The Lost Blend (Henry)

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.

O. Henry

The Lost Blend

1910

Summary of the Short Story
from the Collection «The Trimmed Lamp»

Microsummary: A shy bartender discovered a mysterious drink that gave him courage, leading him to confess his love to his boss's daughter, while two men unsuccessfully tried to recreate the drink's recipe.

Con Lantry was a bartender at Kenealy's café, a polite and responsible young man who was well-liked by the customers. He had a crush on his boss's daughter, Katherine, but was too shy to express his feelings for her.

👨🏻‍🍳

Con Lantry — shy bartender; clean, polite, and responsible; tongue-tied around women.

👩🏻

Katherine Kenealy — boss's daughter; beautiful, with dark Irish eyes; playful and teasing.

‘It looks like r-rain,’ stammered the shy one, backing to the wall.

‘It looks like r-rain,’ stammered the shy one, backing to the wall.

One day, two men named Riley and McQuirk arrived at the café and began conducting mysterious experiments in the back room, mixing various alcoholic beverages in an attempt to recreate a legendary cocktail they had discovered by accident in Nicaragua.

🧔🏽

Riley — one of the two sunburned men; educated, persistent, and enthusiastic.

👨🏽

McQuirk — the other sunburned man; morose, with a red eye; gloomy and profane.

The cocktail was said to have incredible effects, giving those who drank it courage, ambition, and a sense of invincibility. Riley and McQuirk had been trying for months to recreate the drink, but had so far been unsuccessful. One evening, Con entered the back room and listened to their story, but he did not partake in any of the drinks they offered him, as he only drank water.

‘Twas by accident we discovered this king of drinks, and ‘twill be by good luck if we strike it again.

‘Twas by accident we discovered this king of drinks, and ‘twill be by good luck if we strike it again.

Later that night, Con returned to the café and found Riley and McQuirk being arrested for causing a disturbance. They had gotten into a fight after drinking their latest concoction, which they believed was finally the correct mixture. In the back room, Con discovered a small amount of the golden liquid they had created and decided to taste it.

After drinking the liquid, Con suddenly found the courage to confess his feelings to Katherine. He boldly told her that they were going to get married, and although she was initially shocked by his forwardness, she eventually agreed. The mysterious cocktail had given Con the confidence he needed to pursue his love for Katherine.

‘The news is,’ he said, ‘that we’re to be married.’

‘The news is,’ he said, ‘that we’re to be married.’