Sixteen to One on Friday

Sixteen to One on Friday by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. Set around a rough Montana cow town, it spins a light, comic tale about range hands, a zealous sheriff, and a notorious whiskey cache. The likely topic is two cowboys caught up in a case of mistaken identity after a stagecoach robbery, whose booze-fueled misadventures—and a brush with escaped circus animals—turn the tables in unexpected ways.

Shiner Seymour narrates how his partner, Friday McGovern, rides to court Matilda, daughter of Sheriff Wilmot, just as a stage holdup points suspicion at two riders who look exactly like them. Fleeing the sheriff’s posse, they hide in a secret cabin near Blue Joint Canyon and uncover a cache of “Sixteen to One” whiskey; after sampling it, they glimpse unbelievable long-necked and striped beasts that spook their horses. The “hallucinations” prove real—escaped animals from a wrecked traveling show—whose sudden appearances panic the true bandits and even the sheriff into tumbling into a clay pit, where Shiner and Friday easily secure the outlaws and earn a reward. Back in town, Friday destroys a letter proposing marriage to Matilda, and Shiner quips that his chances look “sixteen to one,” giving the caper a wry, full-circle finish.