Wonder. What a contrast it was to the gray, stupid towns where the
Terror waited to spring upon the cowed people. In Bobruisk, Minsk,
Vilna, and Libau the people were sullen and afraid. They walked in
dread, but in the City of Wonder beside the glorious Hudson every person
seemed happy and contented.
They lost their way, but they walked on, looking at the wonderful shop
windows, the roaring elevated trains, and the huge skyscrapers. Hours
afterward they found themselves in Fifth Avenue near Thirty-third
Street, and there the miracle happened to the two Russian immigrants. It
was a big miracle inasmuch as it proved the Dream a truth, a great
truth.
Ivan and Anna attempted to cross the avenue, but they became confused in
the snarl of traffic. They dodged backward and forward as the stream of
automobiles swept by them. Anna screamed, and, in response to her
scream, a traffic policeman, resplendent in a new uniform, rushed to her
side. He took the arm of Anna and flung up a commanding hand. The
charging autos halted. For five blocks north and south they jammed on
the brakes when the unexpected interruption occurred, and Big Ivan
gasped.
"Don't be flurried, little woman," said the cop. "Sure I can tame 'em by
liftin' me hand."
Anna didn't understand what he said, but she knew it was something nice
by the manner in which his Irish eyes smiled down upon her. And in front
of the waiting automobiles he led her with the same care that he would
give to a duchess, while Ivan, carrying the big trunk, followed them,
wondering much. Ivan's mind went back to Bobruisk on the night the
Terror was abroad.
The policeman led Anna to the sidewalk, patted Ivan good-naturedly upon
the shoulder, and then with a sharp whistle unloosed the waiting stream
of cars that had been held up so that two Russian immigrants could cross
the avenue.
Big Ivan of the Bridge took the trunk from his head and put it on the
ground. He reached out his arms and folded Anna in a great embrace. His
eyes were wet.
"The Dream is true!" he cried. "Did you see, Anna? We are as good as
they! This is the land where a muzhik is as good as a prince of the
blood!"
The President was nearing the close of his address. Anna shook Ivan, and
Ivan came out of the trance which the President's words had brought upon
him. He sat up and listened intently:
_We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in
the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter's
evening. Some of us let those great dreams die, but others nourish and
protect them, nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the
sunshine and light which come always to those who sincerely hope that
their dreams will come true._
The President finished. For a moment he stood looking down at the faces
turned up to him, and Big Ivan of the Bridge thought that the President
smiled at him. Ivan seized Anna's hand and held it tight.
"He knew of my Dream!" he cried. "He knew of it. Did you hear what he
said about the dreams of a spring day?"
"Of course he knew," said Anna. "He is the wisest man in America, where
there are many wise men. Ivan, you are a citizen now."
"And you are a citizen, Anna."
The band started to play "My Country, 'tis of Thee," and Ivan and Anna
got to their feet. Standing side by side, holding hands, they joined in
with the others who had found after long days of journeying the blessed
land where dreams come true.
JAMES FRANCIS DWYER
Mr. Dwyer is an American by adoption, an Australian by birth. He was
born in Camden, New South Wales, April 22, 1874; and received his
education in the public schools there. He entered newspaper work, and in
the capacity of a correspondent for Australian papers traveled
extensively in Australia and in the South Seas, from 1898 to 1906. In
1906 he made a tour through South Africa, and at the conclusion of this
went to England. He came to America in 1907, and since that time has
made his home in New York City. He has been a frequent contributor to
_Collier's_, _Harper's Weekly_, _The American Magazine_, _The Ladies'
Home Journal_, and other periodicals. He has published five books,
nearly all dealing with the strange life of the far East. His first
book, _The White Waterfall_, published in 1912, has its scene in the
South Sea Islands. A California scientist, interested in ancient
Polynesian skulls, goes to the South Seas to investigate his favorite
subject, accompanied by his two daughters. The amazing adventures they
meet there make a very interesting story. _The Spotted Panther_ is a
story of adventure in Borneo. Three white men go there in search of a
wonderful sword of great antiquity which is in the possession of a tribe
of Dyaks, the head-hunters of Borneo. There are some vivid descriptions
in the story and plenty of thrills. _The Breath of the Jungle_ is a
collection of short stories, the scenes laid in the Malay Peninsula and
nearby islands. They describe the strange life of these regions, and
show how it reacts in various ways upon white men who live there. _The
Green Half Moon_ is a story of mystery and diplomatic intrigue, the
scene partly in the Orient, partly in London.
In his later work Mr. Dwyer has taken up American themes. _The Bust of
Lincoln_, really a short story, deals with a young man whose proudest
possession is a bust of Lincoln that had belonged to his grandfather;
the story shows how it influences his life. The story _The Citizen_ had
an interesting origin. On May 10, 1915, just after the sinking of the
_Lusitania_, President Wilson went to Philadelphia to address a meeting
of an unusual kind. Four thousand foreign-born men, who had just become
naturalized citizens of our country, were to be welcomed to citizenship
by the Mayor of the city, a member of the Cabinet, and the President of
the United States. The meeting was held in Convention Hall; more than
fifteen thousand people were present, and the event, occurring as it did
at a time when every one realized that the loyalty of our people was
likely to be soon put to the test, was one of historic importance. Moved
by the significance of this event, Mr. Dwyer translated it into
literature. His story, "The Citizen," was published in _Collier's_ in
November, 1915.
LIST OF AMERICAN SHORT STORIES CLASSIFIED BY LOCALITY
I. THE EAST
NEW ENGLAND
_A New England Nun_; _A Humble Romance_, Mary Wilkins-Freeman.
_Meadow-Grass_; _The Country Road_, Alice Brown.
_A White Heron_; _The Queen's Twin_, Sarah Orne Jewett.
_Pratt Portraits_; _Later Pratt Portraits_, Anna Fuller.
_The Village Watch Tower_, Kate Douglas Wiggin.
_The Old Home House_, Joseph C. Lincoln.
_Hillsboro People_, Dorothy Canfield.
_Out of Gloucester_; _The Crested Seas_, James B. Connolly.
_Under the Crust_, Thomas Nelson Page.
_Dumb Foxglove_, Annie T. Slosson.
_Huckleberries Gathered From New England Hills_, Rose Terry Cooke.
NEW YORK CITY
_The Four Million_; _The Voice of the City_; _The Trimmed Lamp_,
O. Henry.
_Van Bibber and Others_, Richard Harding Davis.
_Doctor Rast_, James Oppenheim.
_Toomey and Others_, Robert Shackleton.
_Vignettes of Manhattan_, Brander Matthews.
_The Imported Bridegroom_, Abraham Cahan.
_Little Citizens_; _Little Aliens_, Myra Kelly.
_The Soul of the Street_, Norman Duncan.
_Wall Street Stories_, Edwin Le Fevre.
_The Optimist_, Susan Faber.
_Every Soul Hath Its Song_, Fannie Hurst.
NEW JERSEY
_Hulgate of Mogador_, Sewell Ford.
_Edgewater People_, Mary Wilkins-Freeman.
PENNSYLVANIA
_Old Chester Tales_; _Doctor Lavender's People_, Margaret Deland.
_Betrothal of Elypholate_, Helen R. Martin.
_The Passing of Thomas_, Thomas A. Janvier.
_The Standard Bearers_, Katherine Mayo.
_Six Stars_, Nelson Lloyd.
II. THE SOUTH
ALABAMA
_Alabama Sketches_, Samuel Minturn Peck.
_Polished Ebony_, Octavius R. Cohen.
ARKANSAS
_Otto the Knight_; _Knitters in the Sun_, Octave Thanet.
FLORIDA
_Rodman the Keeper_, Constance F. Woolson.
GEORGIA
_Georgia Scenes_, A. B. Longstreet.
_Free Joe_; _Tales of the Home-Folks_, Joel Chandler Harris.
_Stories of the Cherokee Hills_, Maurice Thompson.
_Northern Georgia Sketches_, Will N. Harben.
_His Defence_, Harry Stilwell Edwards.
_Mr. Absalom Billingslea_; _Mr. Billy Downes_, Richard Malcolm Johnston.
KENTUCKY
_Flute and Violin_; _A Kentucky Cardinal_, James Lane Allen.
_In Happy Valley_, John Fox, Jr.
_Back Home_; _Judge Priest and his People_, Irvin S. Cobb.
_Land of Long Ago_; _Aunt Jane of Kentucky_, Eliza Calvert Hall.
LOUISIANA
_Holly and Pizen_; _Aunt Amity's Silver Wedding_, Ruth McEnery Stuart.
_Balcony Stories_; _Tales of Time and Place_, Grace King.
_Old Creole Days_; _Strange True Stories of Louisiana_, George W. Cable.
_Bayou Folks_, Kate Chopin.
TENNESSEE
_In the Tennessee Mountains_; _Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains_,
Charles Egbert Craddock. (Mary N. Murfree.)
VIRGINIA
_In Ole Virginia_, Thomas Nelson Page.
_Virginia of Virginia_, Amelie Rives.
_Colonel Carter of Cartersville_, F. Hopkinson Smith.
NORTH CAROLINA
_North Carolina Sketches_, Mary N. Carter.
III. THE MIDDLE WEST
INDIANA
_Dialect Sketches_, James Whitcomb Riley.
ILLINOIS
_The Home Builders_, K. E. Harriman.
IOWA
_Stories of a Western Town_; _The Missionary Sheriff_, Octave Thanet.
_In a Little Town_, Rupert Hughes.
KANSAS
_In Our Town_; _Stratagems and Spoils_, William Allen White.
MISSOURI
_The Man at the Wheel_, John Hanton Carter.
_Stories of a Country Doctor_, Willis King.
MICHIGAN
_Blazed Trail Stories_, Stewart Edward White.
_Mackinac and Lake Stories_, Mary Hartwell Catherwood.
OHIO
_Folks Back Home_, Eugene Wood.
WISCONSIN
_Main-Travelled Roads_, Hamlin Garland.
_Friendship Village_; _Friendship Village Love Stories_, Zona Gale.
IV. THE FAR WEST
ARIZONA
_Lost Borders_, Mary Austin.
_Arizona Nights_, Stewart Edward White.
ALASKA
_Love of Life_; _Son of the Wolf_, Jack London.
CALIFORNIA
_The Cat and the Cherub_, Chester B. Fernald.
_The Luck of Roaring Camp_; _Tales of the Argonauts_, Bret Harte.
_The Splendid Idle Forties_, Gertrude Atherton.
NEW MEXICO
_The King of the Broncos_, Charles F. Lummis.
_Santa Fe's Partner_, Thomas A. Janvier.
WYOMING
_Red Men and White_; _The Virginian_; _Members of the Family_,
Owen Wister.
_Teepee Tales_, Grace Coolidge.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
_Caybigan_, James N. Hopper.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
THE RIGHT PROMETHEAN FIRE
In Greek mythology, the work of creating living things was entrusted to
two of the gods, Epimetheus and Prometheus. Epimetheus gave to the
different animals various powers, to the lion strength, to the bird
swiftness, to the fox sagacity, and so on until all the good gifts had
been bestowed, and there was nothing left for man. Then Prometheus
ascended to heaven and brought down fire, as his gift to man. With this,
man could protect himself, could forge iron to make weapons, and so in
time develop the arts of civilization. In this story the "Promethean
Fire" of love is the means of giving little Emmy Lou her first lesson in
reading.
1. A test that may be applied to any story is, Does it read as if
it were true? Would the persons in the story do the things they are
represented as doing? Test the acts of Billy Traver in this way,
and see if they are probable.
2. In writing stories about children, a writer must have the power
to present life as a child sees it. Point out places in this story
where school life is described as it appears to a new pupil.
3. One thing we ought to gain from our reading is a larger
vocabulary. In this story there are a number of words worth adding
to our stock. Define these exactly: inquisitorial; lachrymose;
laconic; surreptitious; contumely.
Get the habit of looking up new words and writing down their
meanings.
4. Can you write a story about a school experience?
5. Other books containing stories of school life are:
_Little Aliens_, Myra Kelly; _May Iverson Tackles Life_, Elizabeth
Jordan; _Ten to Seventeen_, Josephine Daskam Bacon; _Closed Doors_,
Margaret P. Montague. Read a story from one of these books, and
compare it with this story.
THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE
Central Park, New York, covers an era of more than eight hundred acres,
with a zoo and several small lakes. On one of the lakes there are large
boats with a huge wooden swan on each side. Richard Harding Davis
located one of his stories here: See "Van Bibber and the Swan Boats,"
in the volume called _Van Bibber and Others_.
1. How is this story like the preceding one? What difference in the
characters? What difference in their homes?
2. How does Myra Kelly make you feel sympathy for the little folks?
In what ways have their lives been less fortunate than the lives of
children in your town?
3. What is peculiar about the talk of these children? Do they all
speak the same dialect? Many of the children of the East Side never
hear English spoken at home.
4. What touches of humor are there in this story?
5. What new words do you find? Define garrulous, pedagogically,
cicerone.
6. Where did Miss Kelly get her materials for this story? See the
life on page 37.
7. What other stories by this author have you read? This is from
_Little Citizens_; other books telling about the same characters
are _Little Aliens_, and _Wards of Liberty_.
8. Other books of short stories dealing with children are:
_Whilomville Stories_, by Stephen Crane; _The Golden Age_, by
Kenneth Grahame; _The Madness of Philip_, by Josephine Daskam
Bacon; _The King of Boyville_, by William Allen White; _New
Chronicles of Rebecca_, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Read one of these,
and compare it with Myra Kelly's story.
THE TENOR
1. Point out the humorous touches in this story.
2. Is the story probable? To answer this, consider two points:
would Louise have undertaken such a thing as answering the
advertisement? and would she have had the spirit to act as she did
at the close? Note the touches of description and characterization
of Louise, and show how they prepare for the events that follow.
3. One of the most effective devices in art is the use of contrast;
that is, bringing together two things or persons or ideas that are
very different, perhaps the exact opposite of each other. Show that
the main effect of this story depends on the use of contrast.
4. Read the paragraph on page 43 beginning, "It happened to be a
French tenor." Give in your own words the thought of this
paragraph. Is it true? Can you give examples of it?
5. Compare the length of this story with that of others in the
book. Which authors get their effects in a small compass? Could any
parts of this story be omitted?
6. Other stories by H. C. Bunner that you will enjoy are "The Love
Letters of Smith" and "A Sisterly Scheme" in _Short Sixes_.
THE PASSING OF PRISCILLA WINTHROP
1. Does the title fit the story well? Why?
2. Notice the familiar, almost conversational style. Is it suited
to the story? Why?
3. Show how the opening paragraph introduces the main idea of the
story.
4. To make a story there must be a conflict of some sort. What is
the conflict here?
5. How does the account of Julia Neal's career as a teacher (page
64) prepare for the ending of the story?
6. Do you have a clear picture in your mind of Mrs. Winthrop? Of
Mrs. Worthington? Why did not the author tell about their personal
appearance?
7. Point out humorous touches in the next to the last paragraph.
8. Is this story true to life? Who is the Priscilla Winthrop of
your town?
9. What impression do you get of the man behind this story? Do you
think he knew the people of his town well? Did he like them even
while he laughed at them? What else can you say about him?
10. Other books of short stories dealing with life in a small town
are: _Pratt Portraits_, by Anna Fuller; _Old Chester Tales_, by
Margaret Deland; _Stories of a Western Town_, by Octave Thanet; _In
a Little Town_, by Rupert Hughes; _Folks Back Home_, by Eugene
Wood; _Friendship Village_, by Zona Gale; _Bodbank_, by Richard W.
Child. Read one of these books, or a story from one, and compare it
with this story.
11. In what ways does life in a small town differ from life in a
large city?
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI
This story, taken from the volume called _The Four Million_, is a good
example of O. Henry's method as a short-story writer. It is notable for
its brevity. The average length of the modern short story is about five
thousand words; O. Henry uses a little over one thousand words. This
conciseness is gained in several ways. In his descriptions, he has the
art of selecting significant detail. When Della looks out of the window,
instead of describing fully the view that met her eyes, he says: "She
looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard."
A paragraph could do no more. Again, the beginning of the story is
quick, abrupt. There is no introduction. The style is often elliptical;
in the first paragraph half the sentences are not sentences at all. But
the main reason for the shortness of the story lies in the fact that the
author has included only such incidents and details as are necessary to
the unfolding of the plot. There is no superfluous matter.
Another characteristic of O. Henry is found in the unexpected turns of
his plots. There is almost always a surprise in his stories, usually at
the end. And yet this has been so artfully prepared for that we accept
it as probable. Our pleasure in reading his stories is further
heightened by the constant flashes of humor that light up his pages. And
beyond this, he has the power to touch deeper emotions. When Della heard
Jim's step on the stairs, "she turned white just for a moment. She had a
habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest things, and now
she whispered, 'Please God, make him think I am still pretty.'" One
reads that with a little catch in the throat.
In his plots, O. Henry is romantic; in his settings he is a realist.
Della and Jim are romantic lovers, they are not prudent nor calculating,
but act upon impulse. In his descriptions, however, he is a realist. The
eight-dollar-a-week flat, the frying pan on the back of the stove, the
description of Della "flopping down on the couch for a cry," and
afterwards "attending to her cheeks with the powder-rag,"--all these are
in the manner of realism.
And finally, the tone of his stories is brave and cheerful. He finds the
world a most interesting place, and its people, even its commonplace
people, its rogues, its adventurers, are drawn with a broad sympathy
that makes us more tolerant of the people we meet outside the books.
1. Compare the beginning of this story with the beginning of
"Bitter-Sweet." What difference do you note?
2. Select a description of a person that shows the author's power
of concise portraiture.
3. What is the turn of surprise in this story? What other stories
in this book have a similar twist at the end?
4. What is the central thought of this story?
5. Other stories of O. Henry's that ought not to be missed are "An
Unfinished Story" and "The Furnished Room" in _The Four Million_;
"A Blackjack Bargainer" in _Whirligigs_; "Best Seller" and "The
Rose of Dixie" in _Options_; "A Municipal Report" in _Strictly
Business_; "A Retrieved Reformation" in _Roads of Destiny_; and
"Hearts and Crosses" in _Hearts of the West_.
THE GOLD BRICK
This story, first published in the _American Magazine_, was reprinted in
a volume called _The Gold Brick_, published in 1910. The quotation "chip
at crusts like Hindus" is from Robert Browning's poem "Youth and Art."
The reference to "Old Walt" at the end of the story is to Walt Whitman,
one of the great poets of democracy.
1. To make a story interesting, there must be a conflict. In this
the conflict is double: the outer conflict, between the two
political factions, and the inner conflict, in the soul of the
artist. Note how skilfully this inner struggle is introduced: at
the moment when Kittrell is first rejoicing over his new position,
he feels a pang at leaving the _Post_, and what it stood for. This
feeling is deepened by his wife's tacit disapproval; it grows
stronger as the campaign progresses, until the climax is reached in
the scene where he resigns his position.
2. If you knew nothing about the author, what could you infer from
this story about his political ideals? Did he believe in democracy?
Did he have faith in the good sense of the common people? Did he
think it was worth while to make sacrifices for them? What is your
evidence for this?
3. How far is this story true to life, as you know it? Do any
newspapers in your city correspond to the _Post_? To the
_Telegraph_? Can you recall a campaign in which the contest was
between two such groups as are described here?
4. Does Whitlock have the art of making his characters real? Is
this true of the minor characters? The girl in the flower shop, for
instance, who appears but for a moment,--is she individualized?
How?
5. Is there a lesson in this story? State it in your own words.
6. What experiences in Whitlock's life gave him the background for
this story?
7. What new words did you gain from this? Define meritricious;
prognathic; banal; vulpine; camaraderie; vilification; ennui;
quixotic; naive; pharisaism. What can you say of Whitlock's
vocabulary?
8. Other good stories dealing with politics are found in
_Stratagems and Spoils_, by William Allen White.
HIS MOTHER'S SON
1. Note the quick beginning of the story; no introduction, action
from the start. Why is this suitable to this story?
2. Why is slang used so frequently?
3. Point out examples of humor in the story.
4. In your writing, do you ever have trouble in finding just the
right word? Note on page 123 how Edna Ferber tries one expression
after another, and how on page 122 she finally coins a
word--"unadjectivable." What does the word mean?
5. Do you have a clear picture of Emma McChesney? Of Ed Meyers?
Note that the description of Meyers in the office is not given all
at once, but a touch here and then. Point out all these bits of
description of this person, and note how complete the portrait is.
6. What have you learned in this story about the life of a
traveling salesman?
7. What qualities must a good salesman possess?
8. Was Emma McChesney a lady? Was Ed Meyers a gentleman? Why do you
think so?
9. This story is taken from the book called _Roast Beef, Medium_.
Other good books of short stories by this author are _Personality
Plus_, and _Cheerful--by Request_.
BITTER-SWEET
1. Note the introduction, a characteristic of all of Fannie Hurst's
stories. What purpose does it serve here? What trait of Gertie's is
brought out? Is this important to the story?
2. From the paragraph on page 139 beginning "It was into the
trickle of the last----" select examples that show the author's
skill in the use of words. What other instances of this do you note
in the story?
3. Read the sketch of the author. What episode in her life gave her
material for parts of this story?
4. Notice how skillfully the conversation is handled. The opening
situation developes itself entirely through dialogue, yet in a
perfectly natural way. It is almost like a play rather than a
story. If it were dramatized, how many scenes would it make?
5. What does the title mean? Does the author give us the key to its
meaning?
6. What do you think of Gertie as you read the first part of the
conversation in the restaurant? Does your opinion of her change at
the end of the story? Has her character changed?
7. Is the ending of the story artistic? Why mention the time-clock?
What had Gertie said about it?
8. State in three or four words the central idea of the story. Is
it true to life?
9. What is the meaning of these words: atavism; penumbra;
semaphore; astigmatic; insouciance; mise-en-scene; kinetic?
10. Other books of stories dealing with life in New York City are
_The Four Million_, and _The Voice of the City_, by O. Henry; _Van
Bibber and Others_, by Richard Harding Davis; _Every Soul Hath Its
Song_, by Fannie Hurst; _Doctor Rast_, by James Oppenheim.
THE RIVERMAN
1. In how many scenes is this story told? What is the connection
between them?
2. Is there anything in the first description of Dicky Darrell that
gives you a slight prejudice against him?
3. Why was the sympathy of the crowd with Jimmy Powers in the
birling match?
4. Comment on Jimmy's remark at the end of the story. Did he mean
it, or is he just trying to turn away the praise?
5. What are the characteristics of a lumberman, as seen in Jimmy
Powers?