A guard came to the prison shoe-shop, where Jimmy Valentine was assiduously stitching uppers, and escorted him to the front office. There the warden handed Jimmy his pardon, which had been signed that morning by the governor. Jimmy took it in a tired kind of way. He had served nearly ten months of a four year sentence. He expected to stay only about three months, at the longest. When a man with as many friends on the outside as Jimmy Valentine had is received in the "stir" it is hardly worth while to cut his hair."Now, Valentine," said the warden, "you'll go out in the morning. Brace up, and make a man of yourself. You're not a bad fellow at heart. Stop cracking safes, and live straight."
"Me?" said Jimmy, in surprise. "Why, I never cracked a safe in my life."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
My favorite short story writer. His word play and his subject matter are the two best parts of his writing. This is one of his most admired stories.
Photo: Author's home in Austin, TX. Now the O'Henry Museum. (CC) Larry D. Moore.
More information here:
| Literature Daily | More of This Series |
No comments:
Post a Comment