The Little River news., 1922-12-02
When Fortune Knocks
By GILBERT PAYNE

and uncomfortable. It was a willing July day, and he had come twenty seven miles on a disagreeable journey.
 Baynes was district attorney for a tiny rural territory that had practical ly no criminals, and he had regarded the job as sinecure until "Dopy" Troop, a notorious criminal, saw fit to turn his activities to his direction, and, entering the house of an old lady, murdered her In cold blood and got away with haul of several thou sand dollars worth of jewelry.
 The old lady In question happened to be highly connected with certain influences. Wherefore, on the fifth day after the occurrence, when ''DOpy" appeared to have made his getaway successfully, Chester Baynes received a summons to the capital to undergo a grilling at the hands of the governor
 He took with him the chief of DO lice, who had been a grocer, and whose severest task had hitherto been l1lC lIIpOuuhiIiS OI SlLdy uOSo dliA lliC pursuit of urchins caught in the net of stealing apples or tying tin cans to CUTS tails.
 The train was practically empty, except for the chief of police, lolling asleep in one corner with his mouth open, and a yOluminous old lady op- posite Baynes, who sniffed prodigious- ly, in the intervals of applying her handkerchief to her nose.
 The slow Way-train went jogging along, stopping unreasonably every few minutes, as it seemed to Ches- ter He wiped his wet forehead with his handkerchief, then rammed 1t down his collar, then put it back in his pocket. Everything was sticky and humid-and it would be hotter still when Baynes had his interview with the governor and tried to explain why "Dopy" Troop had not yet been detected.
 The chief of police insisted that he was hiding somewhere near the scene of the murder, until the hue and cry died away, but Chester Baynes, and all the rest of the citizens, were sure that he had made his getaway.
 The train logged on, Chester got hotter and hotter, the police chief snored, and the old lady, leaning back with her eyes closed, sniffed.
 Chester listened to the music of the wheels, and he fitted a sniff into every sixth revolution. Sometimes it came, sometimes it just missed. At last 1t became unbearable. He leaned for ward in his seat.
 'For Gods sake stop that snitfing, madamw he said.
 The old woman opened her eyes, looked at him mildly, and went to sleep again. Sniff-snlff-sniff. Out came the handkerchief.
 Chester was becoming absolutely frantic. He sat there thinking of what the governor would say to him and of what he would say to the governor.
 "Sniff! Sniff"
 Chester was feeling murderous. He leaned forward again and beloved in the old lady's ear:
 "For Gods sake, madam, stop that shifting. I tell you I can't bear it."
 The old lady opened her eyes again, looked at him, and nodded politely. Evidently the old lady was stone deaf. She thought he had made some re- mark about the weather. She leaned back, closed her eyes again.
 Sniff! Sniff! Sniff"
 Chester glanced deliberately about him, and his eyes fell on the police chiefs gold-headed cane, which had been presented to him by admirers on the occasion of his vacatlng the grocery counter for his more exalted office. He had lost all control over himself. He felt homicidal.
 Sniff. Sniff"
 Chester Baynes raised the cane and held it, knob downward, in the air.
 Sniff Sniff"
 Chester Baynes let the knob fall on the old lady's head.
 An oath burst from the old lady's lips. The chief of police sat up and rubbed his eyes. Chester rubbed his. The stick had knocked off the wig with the bonnet, disclosing the cropped head of a red-haired ruffian, who was even now making a quick dash for the window.
 Hold him." the police chief shout ed.
 They grasped the man, who was fighting like a demon. But, impeded by his skirts, he was at last downed, and held upon the floor of the con- pertinent, while willing hands soon reduced him to a condition of i'm potence.
 T knew it was Dopy' Troop soon as l heard him sniffing," said the pant ing police chief. That's snow in that handkerchief"
 Chester Baynes looked at him with bitterness that gradually changed to 
 Tt doesn't matter what you and I tell the governor, as long as we stick to it." ne answ cred.