A Newspaper Story (Henry)

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O. Henry

A Newspaper Story

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: A newspaper influenced various people's lives, including a couple's reunion, a beauty transformation, a labor strike's prevention, and a boy's protection from punishment.

A young man with a haggard look and the feverish gleam of unrest in his eye picked up a newspaper from a newsstand. He was running late for work, so he decided to read the paper during his lunch break. On his way, he accidentally dropped the paper, along with his new gloves. He walked a few blocks before realizing his loss and hurried back to retrieve them.

When he reached the spot where he had dropped the items, he found a young woman waiting for him. She held his hands tightly and looked into his eyes with a penitent expression. The young man was overjoyed to see her and they reconciled their differences.

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Jack — young man with haggard look and feverish gleam in his eye; reunited with his penitent lover.

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Penitent — young woman with brown eyes; Jack's lover who asked for forgiveness and reunited with him.

DEAR JACK:—Forgive me. You were right. Meet me corner Madison and —th at 8.30 this morning. We leave at noon. PENITENT.

He was holding two little hands as tightly as ever he could and looking into two penitent brown eyes, while joy rioted in his heart.

Meanwhile, the newspaper was picked up by the wind and carried down a side street. It flew into the face of a skittish horse, causing a serious accident. The driver of the buggy was thrown onto the pavement in front of a brownstone mansion. A woman from the mansion rushed to his aid, confessing her love for him as she cradled his head in her lap.

A policeman named O'Brine found the newspaper and read an article about supporting the police force. He was then offered a drink by a bartender, which he accepted gratefully. The policeman later gave the newspaper to a young boy named Johnny, who took it home with him.

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Johnny — small boy; used the newspaper to protect himself from punishment at school.

Johnny's sister, Gladys, had written to the newspaper's beauty editor for advice on how to become more attractive. She found the answer in the paper and followed the advice, which led to her becoming more beautiful.

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Gladys — Johnny's sister; pale girl who used the newspaper to imitate the sound of expensive silk and became more beautiful.

Gladys proceeded toward the avenue. Her eyes now sparkled like jagerfonteins. A rosy bloom visited her cheeks; a triumphant, subtle, vivifying, smile transfigured her face.

Their father, a labor leader, found another part of the newspaper and became engrossed in a puzzle, which ultimately led to the prevention of a dangerous strike.

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The Labor Leader — father of Gladys and Johnny; became engrossed in a puzzle from the newspaper, preventing a labor strike.

In the end, the newspaper had a significant impact on the lives of all those who came into contact with it, demonstrating the power of the press.