Derelicts of the hills

"Derelicts of the hills by W. C. Tuttle" is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. It follows two prospectors in a rough frontier settlement, mixing camp-life comedy with a tangle of romance and deception around a notorious mining man. An Eastern visitor, Frederick Norwood, rides into the hills seeking Tellurium Woods and meets Ike Harper, who explains why Woods won’t be found and recounts the misadventures of his partner, Magpie Simpkins. Magpie, a kind but impractical dreamer dabbling in fads from psychology to spiritualism, falls hard for a Piperock waitress named Minnie, buys her a flashy ring, and plans a swift wedding. On the trail back to town, Ike and Magpie meet a bowlegged stranger, Gus Summers, hunting Woods with a shotgun for running off with his wife—Minnie. The truth hits Magpie, who quietly calls off his plans and heads back to the hills, chastened but steady, while Ike closes the tale with wry good humor as Magpie returns to his beans and their partnership endures.