The hen-punchers of Piperock

About this book

The hen-punchers of Piperock by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. Set around the rough-and-ready town of Piperock, it lampoons frontier entrepreneurship as cowpokes try to turn chickens and razorback hogs into a booming “ham and eggs” business.

Narrated by Ike, the tale follows his partner Magpie Simpkins, whose craving for ham and eggs sparks a scheme to corner the local egg market. A stage mishap scatters their newly bought hens and unleashes two wild razorbacks that terrorize the town. Competition arrives when Tellurium Woods and Pete Gonyer import their own hens, leading to mixed herds, a “range” dispute over grasshopper-covered hills, and a fistfight. Judge Steele tries to keep the peace by leaving the henhouse door open so each flock might “go home,” but the plan backfires when coyotes wipe out the birds. Meanwhile the hogs keep wrecking things until Jimmy Peyton shoots them and settles with trade. In the end, the partners’ grand venture collapses, and Jimmy posts a sky-high price for ham and eggs—ironically serving them their own “ham”—a comic punchline on supply, demand, and misplaced optimism.