The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-10-11
BRINGING
DOWN TIE
HAWK
xxS& *%%x* x K K x X x x X x X X
&c bv D. j. walshl

Squawk. Almost instantly hawk
Awhistled triumphantly. She leaped
TO the door. The children, Jack
and Elsie, ran to her, screaming al the
top of their voices: HE got it J"
Against the blue afternoon sky sailed
a great bird with half-grown yellow
chicken clutched in his talonS.
1--WE were keeping watch. mother,
honest" Six-year-old Jack said ear
nestly. But he just swooped right
down."
1T was the chicken with the droopy
wing. motherl" said five-year-Old
Elsie, half crying.
He'll be back after MORE" Indy
sighed. She was almost overwhelmed
by this new difficulty. A woman alone
with two small children, she had to
fight more than hawks.
The hawk had perched on the
branch of a tree within plain sight
of the house and was coolly making
a meal. When he had finished he
came back for more. Round and
round above the chicken yard he cir
cIed.
Indy watched him anxiously. She
was desperate. Every chicken meant
money. She needed money as never
before.
Suddenly she turned and went into
the house. Her husbands shotgun
rested upon wooden pegs against the
kitchen wall. 1t had never been
touched since the last time he put IL
there. Ii was loaded. Indy knew
how to shoot, although she had hor-
ror of firearms. She took the gun
down and went out Of doors again.
Mother; mOtherI The hawk! Look.
the hawk" shrieked Jack and Elsie.
Indy had a glimpse Of cleaning
wings, low to the ground. As the
bird lifted into the air with another
chicken in his talons she raised the
gun TO her shoulder and fired The
weapon kicked so violently that she
was almost thrown over backward.
"Motherl You got him!" shouted
Jack.
Breathless, shocked, Indy saw the
bird laundering before her. The shot
had broken his wing. She laid down
the gun, grabbed an empty chicken
coop and put it over the bird.
Down the dusty road from town
came a powerful car driven by the
one person in the world whom Indy
feared and distrusted. This was Abe
Akroyd, the man who had sold the
place TO her husband. Payment and
interest were due that day, and she
knew that Abe had come to see
about it.
The car stopped under the great
spruce tree that shaded the shabby
house and Abe stepped out. He was
a heavily built man with gray-bris-
tied Jaw and small hard eyes. He
had a gold tooth that cleaned hugely
when he spoke. Somehow in that mo-
ment he made Indy think of the
hawk, potent. relentless, predatory
But she had worsted the hawk. That
knowledge gave her courage to face
the man.
"Well, Indy, how are you COM
ing?" he began. "You know what
day this is, 1 supposeT' He took a
small black book from his pocket and
consulted it. Payment and interest
$780,"
81 can pay only the interest" Lindy
looked pleadingly into the coarse face.
MY chickens came on slow. In the
fall"
Now. nowI I expected better than
that of you. Indy. You've had a
whole year in which to get righted
since John died"
"a whole yearl" Lindy's lips quiv-
cred.
Abe consulted the book again and
shook his head.
Business is business. You know
that, Indy. I'd like to accommodate
everybody. But if / begin with you
the rest of 'em will be on my back.
I've got a good bit of property trust
ed out around the country. And live
by what folks owe me. I got to treat
all alike: II don't pay TO get too soft
hearted"
81 don't expect anything but fair
treatment. Mr.. Akroyd am doing
the best can. A year isn't very long
for a woman that's working alone with
two small children to earn $500 or
5000 outside her living expenses. All
l ask is an extension of time. Mr..
Akroyd."
Abe squinted upward at the roof of
the small house. A corner of the
loosely shingled roof had blown off in
a recent high wind. When Abe sold
a piece of property he always demand
ed that the buildings be kept in good
condition.
THAT looks bad" he commented.
Indy knew it. She bit her lips.
"Lindy," said Abe, putting the black
book back into his pocket, "T'll tell you
what you better do. You better give
I'D this place and move into town.
You'll find work there. You're never
going to get this place paid for. that's
fair and square. Indy"