The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-10-23
Looting a City
Rv Charles E. Baxter.

LOOClng q C1Cy
BY Charles f. Baxter
"What a city TO loot I" said
Butcher, when he rode into London
In triumph after the battle Of Wa
terloO.
Bill Pickens had much the same
feeling about Small Fork. thriv-
ing township at the edge OF the
desert. There was some irrigated
land around 1t. with peach orchards.
A good deal Of money was made by
the growers. There were three
Banks. Everything had been Gre
ated by the big dam miles up In
the mountains.
Bill Pickens and his friend Smiier
were In hard luck. Small Fork had
not been good to them. They hyd
hit the town only to be escorted to
the boundaries by the sheriff and
warned not to return. They didn't
like It.
They hung around for a while,
cumming from the peach-growers.
The peaeh-growers were not kind.
After q while II was intimated f,ret-
ty plainly that their presence could
be dispensed with. 1t was empha-
sized by dog, a large hound, which
had ripped another patch out Ut Bill
Picken's trousers.
They hung about the dam for a
while, until they wore out their
welcome there. Hard luck stared
them in the face. I'll
"And down there-them bloated
banks!" said Bill to Smiler. Gosh,
IL we could have Small Fork to
ourselves for an hour or twol"
Smiler reflected over this saying
as they lay side by side among the
trees some distance from the dam.
"Bill," he said presently.
Jaw, what va chewing nowr De.
manded his partner sullenly.
"Bill, kin you git a horse7"
"Sure, kin git that horse Of
the boss's. But what good'll that
do1 That's hanging, horse-steaiin'
is."
"Listeni It's been rainin, pretty
hard this last week. I heard the
boss sayin' something about tho
SIrOIu Ou luc Iud6OuIys
"Well, what va gittin' atf'
"Listeny'
They put their heads together.
Dawn smiled over Small Fork.
People rose early there, to rest in
the heat of the day. The stores
were opening, the banks were OPEN
ing, the young men and girls were
getting ready to so to business
when a .hubbub arose.
In the center of Main street q
crowd was gathering about a dusty,
unacceptable man upon q horse.
1.-THE dams goin' to bust! rode
as hard rs I could git. They amt
no chance Of saving 1t. You got
jest one hour, folks. before tho SAL
amoosa river hits this burg!''
Terror arose. The long threat
ened inundati0n was almost at hand.
Once the masonry walls gave way,
the pent up stream would come
roaring down the marrow valley. In
a few minutes from the time It
started 1t would overwhelm Small
Fork.
The township lay in hollow
among the peach orchards. The
force Of the food would simply hat
ter it to destruction. Not a build
Ing would survive. Not man, wUm.
an or child could hope to escape nm
less they reached the rim Of tha
higher ground FIVE miles away.
The bells began to ring. Criers
ran through the streets. In two
minutes Small Fork was vomiting
out a crowd Of terror-stricken peO-
pie. Horses and rigs were called
into requisition. Motor cars. were
TANNED full Of the scared inhabi.
tants.
Within fye minutes. the entire
population Of Small Fork was In
exodus toward the horizon.
It was panic-stricken mob that
did not stand upon the. order Of It's
going, but went. It strakgled away
In long line out Of the doomed
valley. Nothing remained nobody.
that is to say. except Bill Pickens,
Satisfied that he was the sole
survivor OF the town. Bill made his
way to the First National bank ana
Out Of ~ doorway stepped his
friend Smiler. The partners winked
81 each other.
LEFT everything open" SAID B,y
Pickens. II reckon Small, ECrki
sfnt seeh'a bad little burg aftsr III,
You said IT, answered Smiler.
as he picked up . wad from the
c&Shier's drawer. ,ss1ss
"They's . train passea RsR Fcrk
at three O'clock. We rot 10 hurry.
Ton take this First National Ana
I'll try the Orchard asspciatidn.
They got their sshtrment juat ready
AZ thfes O'Clock Two ,traysisrs ~
bFahd-neM 1uits ana cASSff ylnt ~
6nit tasas hopp96 81 hoard the
train Is Ris yos Nc niles scrcss
Z. - 6s alisls III, fas6 ~
hnES y, thund J s sdmittsd asliSfo
49, si 42 ss Il sssaS 81,