The Patroncito's Christmas

n a snow-covered Sierra Roja, Cherokee Sam, a mixed-blood hunter and prospector, seeks refuge and sustenance in a remote gulch after a harsh storm drives deer down from the mountains. While he depends on hunting for food, he faces off against a haughty majordomo who claims the land is owned by a patron, leading to a confrontation about squatter rights. As winter approaches, Sam returns home with a deer but reflects on his lost corn patch, leaving him without the necessary sustenance for Christmas. The story captures his struggle for survival and the tension between land ownership and the rights of those who inhabit it.