POSTSCRIPTS by O. Henry With an Introduction _by_ Florence Stratton Publishers Harper & Brothers New York and London MCMXXIII Postscripts Copyright, 1923, by Houston Post Copyright, 1923, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the U.S.A. To Mr. Roy G. Watson TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword The Sensitive Colonel Jay A Matter of Loyalty Taking No Chances The Other Side of It Journalistically Impossible The Power of Reputation The Distraction of Grief A Sporting Interest Had a Use for It The Old Landmark A Personal Insult Toddlekins Reconciliation Buying a Piano Too Late Nothing to Say "Goin Home Fur Christmas" Just a Little Damp Her Mysterious Charm Convinced His Dilemma Something for Baby Some Day A Green Hand A Righteous Outburst Getting at the Facts Just for a Change Too Wise A Fatal Error Prompt The Rake-Off The Telegram An Opportunity Declined Correcting a Great Injustice A Startling Demonstration Leap Year Advice After Supper His Only Opportunity Getting Acquainted Answers to Inquiries City Perils Hush Money Relieved No Time to Lose A Villainous Trick A Forced March Book Reviews A Conditional Pardon Inconsistency Bill Nye To a Portrait A Guarded Secret A Pastel Jim Board and Ancestors An X-Ray Fable A Universal Favorite Spring The Sporting Editor on Culture A Question of Direction The Old Farm Willing to Compromise Ridiculous Guessed Everything Else The Prisoner of Zembla Lucky Either Way The "Bad Man" A Slight Mistake Delayed A Good Story Spoiled Revenge No Help for It Rileys Luck "Not So Much a Tam Fool" A Guess-Proof Mystery Story Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Futility The Wounded Veteran Her Ruse Why Conductors Are Morose "Only to Lie--" The Pewee The Sunday Excursionist Decoration Day Charge of the White Brigade An Inspiration Coming to Him His Pension The Winner Hungry Henry's Ruse A Proof of Love One Consolation An Unsuccessful Experiment Superlatives By Easy Stages Even Worse The Shock The Cynic Speaking of Big Winds Unknown Title An Original Idea Calculations A Valedictory Solemn Thoughts Explaining It Her Failing A Disagreement An E for a Knee The Unconquerable An Expensive Veracity Grounds for Uneasiness It Covers Errors Recognition His Doubt A Cheering Thought What It Was Vanity Identified The Apple How It Started Red Conlin's Eloquence Why He Hesitated Turkish Questions Somebody Lied Marvelous The Confession of a Murderer "Get Off the Earth" The Stranger's Appeal The Good Boy The Colonel's Romance A Narrow Escape A Years Supply Eugene Field Slightly Mixed Knew What Was Needed Some Ancient News Notes A Sure Method Endnotes Foreword It is probable that with the presentation of these, among the earliest of the writings of William Sidney Porter (O. Henry), there is nothing left to be added to the total of his work, and that they will close, as they in a large measure opened the career of America's greatest short story writer.