Helped by a horse doctor by W. C. Tuttle
QR code
Helped by a horse doctor by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. The tale lampoons frontier boosterism through a comic fraternal-lodge and life‑insurance scheme that snares a hot‑tempered cow‑town and turns petty feuds into farce. Narrator Ike Harper watches his pardner Magpie Simpkins launch the “Loyal Legion of Lizards,” a bogus benevolent order that sells $5‑a‑month policies promising $500 at death. During a
day when Piperock’s new city council erupts into a rolling gunfight, Ike hustles applications from feuding townsmen—mayor Wick Smith, Mighty Jones, Judge Steele, Buck Masterson, Pete Gonyer, and the pious “Old Testament” Tilton—each eager to profit if a rival dies. That night, at the Mint Hall, Doc Milliken examines the candidates; only peaceable Dirty Shirt Jones passes. The initiation devolves into pranks—cayenne‑dusted boots, a blindfolded bullsnake, and a bungled toss from a window—while a battle‑minded goat named John L. scatters the crowd and finally eats the lodge charter. Doc returns the money, noting Dirty passed because he wasn’t mad at anyone, and the grand scheme collapses in slapstick ruin. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
Kobo, Nook etc. → Transfer via USB
Phone, tablet or computer → Open in a reading app
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Tuttle, W. C. (Wilbur C.), 1883-1969 |
|---|---|
| Title | Helped by a horse doctor |
| Original Publication | New York, NY: The Ridgway Company, 1920. |
| Series Title | Produced from the Mid-October, 1920 issue of Adventure magazine. |
| Credits | Prepared by volunteers at BookCove (bookcove.net) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Western stories |
| Subject | Men -- Societies and clubs -- Fiction |
| Subject | Simpkins, Magpie (Fictitious character) -- Fiction |
| Subject | Harper, Ike (Fictitious character) -- Fiction |
| Subject | Piperock (Montana : Imaginary place) -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 78539 |
| Release Date | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 420 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!