The Parker post., 1918-06-08
The SNOWFALL
By Augustus Goodnch Sherwin
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.

III the udFkneSS.
II got all the papers there We're;
yes" responded the other. "Now,
what are you going to do with them!'
"Get little further In among the
brush and I'll show you," chuckled
Boyd Willett.
They were rough men i'll rough
community, and they had just accom-
plished rough deed. Briefly, Willett
had hired a common criminal to bur-
glarize the home of man with whom
he had a lawsuit over some land, and
secure documents the lack of which
on the part of the latter would give
Willett all the advantage.
whats this? What you sneaking
around here for?" suddenly burst
forth Willett, as he stumbled over
prostrate form. ooh Indian Jim-and
drunk as usual ~
"Not fire-water this time" mumbled
the halfbreed. "Jim got rheumatism.
Can't go fast"
"Well, liven the way just now and
don't hang around here poking into
our business" growled Wllett, giving
the poor wretch brutal kick that sent
him rolling out Of the path.
''It come. / mark you for that !"
growled Jim, and lay where he was
and glared after the fellow who had
humbled and hurt him. Willett and
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
his associate opened small sack ne
sarried 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
Shave any claim to Moccasin ranch"
"Whew!" 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. 1t
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 a 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 it that
If Richard West won his rights he
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.
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 box
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 dO?'
Flight to the end replied young
Dale staunchly. "Willett has cross
deed. 1t is true, but you have posses
sion. Yes, we will beat them yet,
Young Dale came across Indian Jim
one day, sick and half-starved, in an
old dugout, provided for his needs
and Jim got on his feet.
Then all minor themes of interest
and excitement in the town were OBJ
scured by the great trial. Winter had
come, but the courtroom was thrOnged
each day ofsthe trial.
1T looks as if West is beaten out"
was the popular opinion, but Vance
Dale fought the opposite side every
inch of the way. The final afternoon
Of the trial, however the loss of the
papers told heavily against his client.
Dale arose to deliver his final argu-
ment in the case. All he could do was
to make "a strong point of the actual
occupancy of the ranch by West
through the years. Willett based his
claim on the deed of a relative of the
original owner. The contract of this
man, now dead, with West would have
been conclusive, but, as shown, it had
been distracted by the criminal assO-
ciate of Willett.
Dale rose to make his great appeal
before the court. There was hush
in the courtroom, and then, as Dale
lifted one hand to begin his perora-
ton, crash sounded through the
room. A flying object had smashed
pane of glass, striking the young law
yer squarely in the breast and then
dropping to the floor. A SNOWFALL had
come speeding from the outside. In
stantly there was commotiOn. Some
court officers ran out. There were
echoes of rifle shots; then affairs quiet
ed down as it was known that Indian
Jim had fired the SNOWFALL from an
overlooking building and had then fed
on his fleet Indian pony
Dale had pushed the SNOWFALL aside
with his foot. Glancing down now,