
A ragtag committee of locals—Magpie Simpkins, Judge Steele, Buck Masterson, and a few outspoken strangers—gathers in a dusty tavern to plot the town’s biggest show. Their agenda? Find a shining star and a proper camel‑like beast for a desert‑themed spectacle, all while dodging bureaucratic hiccups and each other’s flamboyant ideas. The dialogue crackles with slang, one‑liners, and a palpable sense that anything could happen before the first curtain lifts.
Enter Maud, a towering mule with a glass eye, a crooked neck and a disdain for humans—a creature as stubborn as the town’s old legends. When the opportunistic Wick Smith tries to barter her for a distant tribe, the whole group spirals into a wild chase filled with tall tales and half‑hearted promises. Listeners are treated to a slapstick, western‑flavored ride that balances quick‑witted repartee with the rough‑and‑tumble charm of frontier life.
Language
en
Duration
~44 minutes (42K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: The Ridgway Company, 1922.
Credits
Roger Frank and Sue Clark
Release date
2021-11-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1883–1969
A hugely prolific Western storyteller, he turned cowboys, ranches, and frontier mysteries into brisk, entertaining adventures for magazine readers. Best remembered for Hashknife Hartley and Sleepy Stevens, he helped shape the lively, humorous side of the classic Western.
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