O. Henry

O. Henry is the pen-name of the American writer Wil­liam Sydney Porter (1862-1910).

In his youth he changed many professions: he was a cowboy, a reporter, a clerk in a bank; he travelled about America trying to find a job. He met many common peo­ple, and that helped him later in his literary work.

O. Henry is a great master of short story. Common peo­ple, whose life he knew very well, are the main characters of his stories.

Here is a humorous story about two tramps who want­ed to get money by kidnapping the son of rich parents and, demanding a ransom for him.

The Ransom of Red Chief

I

It looked a good thing; but wait till I tell you. We were in the south, in Alabama — Bill and myself. We had about six hundred dollars, and we needed two thousand dollars more and did not know how to get them. It was then that we had that idea of kidnapping someone and demanding a ransom. There was a little town there, which was called Summit. We decided to kidnap the only child of a prom­inent rich man named Ebenezer Dorset. The child was a boy of ten, with bright red hair. Bill and I thought that if we kidnapped him, his father would agree to pay a ran­som of two thousand dollars. But wait till I tell you. About two miles from the town of Summit there was a little mountain, covered with wood. On the slope of the mountain there was a cave. In that cave we stored provisions

In a village three miles away we hired a horse with a little cart. In the evening, after sunset, we drove in that cart past Dorset's house. The boy was in the street. He was throwing stones at a kitten which was sitting on the fence across the street.

«Hey, little boy», said Bill, «would you like a bag of candy and a nice ride?»

The boy threw a stone at Bill and hit him in the eye. That boy fought with us like a bear, but, at last, we put him in the bottom of the cart and drove away. We took him up to the cave.

After dark I drove to the village to return the horse and cart, and then walked back to the mountain.

When I returned, there was a fire burning behind a big rock at the entrance of the cave. Bill was sitting on the grass. The boy was watching a pot of boiling coffee. Two tail-feathers were stuck in his red hair. He pointed a stick at me when I came up and said:

«How cursed pale-face do you dare to enter the camp of Red Chief, the terror of the plains?»

«He is all right now», said Bill. «We're playing Indi­an. I'm Red Chief's captive, and I shall be scalped in the morning».

Yes, sir, that boy was enjoying himself. He liked living in the cave so much, that he had forgotten that he was a captive himself. He immediately named me Snake-eye the Spy, and announced that I should be burnt at sunrise.

Then we had supper; and he filled his mouth full of bacon and bread, and began to talk. He made a long speech, something like this: «I like this very much. I nev­er camped out before. I was nine last birthday. I hate to go to school. Rats ate up sixteen of Jimmy's aunt's hen's eggs. Are there any real Indians in these woods? I want some more bacon. Does the wind blow because the trees move? We had five puppies. Why is your nose so red, Bill? My father has lots of money. Are the stars hot? I don't like girl's. Have you beds in this cave? A parrot can talk, but a monkey or a fish can't».

Every few minutes he remembered that he was a red skin and took his stick, which he called his rifle, and went to the mouth of the cave to see if there were any spies of the pale-faces. Now and then he let out a war-whoop, which made Bill shiver. He was simply terrorized by that boy.

«Red Chief», said I to the boy, «would you like to go home?» «No», said he. «I don't have any fun at home. I hate to go to school. I like to camp out. You won't take me back home, Snake-eye, will you?»

«Not now», said I. «We shall stay here in the cave for some time». «All right», said he. «That'll be fine. I nev­er had such fun in my life».

II

We went to bed about eleven o'clock. We slept on the ground on some blankets. We put Red Chief between us. We were not afraid that he would run away. We could not fall asleep for three hours because every now and then he jumped up and shouted in our ears that the pale-faces were coming. At last I fell asleep and dreamed that I had been kidnapped and tied to a tree by a pirate with red hair.

Just at daybreak I woke up because Bill was screaming. I jumped up to see what the matter was. Red Chief was sit­ting on Bill's chest, holding him by the hair with one hand.

In the other hand he had the sharp knife which we used for cutting bacon. He was trying to take Bill's scalp.

I took the knife from the child and made him lie down again. But Bill could not sleep. I slept a little, but then I woke up. I remembered that Red Chief was going to burn me at sunrise. I was not afraid, but I sat up and lit my pipe.

«Why did you get up so early, Sam?» asked Bill. «Oh, I don't want to sleep», said I.

«That's a lie!» said Bill. «You are afraid. He was go­ing to burn you at sunrise, and you are afraid he will do it. And he will, if he finds a match. Isn't it awful, Sam? Do you think anybody will pay money to get such a boy back home?»

«Of course», said I. «Now you and the Chief get up and cook breakfast, and I shall go to the top of the moun­tain and look around».

I went up to the top of the little mountain and looked down at the town. I thought there would be many people in the streets, talking about how a boy was kidnapped and how to find, him. But the streets of the little town were quiet, there were almost no people, nobody was ex­cited. «Perhaps», I said to myself, «they don't know yet that a child has been kidnapped».

III

When I came back to the cave, I saw that Bill was standing with his back to the wall, breathing hard. The boy was standing in front of him, ready to strike him with a big stone.

«He put a hot potato down my back», explained Bill, «and then mashed it with his foot; and I boxed his ears. «Have you a gun, Sam?» I took the stone away from the boy. «If you don't be­have, «I said, «I'll take you straight home. Now, are you going to be good or not?»

«It was a joke», said he. «I didn't want to hurt him. I'll behave, Snake-eye, if you don't send me home and if you let me play the Black Scout today».

«I don't know the game», said I. «I'm going away, and you will play with Bill».

I thought that it was time to send a letter to old man Dorset, demanding the ransom and dictating how that ransom must be paid. Bill asked me, with tears in his eyes, to make the ransom fifteen hundred dollars instead of two thousand. I agreed, and we wrote this letter: Ebenezer Dorset, Esq.

We have your boy in a place far from Summit. It is useless for you to try to find him. You can have him back only if you pay a ransom. We demand fifteen hun­dred dollars for his return. If you agree, send the mon­ey tonight at half-past eight o'clock. After crossing the river on the road to P., there are three large trees near a fence. At the bottom of the middle tree your messen­ger will find a small box. The messenger must put the money into that box and, immediately return to Sum­mit.

If you pay the money, your son will be returned to you safe within three hours. If you don't pay the ran­som, you will never see your boy again.

Two Desperate men.

I put the letter into my pocket. As I was going to start, the boy came up to me and said:

«I say», Snake-eye, you said I could play the Black Scout today». «Play it, of course», said I. «Mr. Bill will play with you. What kind of game is it?»

stand it. I took him down the mountain, and showed him the way home, and kicked him. I'm sorry we lose the ran­som».

som».

«I'm the Black Scout», said Red Chief, «and I must ride to the fort to tell the people there that the Indians are coming. I'm tired of playing Indian myself. I want to be the Black Scout». — «All right», said I. «I think Mr. Bill will help you». «What must I do?» asked Bill, look­ing at the boy. «You are the horse», said the Black Scout. «Get down on your hands and knees. How can I ride to the fort without a horse?»

Bill got down on his hands and knees. In his eyes there was a look that a rabbit has when you catch it in a trap. «How far is it to the fort?» he asked.

as soon as you can».

IV

«Ninety miles», said the Black Scout and jumped on Bill's back. «Please», said Bill to me, «come back, Sam, as soon as you can»-

I went to the village and sent the letter. When I came back to the cave, Bill and the boy were not there. I walked around but did not see them. So I lit my pipe and sat down to wait.

In about half an hour Bill came out of the bushes. Be­hind him was the boy. He was walking noiselessly, like a scout, there was a broad smile on his face. Bill stopped, took off his hat and wiped his face with a red handker­chief. The boy stopped about eight feet behind him. «Sam», said Bill, «I suppose you will be angry, but I couldn 't help it. The boy has gone, I have sent him home». «What's the matter, Bill?» I asked him.

«He rode me», said Bill», «the ninety miles to the fort. Then, when the people were saved, I was given oats. And then, for an hour, I had to try to explain to him why there is nothing in holes, how a road can run both ways, «and what makes the grass green. I tell you, Sam, I could not «Bill», said I, «you have no heart diseases?» «No», said Bill, «why?»

«Then you may turn around», said I, «and see what's behind you». Bill turned and saw the boy. Bill turned pale and sat down on the ground. Then I told him that I had already sent the letter, and that we should get the ran­som and go away by midnight. So Bill cheered up a little and promised the boy that he would play the Russian in the Japanese war with him.

I had a plan to get that ransom without danger. I had to be sure that Mr. Dorset would not send policemen to those trees. So I went to that place beforehand, and at half-past eight I was already sitting in one of those trees. A young man on a bicycle appeared on the road, rode up to the trees, found the box, put a parcel into it and rode away.

I waited an hour and then climbed down. I took the parcel and hurried back to the cave. We opened the par­cel and found a note, which said:

Two Desperate Men.

Gentlemen: I have received your letter in which you demand a ransom for the return of my son. I think you demand, too much, so I make you anotherpropostion, which, I think, you will accept. You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars, andl agree to take him back. I advise you to come at night, because the neighbours believe he is lost, and I don't know what they would do to you if they saw that you had brought him back.

Ebenezer Dorset.

«Sam», said Bill, «what's two hundred and fifty dol­lars, after all?. We have the money. One more night with this child will send me to the madhouse».

«To tell you the truth, Bill», said I, «he is getting on my nerves», too. We'll take him home, pay the ransom and go away». We took him home that night. We told him that his father had bought a rifle and a pair of moc­casins for him, and that the next night we should go to hunt bears.

It was just twelve o'clock when we knocked at Eben-ezer's front door. We counted our two hundred and fifty dollars into Dorset's hand.

When the boy understood that we were leaving him at home, he started up a howl and caught hold of Bill's leg. With much difficulty his father tore him off. «How long can you hold him?» asked Bill. «I am not as strong as I was», said old Dorset, «but I think I can promise you ten minutes». «Enough», said Bill.

And though it was very dark, and though Bill was fat, and though I am a good runner, he was a good mile and a half out of Summit before I could catch up with him.

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