Spanish grant had a show then, nor will it have for the next six months. You see, my dear sir, the Government sent out one of its big Washington lawyers to look into this business, and he reported frauds, sir, frauds, in a majority of the Spanish claims. And why, sir? why? He was bought, sir, bought--body and soul--by the Ring!"

"And fwhot's the Ring?" asked his client sharply.

"The Ring is--ahem! a combination of unprincipled but wealthy persons to defeat the ends of justice."

"And sure, fwhot's the Ring to do wid me grant as that thaving Mexican gave me as the collatherals for the bourd he was owin' me?

Eh, mind that now!"

"The Ring, my dear sir, is the other side. It is--ahem! always the Other Side."

"And why the divel haven't we a Ring too? And ain't I payin' ye five hundred dollars,--and the divel of Ring ye have, at all, at all? Fwhot am I payin' ye fur, eh?"

"That a judicious expenditure of money," began Mr. Wood, "outside of actual disbursements, may not be of infinite service to you I am not prepared to deny,--but--"

"Look ye, Mr. Sappy Wood, it's the 'appale' I want, and the grant I'll have, more betoken as the old woman's har-rut and me own is set on it entoirely. Get me the land and I'll give ye the half of it,--and it's a bargain!"

"But my dear sir, there are some rules in our profession,--technical though they may be--"

"The divel fly away wid yer profession. Sure is it better nor me own? If I've risked me provisions and me whisky, that cost me solid goold in Frisco, on that thafe Garcia's claim, bedad! the loikes of ye can risk yer law."

"Well," said Wood, with an awkward smile, "I suppose that a deed for one half, on the consideration of friendship, my dear sir, and a dollar in hand paid by me, might be reconcilable."

"Now it's talkin' ye are. But who's the felly we're foighten, that's got the Ring?"

"Ah, my dear sir, it's the United States," said the lawyer with gravity.

"The States! the Government is it? And is't that ye're afeared of?

Sure it's the Government that I fought in me own counthree, it was the Government that druv me to Ameriky, and is it now that I'm going back on me principles?"

"Your political sentiments do you great credit," began Mr. Wood.

"But fwhot's the Government to do wid the appale?"

"The Government," said Mr. Wood significantly, "will be represented by the District Attorney."

"And who's the spalpeen?"

"It is rumored," said Mr. Wood, slowly, "that a new one is to be appointed. I, myself, have had some ambition that way."

His client bent a pair of cunning but not over-wise grey eyes on his American lawyer. But he only said, "Ye have, eh?"

"Yes," said Wood, answering the look boldly; "and if I had the support of a number of your prominent countrymen, who are so powerful with ALL parties,--men like YOU, my dear sir,--why, I think you might in time become a conservative, at least more resigned to the Government."

Then the lesser and the greater scamp looked at each other, and for a moment or two felt a warm, sympathetic, friendly emotion for each other, and quietly shook hands.

Depend upon it there is a great deal more kindly human sympathy between two openly-confessed scamps than there is in that calm, respectable recognition that you and I, dear reader, exhibit when we happen to oppose each other with our respective virtues.

"And ye'll get the appale?"

"I will."

同类推荐
  • 蚕书

    蚕书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • POEMS

    POEMS

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 普觉宗杲禅师语录

    普觉宗杲禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 蒙养诗教

    蒙养诗教

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 雪屐寻碑录

    雪屐寻碑录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 骷髅戮

    骷髅戮

    风灭残烛,寒烟侵目,伶俜漂泊中蓦然忘了归途。迷茫的双眼看向前路,辉冥苦笑两声,昨日之事散尽若烟尘,唯有父母临死前可怖的表情日日断肠,他不记得是什么让他一夜之间家破人亡,他也不知道自己为什么会走到了京都,他甚至觉得自己快忘了自己——他的记忆在一天一天流失。直到他邂逅了昕蓉,这个美丽的女孩子让他一度沉迷,一度逃避了自己。他以为他可以忘记一切,他痴心地曾构想未来······福兮祸之所倚,危险在逼近,他不知道,他的身体里,生长着另一个自己······
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 邪魅校草恋上冷艳校花

    邪魅校草恋上冷艳校花

    少年诚恳的说“米兰,我爱你”女孩莞尔一笑“我也一样…”他们青梅竹马,他们一起享受过纸醉金迷的日子,也一起渡过无家可归的日子,他们陪伴对方走过童年、少时,也同样会陪伴对方走到夕阳西下之时……
  • 天逆伐仙

    天逆伐仙

    仙要拦我,我弑仙;神要阻我,我灭神;佛要挡我,我屠佛;仙神佛在我脚下颤抖,横推三千界,三界六道在我名颤抖。
  • 白鹿跃于野

    白鹿跃于野

    穿越向来是去异界,去历史里,谁告诉我去未来有什么好处?我去了。我从2016年来,其实并不知道来干嘛的。有一个人告诉我你是个特别的人,要有使命感。我想了想,觉得他说得对。
  • 爱上南宫王子殿下

    爱上南宫王子殿下

    南宫学院:一所超高级贵族学院,在这里读书的所有学生,将来,都会继承自己家世界前300强的公司,也就是说,你的身价如果不上百亿,那么,这个学校,没有你的立足之地!!!!!
  • 太子的身边小懒虫:爆笑太子妃【日30更】

    太子的身边小懒虫:爆笑太子妃【日30更】

    皇权之争,处处险恶。太子给人下了春药,又丢给他一个奇丑无比的女人。他忍着屈辱,却发现那女的不但长得丑,还有花柳病,他杀了她逃出别宛,却强势地在巷子中强J了一个无辜的女子……三天后,发现女子是太子妃,他开始宠她,宠得无法无天,宠得令人发指!
  • 此生无悔二次元

    此生无悔二次元

    “噗——你以为我谁啊?我不过就是一个旅行者,我只不过是去寻找属于我的鳞片而已,终有一天,我要成那——最强神龙!”这就是蓝冰至死不渝的梦想。
  • 火星宇航员期末考试

    火星宇航员期末考试

    想成为火星宇航员?你得闯过5项考试,并且通过终极历练,想试试吗?
  • 青少年幸福行动力(你在为谁读书系列)

    青少年幸福行动力(你在为谁读书系列)

    当代青少年面临学业、情感、就业的重重包围:成绩不佳,于是郁闷;缺乏动力,于是空虚;看不清前路,于是迷茫;考试高压,于是焦虑,于是会追问:读书到底为了什么,是成功吗,那成功又是为什么,无数先哲都说,为了幸福。那么,什么是幸福,如何才能幸福,杨略的爸爸身患绝症,对幸福有了更深切的感悟,于是开发了一套软件,带杨略进入神奇的醒客世界,开始了十五堂幸福课,他们穿梭时空,见证地球形成、复活节岛盛衰,亲历巨鹿之战、甲午之战,洞悉地球危机、生态困境,也游历了未来的城市与乡村,他们纵横千古,与孔子、苏轼、亚当斯密、曾国藩、梭罗、凡高、萨特等世界伟人坐而论道,畅谈古今,妙解人生,金玉良言让杨略醍醐灌顶。