When I introduced myself, he stared.
Then his mouth fell open.
"Hiram Walker?"
I nodded.
"Been a long time."
For several seconds, he seemed unable to speak.
Then he reached for my hand.
"Lord preserve us. I thought you were dead."
I smiled sadly.
"Been close a few times."
He laughed.
Then looked toward Josephine.
She introduced herself.
The old man's expression changed.
"Wren?"
She nodded.
"Thomas Wren was my father."
Micah closed his eyes.
For a moment, he looked deeply moved.
Then he invited us inside.
We explained why we'd come.
Josephine showed him the survey.
He examined the paper carefully.
Then asked to see the accompanying notes.
For nearly an hour, he studied the documents in silence.
Occasionally, he removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes.
Finally, he looked toward us.
"This is Thomas's work."
Josephine held her breath.
"You're certain?"
Micah nodded.
"I watched him prepare parts of it."
Then he pointed toward a faint mark near the lower corner.
"That's mine."
I leaned forward.
Near the edge of the paper was a small notation.
M.C.
Micah smiled sadly.
"I was the clerk who witnessed the measurements."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Josephine began crying.
Micah explained that Roland Calder had attempted to enlarge his company's land claims by relying on a disputed description of the stream.
The original survey placed several parcels outside Calder's claimed boundaries.
But the documents later submitted by the company showed different measurements.
Thomas Wren challenged the discrepancy.
Eliza helped prepare statements for several affected families.
And Micah agreed to preserve copies through the appropriate records process.
Then the fire occurred.
Thomas died.
Eliza escaped with his wife and daughter but succumbed to her injuries.
And the settlement's records were scattered or destroyed.
Micah left the area shortly afterward because the company threatened legal action against anyone repeating accusations it considered defamatory.
He believed the remaining copies were lost.
Now Josephine had brought them to his table.
For several minutes, the old man sat silently.
Then he reached for another folder.
Inside were his own notes from the dispute.
Not a complete record.
But enough to compare measurements and identify which original entries had been altered in later copies.
Micah looked toward me.
"Hiram, your land claim rests on later recorded transactions, but these older records explain why Calder's supposed priority may be defective."
I nodded.
"What can we do?"
He considered the question.