A Newspaper Story

by O Henry
AT 8 A. M. it lay on Giuseppi's news-stand, still damp from te presses. Giuseppi, wit te
!unnin" of is il#, pilandered on te opposite !omer, lea$in" is patrons to elp temsel$es, no
doubt on a teory related to te ypotesis of te wat!ed pot.
Tis parti!ular newspaper was, a!!ordin" to its !ustom and desi"n, an edu!ator, a "uide, a
monitor, a !ampion and a ouseold !ounsellor and $ade me!um.
%rom its many e&!ellen!ies mi"t be sele!ted tree editorials. One was in simple and !aste but
illuminat- in" lan"ua"e dire!ted to parents and tea!ers, depre!a- tin" !orporal punisment for
!ildren.
Anoter was an a!!usi$e and si"nifi!ant warnin" addressed to a notorious labour leader wo was
on te point of insti"atin" is !lients to a troublesome stri#e.
Te tird was an elo'uent demand tat te poli!e for!e be sustained and aided in e$erytin" tat
tended to in!rease its effi!ien!y as publi! "uardians and ser$ants.
(esides tese more important !idin"s and re'uisitions upon te store of "ood !iti)ensip was a
wise pres!ription or form of pro!edure laid out by te editor of te eart- to-eart !olumn in te
spe!ifi! !ase of a youn" man wo ad !omplained of te obdura!y of is lady lo$e, tea!in" im
ow e mi"t win er.
A"ain, tere was, on te beauty pa"e, a !omplete answer to a youn" lady in'uirer wo desired
admonition toward te se!urin" of bri"t eyes, rosy !ee#s and a beautiful !ountenan!e.
One oter item re'uirin" spe!ial !o"ni)an!e was a brief *personal,* runnin" tus+
,-A. /A01+ -- %or"i$e me. 2ou were ri"t. Meet me !omer Madison and -t at 8.34 tis
mornin". 5e lea$e at noon.
6-N7T-NT.
At 8 o'!lo!# a youn" man wit a a""ard loo# and te fe$eris "leam of unrest in is eye
dropped a penny and pi!#ed up te top paper as e passed Giuseppi's stand. A sleepless ni"t
ad left im a late riser. Tere was an offi!e to be rea!ed by nine, and a sa$e and a asty !up
of !offee to be !rowded into te inter$al.
He $isited is barber sop and ten urried on is way. He po!#eted is paper, meditatin" a
belated perusal of it at te lun!eon our. At te ne&t !orner it fell from is po!#et, !arryin" wit
it is pair of new "lo$es. Tree blo!#s e wal#ed, missed te "lo$es and turned ba!# fumin".
/ust on te alf-our e rea!ed te !orner were lay te "lo$es and te paper. (ut e stran"ely
i"nored tat wi! e ad !ome to see#. He was oldin" two little ands as ti"tly as e$er e
!ould and loo#in" into two penitent brown eyes, wile 8oy rioted in is eart.
*,ear /a!#,* se said, *7 #new you would be ere on time.*
*7 wonder wat se means by tat,* e was sayin" to imself9 *but it's all ri"t, it's all ri"t.*
A bi" wind puffed out of te west, pi!#ed up te paper from te sidewal#, opened it out and sent
it flyin" and wirlin" down a side street. :p tat street was dri$in" a s#ittis bay to a spider-
weel bu""y, te youn" man wo ad written to te eart-to-eart editor for a re!ipe tat e
mi"t win er for wom e si"ed.
Te wind, wit a pran#is flurry, flapped te flyin" newspaper a"ainst te fa!e of te s#ittis
bay. Tere was a len"tened strea# of bay min"led wit te red of runnin" "ear tat stret!ed
itself out for four blo!#s. Ten a water-ydrant played its part in te !osmo"ony, te bu""y
be!ame mat!wood as foreordained, and te dri$er rested $ery 'uietly were e ad been flun"
on te aspalt in front of a !ertain brownstone mansion.
Tey !ame out and ad im inside $ery promptly. And tere was one wo made erself a pillow
for is ead, and !ared for no !urious eyes, bendin" o$er and sayin", *O, it was you9 it was you
all te time, (obby; 0ouldn't you see it< And if you die, wy, so must 7, and -- *
(ut in all tis wind we must urry to #eep in tou! wit our paper.
6oli!eman O'(rine arrested it as a !ara!ter dan"erous to traffi!. Strai"tenin" its dise$elled
lea$es wit is bi", slow fin"ers, e stood a few feet from te family entran!e of te Sandon
(ells 0af=. One eadline e spelled out ponderously+ *Te 6apers to te %ront in a Mo$e to Help
te 6oli!e.*
(ut, wist; Te $oi!e of ,anny, te ead bartender, trou" te !ra!# of te door+ *Here's a nip
for ye, Mi#e, ould man.*
(eind te widespread, ami!able !olumns of te press 6oli!eman O'(rine re!ei$es swiftly is
nip of te real stuff. He mo$es away, stalwart, refresed, fortified, to is duties. Mi"t not te
editor man $iew wit pride te early, te spiritual, te literal fruit tat ad blessed is labours.
6oli!eman O'(rine folded te paper and po#ed it playfully under te arm of a small boy tat was
passin". Tat boy was named /onny, and e too# te paper ome wit im. His sister was
named Gladys, and se ad written to te beauty editor of te paper as#in" for te pra!ti!able
tou!stone of beauty. Tat was wee#s a"o, and se ad !eased to loo# for an answer. Gladys was
a pale "irl, wit dull eyes and a dis!ontented e&pression. Se was dressin" to "o up to te a$enue
to "et some braid. (eneat er s#irt se pinned two lea$es of te paper /onny ad brou"t.
5en se wal#ed te rustlin" sound was an e&a!t imitation of te real tin".
On te street se met te (rown "irl from te flat below and stopped to tal#. Te (rown "irl
turned "reen. Only sil# at >? a yard !ould ma#e te sound tat se eard wen Gladys mo$ed.
Te (rown "irl, !onsumed by 8ealousy, said sometin" spiteful and went er way, wit pin!ed
lips.
Gladys pro!eeded toward te a$enue. Her eyes now spar#led li#e 8a"erfonteins. A rosy bloom
$isited er !ee#s9 a triumpant, subtle, $i$ifyin", smile transfi"ured er fa!e. Se was beautiful.
0ould te beauty editor a$e seen er ten; Tere was sometin" in er answer in te paper, 7
belie$e, about !ulti$atin" #ind feelin"s toward oters in order to ma#e plain features attra!ti$e.
Te labour leader a"ainst wom te paper's solemn and wei"ty editorial in8un!tion was laid was
te fater of Gladys and /onny. He pi!#ed up te remains of te 8ournal from wi! Gladys ad
ra$ised a !osmeti! of sil#en sounds. Te editorial did not !ome under is eye, but instead it was
"reeted by one of tose in"enious and spe!ious pu))le problems tat entrall ali#e te simpleton
and te sa"e.
Te labour leader tore off alf of te pa"e, pro$ided imself wit table, pen!il and paper and
"lued imself to is pu))le.
Tree ours later, after waitin" $ainly for im at te appointed pla!e, oter more !onser$ati$e
leaders de!lared and ruled in fa$our of arbitration, and te stri#e wit its attendant dan"ers was
a$erted. Subse'uent editions of te paper referred, in !oloured in#s, to te !larion tone of its
su!!essful denun!iation of te labour leader's intended desi"ns.
Te remainin" lea$es of te a!ti$e 8ournal also went loyally to te pro$in" of its poten!y.
5en /onny returned from s!ool e sou"t a se!luded spot and remo$ed te missin" !olumns
from te inside of is !lotin", were tey ad been artfully distributed so as to su!!essfully
defend su! areas as are "enerally atta!#ed durin" s!olasti! !asti"ations. /onny attended a
pri$ate s!ool and ad ad trouble wit is tea!er. As as been said, tere was an e&!ellent
editorial a"ainst !orporal punisment in tat mornin"'s issue, and no doubt it ad its effe!t.
After tis !an any one doubt te power of te press<