Magpie's night-bear

In the rugged mining country of western Montana, two prospectors share a cramped cabin, a makeshift loft, and a prized phonograph that draws curious sourdoughs from miles around. The narrator is a quick-thinking storyteller with a talent for finding trouble, while his good-natured partner, Magpie Peters, is fascinated by hypnotism—and blessed with a snore powerful enough to shake the rafters.

Their remote nights take a startling turn when an enormous bear eases through the cabin door under the moonlight. Trapped above the chaos, the narrator watches the animal tangle with the stove, furniture, and sleeping arrangements, then scrambles for any weapon he can find. Packed with frontier characters, colorful dialect, and escalating physical comedy, this lively Western tale turns a simple night in the mountains into an unforgettable test of nerve, ingenuity, and luck.