The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-10-29

the heart OF the bad Lands went up
IN smoke
Brlckville didn't realize II at the
moment. because. paradoxlcal as II may
seem. the little blaze which destroyed
the town was easily got under con
troll. The place hadn't progressed as
far as a fire department. and Il would
not have helped matters n II had. A
tipsy cowboy who had been sampling
Pikey's hardware vaulted TO the back
OF a woltlsh'looking cayuse. yelled a
few times in hearty Montana fashion.
and then swung his RATA at the chin
ney. AS the moose fell fair about the
stack OF bricks he dug spurs into the
sides OF his mount and made a 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 you
have ridden over the Northern Pa
einc YOU eau probably recall a long
and narrow valley 10 the north as you
passed out OF the Bad Lands OF Dako.
Ia into the Bad Lands OF Montana.
That Is where Brlckvllle stood. The
soil All about is hard and dry and red.
and there Is no verdure. Not any.
where In sight Is there n tree. The
side hills are scanned with black stra-
"a, 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 70 the
south.
The black strata are seams OF btu
minous coal. and Il was In mining this
coal that the Brickvllllans made their
living There Is still pay In these
streaks. but the people who worked
them have dhfted away. and on the
site of the town prairie dogs and coy
otcs and rattlesnakes hold annual con.
ycniious which never adjourn.
II any place ever fully justified lis
name. that place was Hrickyille At
the height OF its prosperity Il had. OK.
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-cven the sheds There were
optim.sts who looked forward TO a
brick courthouse and brick Jail.
and but for the ere IN Pikcy McGinn's
chimney these aspirations might have
been realized.
Pierre succotash played perhaps the
most prominent part in Brickville's
destruction Pierre was a French-Ca.
madam. whose rear name had come In.
20 collision with Brlckville's sense OF
pronriety. aud some OF its letters were
dislocatcd by the shock. lie had
been gold mining In British Colum-
b.a. and no one had inquired very
closely into the reason OF his coming
from q gold 10 a coal camp; Il would
have established an uncomfortable
precedent But he went noslng about
the wreck OF that chimney. as he went
nosing into everything that happened
In town. and Fred Richie. who con
Quoted the ionsorial parlor." which
vas across the street from McGinn's,
saw him suddenly dart in and pick up
a broken brick.
Now Fred and Succotash had said
some unpleasant Thugs 10 each other
once upon a time. and Fred beliov-
ing that Pierre was counting trouble.
promptly ran IN for his gun: but
when he came out sucootash was no.
where to be seen.
Next morning Pikey found that
some one had carried OF nearly half
u his chimney bricks. and he prompt
ly declared Il 10 be the work of Slant
eye McCafferty. his hated rival In the
hardware business. Mac denied this
In vigorous language. and a 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 a barrel each, and the
Ratchet 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 a cheap extension to his gin
mill. and Mac retorted that he would
be a fool indeed to go around picking
up hoodoos that had fallen from his
rivals leaky roof
Then each got n shotgun aud stood
out I'm front OF his saloon waiting for
the other to come along And the
result OF this was that trade fell of
In both places. for Brickvillians knew
that shotguns scattered their charges
and they refused 10 slake their thirst
when there was a chance that a stray
blekshot might next moment spring
them aleak. So Il was that business
interests Induced the rivals for a sec
ond time 10 declare truce. and then
the town breathed easier and drank
oftener.
A week later Succotash was a pas
senger on u west-bound express with
a ticket to Glendive In his hat band.
And the next east-bound freight
brought in a very scarce article
some lumber-and heavy iron roll
er marked with his name On his re-
turn he Installed the roller IN the
brick shack where he slept and put a
big paddock on the door. What he did