CHAPTER XXXVII 

"Come," says the White Logic, "and forget these Asian dreamers of old time. Fill your glass and let us look at the parchments of the dreamers of yesterday who dreamed their dreams on your own warm hills." 

I pore over the abstract of title of the vineyard called Tokay on the rancho called Petaluma. It is a sad long list of the names of men, beginning with Manuel Micheltoreno, one time Mexican "Governor, Commander-in-Chief, and Inspector of the Department of the Californias," who deeded ten square leagues of stolen Indian land to Colonel Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo for services rendered his country and for moneys paid by him for ten years to his soldiers. 

Immediately this musty record of man's land lust assumes the formidableness of a battle--the quick struggling with the dust. There are deeds of trust, mortgages, certificates of release, transfers, judgments, foreclosures, writs of attachment, orders of sale, tax liens, petitions for letters of administration, and decrees of distribution. It is like a monster ever unsubdued, this stubborn land that drowses in this Indian summer weather and that survives them all, the men who scratched its surface and passed. 

Who was this James King of William, so curiously named? The oldest surviving settler in the Valley of the Moon knows him not. Yet only sixty years ago he loaned Mariano G. Vallejo eighteen thousand dollars on security of certain lands including the vineyard yet to be and to be called Tokay. Whence came Peter O'Connor, and whither vanished, after writing his little name of a day on the woodland that was to become a vineyard? Appears Louis Csomortanyi, a name to conjure with. He lasts through several pages of this record of the enduring soil. 
Who loaned Mariano G. Vallejo $18,000?
How long ago?
Who said to forget the Asian dreamers of old?
Who was Manuel Micheltoreno?
What did he take from the Indians?
Who did he give it to?
Can you name a type of deed?
What is like a monster?
What was the abstract of title of the vineyard named?
What rancho was it on?
What won on the long, sad list?
Whose name was first on it?
Why was land deeded to Colonel Don Mariano?
What was called musty?
Who wrote his name on the woodland?
What was the woodland supposed to turn into?
Whose name lasts through several pages?
What were the pages of?
What did the White Logic say to do with your glass?
And then look at what?
James King
Who was this James King of William, so curiously named? The oldest surviving settler in the Valley of the Moon knows him not. Yet only sixty years ago he loaned Mariano G. Vallejo eighteen thousand dollars 
sixty years ago
Yet only sixty years ago he loaned
the White Logi
Come," says the White Logic, "and forget these Asian dreamers 
Mexican "Governor,
 beginning with Manuel Micheltoreno, one time Mexican "Governor,
Indian land
 ten square leagues of stolen Indian land
Colonel Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Indian land to Colonel Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo 
deeds of trust,
There are deeds of trust,
the land
 It is like a monster ever unsubdued, this stubborn land
Tokay
 called Tokay 
Petaluma
on the rancho called Petaluma
the names of men
t is a sad long list of the names of men
Manuel Micheltoreno
t is a sad long list of the names of men, beginning with Manuel Micheltoreno
for services rendered his country
 Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo for services rendered his country
record of man's land lust
 musty record of man's land lust 
Peter O'Connor
Peter O'Connor, and whither vanished, after writing his little name 
a vineyard
the woodland that was to become a vineyard
Louis Csomortanyi
Appears Louis Csomortanyi, a name to conjure with. He lasts through several pages 
record of the enduring soil.
pages of this record of the enduring soil.
Fill it
Fill your glass 
the parchments of the dreamers of yesterday
 us look at the parchments of the dreamers of yesterday