Psychology and Copper

A weather‑worn narrator drifts through the rough‑hewn world of western prospectors, where luck and science clash on dusty ridges. He and his eccentric companion, Magpie Simpkins—a man who can read a rock like a book—stake claims along Plenty Stone Creek, hoping a shrewd investor will turn their modest finds into fortune. Their dealings bring them into contact with Peters, a quirky, chin‑less broker whose endless mineral‑handbooks hint at both opportunity and danger.

When a polished Bostonian, Alfred Myron Cowgill, arrives and declares the copper‑rich vein the finest he’s ever seen, the pair strike a modest cash deal and are hired to guard the property. As they settle into this new role, Magpie’s odd rituals and sudden reticence add an undercurrent of mystery to the otherwise straightforward mining life. Listeners are invited into a vivid portrait of rugged ambition, colorful characters, and the thin line between scientific curiosity and frontier superstition.