THE KING’S DESK

Having heard of the defeat of his brother by the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo, Joesph, King of Spain, packed his bags and moved to New Jersey.

Fellow countrymen and emigree, Michael Bouvier, in the process of building a house for the exiled king, gave him this desk for his new home.

My ancestor and son’s namesake, Garret Dorsett Wall, was asked to provide legal services to Joseph and in appreciation for services rendered gave Garret this desk.

Which is how it ended up in the front hallway of the house where my mother grew up.

She reveled in hiding treasure maps and secret notes inside the many small drawers and secret panels inside the desk.

This seems to be how things go with empires.
You start with high hopes but eventually everything you’ve built and acquired over time,
including your furniture, gets taken over and consumed by the fiery imagination of a little girl.