The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1918-03-07
The Snowfall
By Ausustu, Goodnrh sherwin
Copyright, 1917. Western Newspaper Union.)

what are you going 10 w Win 'iN
"Get a little further in among the
brush and I'll show yOu," chuckled !
Boyd Willett.
They were rough men in rough |
community, and they had just accom-
plished q rough deed. Briefly, Nlllett
had hired q common criminal TO our
glarize the home of a man with whom
he had a lawsuit over some land, ana
secure documents the lack of when
on the part Of the latter would give
Willett all the advantage.
"What's this? What you sneaking
around here forr suddenly burst
forth Willett, as he stumbled over
PROSTATE form. oh! Indian finland
drunk as usual"
Not fire-water this time" mumbled
the halfbreed. Jim got rheumatism.
Can't go fast"
"Well, liven the way just now ana
don't hang around here poking into
our business" grOwled Willett, giving
the poor wretch a brutal kick that sent
him rolling out of the path.
ut come. l mark you for thatF
growled Jim, and lay where he was
and glared after the fellow who had
humbled and hurt him. Willett ana
his cOnfrere advanced little further
into the wood. Willett scraped up
heap of dry leaves with his foot and
/ lit the mass.
dump on the papers," he said, and
] email
carried and a number of documents
fell into the flames.
They're all there!" gloated Willett.
"Once out of existence my game Is
clear. Now let Richard West and his
slick young lawyer prove that they
have any claim to MOccasin ranch"
"Whewr calculated the other, as
whirl of the wind sent up spiral stray
ing wreaths of smoke and blinded his
sight, and neither he nor Willett OBJ
served that one yellow, time-worn
sheet flew free Of flame contact. Ii
whirled in among some bushes, out
of them and over to where Indian Jim
lay. He secured it, not then knowing
its purport or value.
There was pretty romance current
concerning the young lawyer, vance
Dale, who had the MOccasin ranch land
case, and the daughter of the man
who was his client. Gossip had 1t that
If Richard West won his rights ne
would be a very rich man. Gossip,
too, foretold that If he won the case
Dale would win. as well, Elnora as
reward for his labOrs.
D In all good faith, never dreaming OF
the abstraction of the papers, Richard
West delivered over to his counsel the
box that had contained them. He was
crushed. Frustrated, when Vance Dale
one day Informed him that the boz
was empty.
"Then we will lose the case
mourned West. There was one paper
: a contract, that would have proved
our right of priority. 1t never was re
corded. What can we dol"
Eight to the end" replied young
Dale staunchly. "Willett has a cross
deed, it is true, but you have posses
sion. Yes, we will beat them yet,
g Young Dale came across Indian jim
q one day, sick and half-starved, in al
old dugout, provided for his need
9 and Jim got on his feet.
" Then all minor themes Of interes
= and excitement in the town were oh
2 scured by the great trial. Winter hat
% come, but the courtroom was thronge'
. each day of the trial.
% at looks as If West is beaten out,
. was the popular opinion. but Nanc
. Dale fought the opposite side ever
% inch of the way. The final Afternoon
20 of the trial, however, the loss of tn
papers told heavily against his client
=, Dale arose to deliver his final argu
ment in the case. All he could do wa
20 to make q strong point of the actua
!" occupancy of the ranch by Yves
IS through the years. Willett based nj
~ claim on the deed Of q relative of tn
90 original owner. The contract of thi
man, now dead, with West would hav
been conclusive, but, as shown, 1t ha
been distracted by the criminal aSs(
ciate Of Willett.
Dale rose to make his great apes
before the court. There was hus
in the courtroom, and then, as Dial
lifted one hand to begin his perors
ton, a crash sounded through tn
room. A flying object had smashed
pane of glass, striking the young Law
yer squarely in the breast and the
dropping to the floor. A SNOWFALL ha
come speeding from the outside. Ii
stantly there was connection. Som
court officers ran out. There wer
echoes of rifle shots; then affairs quie
ed down as 1t was known that India
Jim had fired the SNOWFALL from q
overlooking building and had then 1e
on his fleet Indian pony.
Dale had pushed the SNOWFALL asid
with his foot. CHANGING down nov
about to resume his speech, b
CHANGED to observe, protruding frol
one side of the snowy sphere, fra:
ment of buckskin. He pulled at thi
to bring to light pouch, and insid
of 1t the folded document, blown ava
from the fire that night in the wood
-the old contract