By Courier (Henry)

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

O. Henry

By Courier

Summary of the book
from the Collection «The Four Million»

Microsummary: A young lady misinterpreted her lover's actions, believing he was unfaithful. He sent a message through a boy, explaining his innocence. She realized her mistake after reading a letter and asked for reconciliation.

A young lady sat alone on a bench in a park, lost in her thoughts. She seemed melancholic, but her youthful features and resolute expression suggested that her sadness was a recent development. As she sat there, a tall young man walked through the park, accompanied by a young boy carrying a suitcase. Upon seeing the young lady, the man's face turned red and then pale, revealing his anxiety and hope. He passed by her without any acknowledgment from her side.

After walking some distance, the young man stopped and sat on another bench, asking the boy to deliver a message to the young lady. He told the boy that he was on his way to San Francisco to join an Alaska moose-hunting expedition. He explained that the young lady had forbidden him from speaking or writing to her, so he was making a last appeal to her sense of justice. He asked her to reconsider her decision to discard him without giving him a chance to explain himself.

The boy approached the young lady and relayed the message. She listened with a hint of interest, and responded by saying that she valued loyalty and truth above all else. She told the boy to inform the young man that she had seen him embracing another woman, Miss Ashburton, in a conservatory, which had shattered her ideals and led her to end their relationship.

The boy returned to the young man and conveyed the young lady's message. In response, the young man handed the boy a letter and asked him to give it to the young lady, saying that it would explain the situation. He also told the boy to inform her that his loyalty had never wavered.

The young lady read the letter, which was from Miss Ashburton's father, thanking the young man for his timely assistance when Miss Ashburton had suffered a heart attack at a reception. The letter revealed that the young man was a doctor and had been attending to Miss Ashburton in a professional capacity. Realizing her mistake, the young lady's eyes filled with tears of joy.

She instructed the boy to tell the young man that "his girl wants him." The story ends with the young lady's newfound understanding of the situation and her desire to reunite with the young man, who had remained loyal and true to her throughout their ordeal.