Magpie's night-bear

About this book

Magpie's night-bear by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. It centers on a comic frontier mishap in Montana, where two prospectors’ quiet night turns chaotic when a bear wanders into their cabin and a phonograph unexpectedly becomes the key to escaping trouble.

Two prospectors, the narrator and Magpie Peters, are mining on “Plenty Stone Creek” and living in a cluttered cabin prized for its phonograph. In the moonlit night a huge bear slips in, wrecks the stove and cupboard, gets tangled in flour, bedclothes, and a high chair, and drags the protesting Magpie around the room. As the bear seems ready to turn dangerous, it accidentally starts the phonograph, which blares a bugle and marching orders; the bear, trained to drill, shoulders Magpie’s rifle and marches off into the timber. Next day a newspaper notice reveals a lost trained black bear named Gladys “versed in the manual of arms,” confirming the absurdity of the night. The partners briefly consider the reward, but Magpie refuses to pursue a bear that might also be a sharpshooter.