Gabby Hayes Western #43

Chief Gray Matter claims to have definite proof that insects talk—specifically, that moths chew the rag—after a townsfolk debate about whether insects can speak. When the crowd scoffs, he insists on the logic of the evidence, leaving the outcome of the argument unresolved.

In a humorous Western tale, a nervous man named Gopher-Face tries to impress the boss by cooking dinner and baking two pies—apple and mince—but can’t tell them apart, even after marking them with identical "T.M." signs that he doesn’t understand. His confusion leads to a comical misunderstanding when he attempts to serve the pies, only to realize too late that he’s marked both the same way.

Hoghead Harry wakes up convinced a hand at the foot of his bed is a robber, fires his gun in panic, and accidentally shoots two of his own toes—only to realize too late that the hand was just his own foot in the dark. The story unfolds as a humorous misunderstanding, with Hoghead’s exaggerated reaction to a simple nighttime mishap.

In "Vittles for Villains," a hungry Gabby Hayes schemes to steal food from two fake invalids—Stringbean Pole and Stubby Tubbs—who are feigning injuries to live off the generosity of Hester and Ellie Hempstead. When Gabby’s hunger drives him to sneak meals, the ruse unravels, leading to a chaotic showdown where the supposed victims reveal themselves as dangerous outlaws and Gabby must outwit them to survive.

A young man recounts a wild night when he mistook his own shirt for a ghostly intruder, firing his gun in panic before realizing his mistake — only to gasp at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t taken it off. The story plays on exaggerated fear and comic misjudgment in a lighthearted frontier tale.

Young Falcon, the Lone Hunter of the Woods, discovers a dead Osowo warrior with no wounds but strange scratches, leading him to suspect a cursed tumbleweed. When the Osowo chief reveals the tribe’s outcast, Bent Twig, lives beyond Moon Ridge, Young Falcon ventures there at dusk to investigate the strange smoke from Bent Twig’s tepee.

A young woman stumps her cousin with a simple question about the difference between moonlight and sunlight, leading to a lighthearted moment of confusion and humor. The story plays on the contrast between romanticized moonlight and the more revealing glare of daylight, ending with a playful groan.

In a wild showdown at the Bar O, a pretentious stranger claiming to be Sir Loinstake tries to sell the Lazy L Ranch for $20,000, but the sharp-witted foreman Gabby Hayes and ranch owner Ellie Hempstead see through his ruse. When the impostor flees across the prairie, Gabby gives chase in a series of slapstick stunts, culminating in a dramatic capture that reveals the truth behind the scam.