Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1918-02-16
The Snowfall


yes" responded the other. snow
what are you going to do with them 2
Get n little further In among the
brush and I'll show you" chuckled
Boyd willett.
They were rough men In a rough
community, and they had just accom-.
pllshed n rough deed. Briefly. Wlilett
had hired n common criminal 10 bur
glarize the home OF man with whom
he had lawsuit over some land. and
secure documents the lack OF which
on the part of the latter would give
willett all the advantage.
whats thlsf What you sneaking
around here forr' suddenly burst
forth wlllett. as he stumbled over n
prostrate form. "Oh Indian Jlm--and
drunk rs usuali'
"Not fre-water this time" mumbled
the halfbreed. "Jlm got rheumatism.
Can't 90 fast" nrI
swell. llven the way Just now and
don't hang around here poking into
our business" growled willett. giving
the poor wretch brutal kick that sent
him rolling out Of the path.
at come. mark you for thati"
growled Jim. and lay where he was
and glared after the fellow who had
humbled and hurt him. wlllett and
his confrere advanced little further
Into the wood. willett scruped up n
heap of dry leaves with his foot and
lit the mass.
dump on the papers," he said. and
his associate opened small sack he
carried and a number OF documents
fell into the flames.
They're all therer' gloated willett.
"0nce out OF existence my game Is
clear. Now let Richard West aud his
slick young lawyer prove that they
have any claim to Moccasin ranch"
"whew!" calculated the other, as a
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
whlrled In among some bushes, ont
OF them and over to where Indian Jim
lay. He secured IT, not then knowing
It's 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 II that
II Richard West won his rights he
would be very rich man. Gossip.
too. foretold that II he won the case
Dale would win, as well. Elnora as a
reward for his lnbors.
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. prostrated. when Vance Dale
one day informed him that the box
was empty.
"Then we will lose the case."
mourned West. There was one paper.
n contract. that would have proved
our right OF priority. II never was re-,
corded. What can we dor"
"Flght to the end" replied young
Dale staunchly. "Wlllett hns cross
Iced. II is true. but you have posses
sion. Yes. we viii beat them yeti.
Young Dale came across Indian Jim Z
me day. sick and half-starved. In an \
bid dugout, provided for his needs :,
Ipd Jim got on his feet. ~
Then all minor themes OF interest
md excitement In the town were OBJ
icured by the great trial. Winter h. ! 4
.atna hut tho a,urtronu, ,x-oo thrnu..ad Y
'ach day Of the trial.
ut looks as II West is beaten out" h
vas the popular opinion, but Vance :,
bale fought the opposite side every
nch of the way. The flnal afternoon
{ the trial. however. the loss OF the
apers told heavily against his client.
Dale arose 10 deliver his final argu-
nent In the case. All he could do was
o make strong point OF the actual
OF the ranch by West
through the years. Wlllett based his III
lain on the deed OF a relative OF the G
riginal owner. The contract of this o
nan. now dead. with West would have =,
'een conclusive. but. us shown, Il had
'een distracted by the criminal assc-
late Of wlllett. {
Dale rose to make his great appeal
'efore the court. There was hush
n the courtroom. and then. as Dale
Ifted one hand TO begin his perora-
Ion, crash sounded through the
Dom. A flying object had smashed
ane OF glass, striking the young law
er squarely In the breast and then \,
ROY ping To the floor. A SNOWFALL had y, ~
ome speeding from the outside. In n
tantly there was commOtion. Some
ourt officers run out. There were N
choes OF rifle shots; then affairs quiet =,
down as II was known that Indian T"
im had fired the SNOWFALL from an
yerloOklng building and had then He'd N
n his fieet Indian pony.