W. C. Tuttle

“ Magpie saw that he had riled Bantie so he continued:
“You shore ought to have uh pet around yore cabin. Uh feller gits uh heap uh comfort out of uh pet. Now, old man Sims down at th’ forks, has got uh litter uh gray kittens and I know he’d shore admire to give yuh one. Uh course yuh don’t want nothin’ bigger nor more fee-rocious than house cats. Wild animal pets are only fit fer——”
He had started to make a deprecatory gesture with his right hand, which had suddenly come into contact with fur. Also the fur moved. Magpie took one look and then swallowed his tobacco. ”

“ Bantie grunted and put on his coat.
“My re-marks goes as she lays,” he stated. “I don’t play with no danged menagerie. It’s bad enough to be whipsawed by uh pair uh snake-hunters like you and Magpie but I draws th’ line at havin’ uh wolf under m’ feet and uh grizzly workin’ down wind behind m’ ear. Why I——”
“Say, Tellurium, did yuh ever see my bear dance?” interrupted Magpie. ”

“ I must be gittin’ absent minded, Magpie.”
“I reckon yore both that way,” grinned Bantie. “Th’ other day Magpie is here sittin’ comfortably on m’ bunk, and all to oncet he shoots out of th’ door and gallops off up th’ trail. I stands here plumb surprised. I’m plumb scared that he’s loco.”
Magpie looked at Tellurium in an inquiring way, but Tellurium’s face was hopelessly blank.
The bear and wolf, unleashed, wandered into the cabin just as Bantie stood up and remarked:
“You fellers might as well come in out of th’ sun. Mebby it was th’ heat that affected yuh. ”

“ While yore uh fair—jist fair—pitch player, Bantie, yuh lacks something. If yuh was simply sloppy with th’ milk uh human kindness like me and Magpie you’d git uh pet.”
“That ultimatum,” replied Bantie, “covers that wolf uh yours under th’ bunk, Tellurium. Every time I turns to spit I got to look into his shinin’ eyes. Don’t th’ loafer never sleep?”
“Well,” grinned Tellurium, “he ain’t no regular Rip Van Winkle, but he’s tame—tame enough fer uh man. I believes in uh man-sized pet and fer that reason I cottons to th’ wolf. Uh course he’s only good fer uh grown man.” ”

“ The next night Magpie and Tellurium ambled down to Bantie’s cabin, ostensibly to square things with Bantie but it is worthy of notice that they took their pets along. Bantie wasn’t home and the cabin was locked, so they went back to Tellurium’s cabin and played single-handed poker. ”

“ Nice li’l feller that Bantie.”
“Nice enough fer uh runt, but I don’t admire th’ breed none. He’s too doggone scary, Magpie.”
“Un-ha,” agreed Magpie. “He shore ain’t got no corner on nerve. Well, I got to be goin’. Come over tonight and play uh little poker. I don’t suppose Bantie wants to play but yuh might ask him.”
Tellurium rambled off down the trail and Magpie stood there and watched him for a while. ”