The Ordway new era., 1908-10-30

The destiny OF Brickville was de
cided when Pikey McGinn's chime,
caught fire. and In that flame th'
Brickviilian hope of metropolis II
the heart OF the Bad Lands went uI
In smoke.
Brickville didn't realize II at the
moment. because. paradoNical as II ma.
seem. the little blaze which destroyed
the town was easily got under con
troll. The place hadn't progressed ms
far as fire department. and 1t would
rot have helped matters If II had. \
tipsy cowboy who had been sampllng
| Pikey's hardware vaultcd to the back
of wolfish looking Cayuso. yelled a
few times in hearty Montana fashion.
and then swung his RATA at the chin
ncy. As the moose fell fair about the
stack of bricks he dug spurs Into The
sides of his mount and made run
upon the rope.
The chimney came down with a
crash: the fire was out. the fate Of
Brickville was written.
That is why the town does not ap
pear upon any map. But II ever yon
have ridden over the Northern Pa
ciflc you can probably recall long
and narrow valley TO the north as you
passed out of the bad Lands of Dako-
Ia into the Bad Lands OF Montana.
That Is where Brickville stood. The
soil all about is hard and dry and rrd.
and there is no vcrdurc. Not any
where in sight is there tree. The
side hills are scanned with black stra-
ia. and the rains have carried stains
from these and streaked the VALLEY
with them on both sides OF the muddy
little stream which winds away to the
south.
The black strata are seams OF bitu-
minous coal, and it was in mining this
coal that the Brickvillians made their
living. There is s,Ill pay in these
streaks. but the people who worked
them have driftcd away. and on the
site of the town prairie dogs and coy
otcs and rattlesnakes hold annual con
ventlons which never adjourn.
II any place ever fully justified It's
name. that place was Brickville. At
the height Of its prosperity It had. *
elusive OF sheds and stables. 81 one
story buildings. including the railroad
station. the saloon and the tonsorial
parlor. and every one of them was Of
brIck-evcn the sheds. There were
optimIsts who looked forward To 4
brick courthouse and brick Jail.
and but for the fire In Pikey McGinn's /
these aspirations might have 1
been realized.
Pierre Succotash played perhaps the
most prominent part in Brickyillc's
destruction. Pierre was Frcnch.Ca.
madam, whose rear name had come in
TO collision with Brickvillc's sense OF
and some of its letters were
dislocated by the shock He had
been gold mining in British Colum.
bia. and no one had inquired very
closely into the reason of his coming
from gold TO a coal camp; 1t would
have established an uncomfortable
precedent. But he went nosing about |
the wreck of that chimney, as he went |
nosing into everything that happened |
In town: and Fred Richie, who con-
Quoted the tonsorial parlor," which |
was across the street from McGlnn's, |
saw him suddenly dart In and pick up
broken brick.
Now Fred and Succotash had said
some unpleasant things TO each other
once upon n time. and Fred. believ.
Ing that Pierre was courting trouble,
promptly ran in for his gun: but
when he came out Succotash was no.
where to be seen.
Next morning Pikey found that
some one had carried off nearly half
of his chimney bricks. and he prompt.
ly declared 1t to be the work of Slant.
eye McCaffcrty, his hated rival in the
hardware business. Mac denied this
in vigorous language, and n gunplay
was imminent when the whisky
agent happened along and announced
reduction in rates by the barrel;
and then they had drink, and or
dered half barrel each, and the
hatchet was buried.
But war was on hotter than ever
next day, for the remainder of Pikey's
loose bricks had disappeared In the
night. Pikey swore that Slanteye was
planning cheap extension to his gin
mill, and Mac retorted that he would
be fool indeed to 20 around picking
up hoodoos that had fallen from his
rivals leaky roof.
Then each got a shotgun and stood
out in front OF his saloon waiting for
the other to come along And the
result of this was that trade fell off
in both places, for Brickvillians knew
that shotguns scattered their charges
and they refused to slake their thirst
when there was chance that stray
buckshot might next moment spring
them aleak. So It was that business
interests induced the rivals for a sec
ond time to declare truce, and then
the town breathed easier and drank
oftener.