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Stubborn people

by Ernest Haycox (1899–1950)

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  • 25 min read

"Stubborn people by Ernest Haycox" is a Western short story written in the early 20th century. The piece centers on homesteading life in Central Oregon, using a clash of pride and perseverance between two stubborn young people to explore grit, community, and reconciliation on the high desert. Bud, the big-hearted Burnt Creek storekeeper, watches over the scattered homesteaders, including Jim Hunter, a hard-driving settler still smarting from a quarrel with Mary, a city woman he once called a “butterfly.” Determined to force an apology, Mary arrives to claim a neighboring homestead and prove her mettle, refusing Jim’s help while Bud tries to broker peace. As rumors of the dangerous drifter “Bottle-nose” Henderson spread, Bud hatches a risky plan to scare Mary into accepting protection; Jim mistakes him for the outlaw and they brawl, only for the real Bottle-nose to break into Mary’s cabin. Jim bursts in, thrashes the intruder, and in the heat of fear and relief the couple drop their pride, trade apologies, and admit they belong together. Mary stays, Jim stays, and Bud hauls the captive away, quietly satisfied that stubborn hearts have found their home.

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  • Short stories
  • Western stories
  • Oregon
  • Man-woman relationships

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By Ernest Haycox
Author of “A Burnt Creek Yuletide,” etc.

Old man Bud sat on the porch of his Burnt Creek store, watching the shimmering heat waves that rose out of the jack-pine forest and trailed across the small sand-floored clearing. A lazy drone pervaded the air, broken by the snapping of myriad insects and the impalpable, shutterlike beat of the blazing atmosphere.

He had a habit of reflecting on life. Every act in a man’s life, he reflected now, was affected by every other act. There was no beginning and no end. Just an everlasting onward march. Take Jim Hunter for example.

Bud’s impassive face lightened. “Think of the devil an’ he’s sure to pop up.” From the north leg of the Bend Klamath Highway rode Jim Hunter, a tall and supple fellow who, even in the saddle, seemed unable to bend his shoulders.

“Stubborn as a mule,” reflected Bud in admiration. He waited until Hunter had reached the porch and led the horse into an ineffectual patch of shade before vouchsafing welcome. “You’d save a lot of energy, young fella, if you’d just slouch in the saddle when you’re ridin’. That’s advice from a broken-down cow-puncher. This ain’t no parade.”

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About this edition

This free edition of Stubborn people by Ernest Haycox comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #76938, released 2025-09-27. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Short Stories, Romance, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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