O. Henry
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William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Magi", "The Duplicity of Hargraves", and "The Ransom of Red Chief", as well as the novel Cabbages and Kings. Porter's stories are known for their naturalist observations, witty narration, and surprise endings.
Portrait by W. M. Vanderweyde (1909)
Porter as a young man in Austin
The Porter family, early 1890s – Athol, daughter Margaret, William
Porter as a clerk at the First National Bank in Austin, c. 1892
The Ransom of Red Chief
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" is a short story by O. Henry first published in the July 6, 1907 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It follows two men who kidnap and demand a ransom for a wealthy man's son. Eventually, the men are overwhelmed by the boy's spoiled and hyperactive behavior, so they pay his father to take him back.
The Ransom of Red Chief
First appearance in The Saturday Evening Post.
First published in The Saturday Evening Post.