Magpie—diplomat

About this book

Magpie—diplomat by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. It follows two drifting prospectors, Magpie Simpkins and Ike Harper, whose wry “diplomacy” tangles them in the affairs of a boom‑and‑bust mining camp called Pinto. The likely topic is frontier farce: jealous wives, mail‑order romance gone wrong, small‑town politics, and opportunists circling a newly rich mine.

Magpie and Ike meet Pinto’s beleaguered mayor, chief of police, and treasurer—Tex Jenkins, Cold Deck Briggs, and Peevee Jack—who are hiding from their armed, suspicious wives after a bungled scheme with mail‑order brides brings three determined women to town. Magpie tries “diplomacy” by spinning tragic tales to the wives (which only sparks gunplay) and then spreads a new rumor to local sharpers Weinie Lopp, Slim Hawkins, and Andy Johnson that the three newcomers are wealthy eastern investors. He privately counsels the women—Miss Ivy Clemons, Miss Estelle Waterbury, and Miss Clementine Elvington—to play along and angle for better prospects than the married officials. While Magpie and Ike prospect fruitlessly, the officials abandon home and office seeking “peace,” selling their posts to Slim, Weinie, and Andy, who promptly pass self‑serving ordinances and court the women. Heading home, Magpie and Ike encounter three dejected figures on the same roadside rocks—strongly hinting the new regime’s grand designs have soured—capping a tale of schemes, swapped loyalties, and the comic hazards of love and office on the frontier.