The wisdom of Cyclops

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

79223

Title

The wisdom of Cyclops

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

W.C. Tuttle's comedic Western satire follows a ranch crew dealing with terrible cooking, a talking magpie, and a chaotic family reunion where mistaken identities and transposed minds lead to hilarious confusion among the characters.

Summary up to 500 words

In W. C. Tuttle's humorous Western tale, *The Wisdom of Cyclops*, the narrative centers on the chaotic life at the Cross J ranch. The story is narrated by Hen Peck, a banjo-playing cow puncher who works alongside his eccentric boss, old man Whittaker, and a crew that includes the poetic Muley, the sentimental Telescope, and the honest liar Chuck Warner. Their daily existence is already fraught with absurdity due to Harelip Hansen, a terrible cook who claims expertise despite producing inedible meals, and Cyclops, a magpie taught to talk by Muley using profanity before losing an eye in a fight with a coyote. The tranquility shatters when Whittaker receives a telegram regarding his niece, Emily, arriving from Great Falls. In a desperate attempt to stop her, Hen and Chuck send a frantic message warning of rabies and hostile Indians. However, the message fails to reach Emily. Instead, a confused party arrives: Emily's mother (Mrs. Church), her daughter Hulda, and her husband, Dr. Church. The situation devolves into farce upon arrival because Whittaker has lost his mind over his infatuation with a Russian woman named Olga Olsen and believes he is Hansen, while Hansen genuinely believes he is Whittaker. Both men are equally obsessed with Olga. Dr. Church attempts to diagnose the bizarre situation as a rare case of transposed minds, leading to physical altercations involving guns, brooms, and horses. The confusion escalates when the family departs, leaving the ranch crew to deal with the aftermath. The climax occurs when Harelip Hansen returns to collect his unpaid wages. In a stunning revelation, it is disclosed that the two men fighting over Olga are actually Whittaker and Hansen, but their identities have been completely swapped in their own minds. Furthermore, the Russian woman, Olga, reveals she is not Emily's niece but rather Hulda's sister-in-law from Copenhagen, adding another layer of linguistic and cultural confusion to the mix. The story concludes with the family leaving in a wagon, the ranch crew recovering from the dust-up, and the realization that the true identities remain partially unraveled amidst the laughter and chaos.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Western Fiction