Between Rounds (Henry): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 08:37, 14 May 2023

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Between Rounds

Summary of the Short Story
from the Collection «The Four Million»

Microsummary: In a city boarding house, a couple constantly argued. When the owner's son went missing, the couple shared a tender moment, imagining their own child lost. The boy was found, and life resumed.

In a bustling city, Mrs. Murphy owned a private boarding house where various tenants lived. Among them were Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey, a constantly bickering couple.

👩🏻‍🦱

Mrs. Murphy — owner of the boarding house; mother of young son Mike; heavyset, emotional, and distraught when her son goes missing.

👨🏻‍🦰

Mr. McCaskey (Jawn) — husband in the bickering couple; often argues with his wife; rough, sarcastic, but shows a tender side when imagining their own child.

👩🏻‍🦳

Mrs. McCaskey (Judy) — wife in the bickering couple; often argues with her husband; sentimental, imagines having a child with her husband during a rare moment of tenderness.

One day, Mrs. Murphy's young son, Mike, went missing, causing panic and concern among the boarders.

👦🏻

Mike — Mrs. Murphy's young son; 6 years old, mischievous, and goes missing in the story, causing panic among the boarders.

As the search for Mike went on, the tenants tried to console Mrs. Murphy and offered their help in finding the boy. During this time, Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey had a rare moment of tenderness, imagining how they would feel if their own child were lost. They even discussed what they would have named their child if they had one. This moment of vulnerability brought them closer together, and they shared their feelings of fear and sadness over the thought of losing a child.

'Tis an awful thing for a bit of a bye to be lost in this great big city. If 'twas our little Phelan, Jawn, I'd be breakin' me heart.

Meanwhile, the other boarders were also affected by the situation. Mr. Toomey and Miss Purdy, for example, found comfort in each other's company as they worried about Mike's safety. Major Grigg, another tenant, went out to search for the boy, even asking around at local establishments.

As the search continued, the tenants and neighbors gathered on the street, sharing rumors and speculations about Mike's whereabouts. Policeman Cleary, who patrolled the area, was amused by the commotion and decided not to intervene in the situation.

Finally, Mrs. Murphy discovered that Mike had been hiding under a bed in her room the entire time. The tenants were relieved to learn that the boy was safe, and life in the boarding house returned to normal. Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey resumed their usual fighting, much to the amusement of Policeman Cleary, who had grown accustomed to their constant bickering. Despite the chaos and worry caused by Mike's disappearance, the incident brought the tenants closer together and revealed their shared concern for one another.

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 {{Summary
 | Title = Between Rounds
-| Cycle = [[Four Million (Henry)| Four Million]]
+| Cycle = [[The Four Million (Henry)|The Four Million]]
 | Author = O. Henry
-| Genre = short story
+| Literary form = short story
 | Year of publication =
-| Microsummary =
+| Microsummary = In a city boarding house, a couple constantly argued. When the owner's son went missing, the couple shared a tender moment, imagining their own child lost. The boy was found, and life resumed.
 | Wikidata =
+| Wikisource = The Four Million/Between Rounds
 }}
 {{Start of text}}
+In a bustling city, Mrs. Murphy owned a private boarding house where various tenants lived. Among them were Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey, a constantly bickering couple.
-It was a beautiful May night and the windows of Mrs. Murphy's boarding house were open. A group of boarders were seated on the stoop, enjoying the warm evening air. Inside, Mrs. McCaskey was waiting for her husband to come home for supper.
+{{Character
+| Name = Mrs. Murphy
+| Description = owner of the boarding house; mother of young son Mike; heavyset, emotional, and distraught when her son goes missing
+| Emoji = 👩🏻‍🦱
+}}
-When Mr. McCaskey arrived, he apologized for disturbing the boarders on the steps and went into his room. Mrs. McCaskey was surprised to find him in a good mood and began to scold him for his drinking habits. Mr. McCaskey responded with a witty retort and the two began to argue. The argument quickly escalated into a full-blown food fight, with the two hurling dishes and food at each other.
+{{Character
+| Name = Mr. McCaskey (Jawn)
+| Description = husband in the bickering couple; often argues with his wife; rough, sarcastic, but shows a tender side when imagining their own child
+| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🦰
+}}
-Suddenly, a loud scream was heard from downstairs. Mrs. Murphy's little boy, Mike, had gone missing. Everyone on the stoop was flustered and Major Griggs offered to search the city for the missing child. Mrs. Murphy was in hysterics, wailing for her lost son.
+{{Character
+| Name = Mrs. McCaskey (Judy)
+| Description = wife in the bickering couple; often argues with her husband; sentimental, imagines having a child with her husband during a rare moment of tenderness
+| Emoji = 👩🏻‍🦳
+}}
-Old man Denny, who was reading a paper on the steps, asked when Mrs. Murphy had last seen Mike. Mrs. Murphy couldn't remember exactly, but she had looked all over the house and he was nowhere to be found.
+One day, Mrs. Murphy's young son, Mike, went missing, causing panic and concern among the boarders.
-Major Griggs hurried off to search for Mike, while Mr. Toomey and Miss Purdy stayed on the steps, holding hands in sympathy. The two old maids, Misses Walsh, asked if anyone had looked behind the clock.
+{{Character
+| Name = Mike
-Meanwhile, in the second floor front, Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey had stopped fighting and were leaning out of the window, listening to the commotion below. Mrs. McCaskey was moved by the thought of what it would be like if it were their own child that was lost. Mr. McCaskey, too, was touched by the thought and put his arm around his wife.
+| Description = Mrs. Murphy's young son; 6 years old, mischievous, and goes missing in the story, causing panic among the boarders
+| Emoji = 👦🏻
+}}
-The search for Mike continued, with people rushing around and filling the air with rumours and speculation. Eventually, Mike was found asleep behind a roll of old linoleum under Mrs. Murphy's bed. Everyone was relieved and the search was called off.
+As the search for Mike went on, the tenants tried to console Mrs. Murphy and offered their help in finding the boy. During this time, Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey had a rare moment of tenderness, imagining how they would feel if their own child were lost. They even discussed what they would have named their child if they had one. This moment of vulnerability brought them closer together, and they shared their feelings of fear and sadness over the thought of losing a child.
-Policeman Cleary, who had been listening to the crash of dishes coming from the McCaskey apartment, was surprised to find that they had been fighting for an hour and a quarter. He shook his head in admiration and strolled away.
+{{Quote|'Tis an awful thing for a bit of a bye to be lost in this great big city. If 'twas our little Phelan, Jawn, I'd be breakin' me heart.}}
-Old man Denny, who had been reading his paper on the steps, hurried up to the house just as Mrs. Murphy was about to lock the door for the night.
+Meanwhile, the other boarders were also affected by the situation. Mr. Toomey and Miss Purdy, for example, found comfort in each other's company as they worried about Mike's safety. Major Grigg, another tenant, went out to search for the boy, even asking around at local establishments.
-The story ends with the boarders relieved that Mike had been found safe and sound. Mrs. McCaskey and Mr. McCaskey had also reconciled, with Mrs. McCaskey forgiving her husband for his bad behaviour.
+As the search continued, the tenants and neighbors gathered on the street, sharing rumors and speculations about Mike's whereabouts. Policeman Cleary, who patrolled the area, was amused by the commotion and decided not to intervene in the situation.
+Finally, Mrs. Murphy discovered that Mike had been hiding under a bed in her room the entire time. The tenants were relieved to learn that the boy was safe, and life in the boarding house returned to normal. Mr. and Mrs. McCaskey resumed their usual fighting, much to the amusement of Policeman Cleary, who had grown accustomed to their constant bickering. Despite the chaos and worry caused by Mike's disappearance, the incident brought the tenants closer together and revealed their shared concern for one another.
 {{End of text}}