Strictly Business

By O. Henry

1917

First Published

3.68

Average Rating

260

Number of Pages

7H56M

Audio Length

O. Henry (1862-1910) was originally born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a young man, he moved to Austin, Texas where he worked as a bank teller. He moved again to Houston, Texas in 1895 and became a newspaper columnist. In 1896, however, he was called back to Austin, where he was charged with embezzling money from the bank where he had worked. Not wanting to go to prison for his crime, O. Henry fled to Honduras, and stayed there for six months before returning to the United States. Upon his return, the court tried him and put him in an Ohio prison for three years. While in prison, he began writing short stories and it is there that he took the pen-name O. Henry for his writings. After his release from prison in 1901, he moved to New York, which is the setting for many of his stories. He is the author of over 250 stories and is most famous for his use of surprise or 'twist' endings. Notice the twists and surprises in the endings to "The Last Leaf", "The Green Door", and perhaps his most famous story, "The Gift of the Magi". Honors were now coming to O. Henry from everywhere. The poet laureate of England, John Masefield, visited Will and said that Rudyard Kipling, himself successful with the short story, wanted the poet to say hello for him. Willa Cather, then an editor but already writing novels, admired his work. William James, the famous philosopher at Harvard, was recommending O. Henry's books to his students. Mabell Wagnalls of the dictionary publishing family became a dear friend and introduced Will to high society. At this time, poor health robbed his stamina. Despite the doctors orders, O. Henry could not stop drinking. He complained of constant fatigue. At night he couldn't sleep. He lost his appetite. Only malted milks pleased him. But no matter how ill, he made it his business to pass down familiar streets where old friends, depending on his unfailing charity, waited for him. During this time two more books were published. Both were 1910 volumes. Strictly Business, praised by historians for its authentic sociology of derelict life, featured "A Municipal Report, " which has appeared in anthologies of short stories more often than any other story written in America. In this tale O. Henry demonstrates perfect management of picturesque dialect and sharp descriptive detail. His figures, Casesar, the black cabby, and Major Caswell, the professional Southern bore, are full of humanity.

Avg Rating

3.68

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

23%

4 STARS

38%

3 STARS

27%

2 STARS

1 STARS

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Author

O. Henry

Author · 109 books

Such volumes as Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Four Million (1906) collect short stories, noted for their often surprising endings, of American writer William Sydney Porter, who used the pen name O. Henry. His biography shows where he found inspiration for his characters. His era produced their voices and his language. Mother of three-year-old Porter died from tuberculosis. He left school at fifteen years of age and worked for five years in drugstore of his uncle and then for two years at a Texas sheep ranch. In 1884, he went to Austin, where he worked in a real estate office and a church choir and spent four years as a draftsman in the general land office. His wife and firstborn died, but daughter Margaret survived him. He failed to establish a small humorous weekly and afterward worked in poorly-run bank. When its accounts balanced not, people blamed and fired him. In Houston, he worked for a few years until, ordered to stand trial for embezzlement, he fled to New Orleans and thence Honduras. Two years later, he returned on account of illness of his wife. Apprehended, Porter served a few months more than three years in a penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. During his incarceration, he composed ten short stories, including A Blackjack Bargainer , The Enchanted Kiss , and The Duplicity of Hargraves . In 1899, McClure's published Whistling Dick's Christmas Story and Georgia's Ruling . In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he sent manuscripts to New York editors. In the spring of 1902, Ainslee's Magazine offered him a regular income if he moved to New York. In less than eight years, he became a bestselling author of collections of short stories. Cabbages and Kings came first in 1904 The Four Million, and The Trimmed Lamp and Heart of the West followed in 1907, and The Voice of the City in 1908, Roads of Destiny and Options in 1909, Strictly Business and Whirligigs in 1910 followed. Posthumously published collections include The Gentle Grafter about the swindler, Jeff Peters; Rolling Stones , Waifs and Strays , and in 1936, unsigned stories, followed. People rewarded other persons financially more. A Retrieved Reformation about the safe-cracker Jimmy Valentine got $250; six years later, $500 for dramatic rights, which gave over $100,000 royalties for playwright Paul Armstrong. Many stories have been made into films.