Psychology and Copper

"Psychology and Copper" by W. C. Tuttle is a funny story set in the early 1900s, combining adventure with some thoughts about how people think and how lucky they are, as characters search for wealth in the mines of the West. The story is about Ike Harper, who goes into business with Magpie Simpkins, a strange scientist, as they deal with the ups and downs of mine ownership, where they reluctantly involve a strange investor. They face many unexpected surprises, reaching its height discovering that another miner has randomly found gold while they were sidetracked by their theories. Tuttle makes a connection between friendship, wanting success, and the silliness of trusting science too much, ending in a funny understanding of how people act when life and mining have completely unpredictable results.