Real Show Place Oct Standing In the semigloom or the blacksmiths shop I watched Charlie Grant move the wooden arm of the bellows up and down In alow rythmic motion The Induced air enlarged a small red eye firs Into a bright yellow glow which spread across the coals and spewed up a blue tinged flame with every downward thrust The firelight lit the hairy chest of the smith and reflected from the glistening trickles of sweat which collected the dust and appeared as black streaks upon his face The floor was strewn with the remnenls of and In the middle of It all was a neat pile of fresh manure the calling card of a recent visitor Charlies tools were a mixture or the old and the new to provide a service for both horse and tractor There was an anvil resting upon a block cut from a Iroe long before the smith had known the smell of scorching hooves or the hiss of steel from the quenching tank He was a squat thick set man a well worn leather apron tied around his middle His free hand produced a dirty scrap of paper and when he was slow and casual I want this In the classified he said passing mo the note a blackened hand Just a small ad youll know how to word It better than me Picking up a half finished shoe with a pair of longs he thrust It Into the heart of fire agitating the coals until he found a position to hla satisfaction He nodded towards a Case D tractor In a dark corner the shop the symbol of his pride and workmanship ship Gonna avo to sell or he said sadly and almost to himself Gotta do It I need the money real bad At that moment on old horse appeared at the entrance to the smithy and the rider slid off lis bare back Looks like you gol yourself a customer I said The smith glanced lowards the doorway spat a Into the fire with disgust Yeah he drawled I get too many Is kind Credit customers If theyd all pay me I t bo sellin ml tractor I don think I know him I said fishing or the newcomer Identity Charlies face took on a contemptuous leer You aint missed much that there Windy Perkins Spends more time an money In the than on the farm Ho paused with a white hot shoe on the anvil and the hammer poised about to strike But pay me today so will by the e II pay me today He brought the hammer down with a force that emphasized his anger and sparks new in all directions Windy Perkins advanced towards the forge whilst Charlie continued his task As the smith paused to consider each blow he continued to strike the anvil with short taps It produced music which only a blacksmith can play a clang clang clltcllt clang which resounded down the dirt road of Redtrees Whan the glowing heat of Ihe steel had died to a dull red Charlie replaced the shoe Into the fire and began once again to pump the bellows The lull in the clang and gave Windy a chance to speak Ill leave er with you Charlie Got a little business to do in town No as long as I git or before chore time Charlie nodded biting his lip to contain his anger and Windy and I left Ihe shop headed for the newspaper office and Windy made a beellne for the Hotel Throughout afternoon I laboured over rewrite of the who visited who copy and tried to Inject some excitement Into an editorial about projected sewage system In your stupid rag adlsgruntledsubscriberoncetold me Only fit for use in the out ousel Hence the product of my literary endeavours became nicknamed tho Redtrees Grunt and Thunder From lime to time I peered out of the window curiously awaiting the appearance of Windy Perkins at smithy recover his nag How would the collect his debt Having the long nose of a I was determined lo find out II was past my closing time when I spied Windy weaving unsteadily up the street I grabbed my coat and hat and closed up office The race to the smithy was no centos I and I was already showing his advertising copy whan the flushed ace Windy You t Finished you aln t a hood ml Windy complained with alcoholic bitterness It time or mi chores so Is Charllo faced his debtor squarely hands on hips and foot astride His black face cracked into a triumphant grin I vo pulled old shoos off an I fit the new una as soon as git paid Thatll be for three shoelns Twelve number sevens at seventy cents and twelve settings thirtyfive Thai twelve dollars and sixty cents Windy broke Into a drunken fury and he pulfed and blew In exasperation Ill take some else so I will you you you Ride into ell lor all I care Charlie Interjected but she no place without shoes Ho clenched his fists In anger and his arm muscles rippled In the firelight I my money Windy and I want now Windy threw his hands in air In utter defeat Had ha been a chess player he would neve known that he had been placed In checkmate by a horse his own horse Reluctantly ho pulled out a tattered wallet and extracted a couple of crumpled bills Glmmo Ihe chango he said The game of high finance was over and It was time to return to my other occupation at the Hungry Hundred Charlie hurried towards me as I smithy Say he said bubbling with success would it be O K If I I put that ad In paper If I could col loot a few more debts this way maybe I could hang on to ml tractor Fall Reflections J REAL ESTA TE BROKER CUSTOM BUILT EXECUTIVE HOME park I aero lot Hi has a car wiy largo bedrooms formal room rain Hoc lor J REAL ESTATE BROKER Wilson Drive Milton Gerry 3196