When in 2014 we came from Lugansk to Russia in connection with well-known events, literally on the first day I bought my daughter a thin book with O’Henry’s stories so that she would have something to read.

Opening the book, Nastya read: “He did not live full life, who has not experienced love, war and poverty "and, thinking, she said:" But, it turns out, I already lived a full life .... ". She was then 11 years old. And this phrase of hers was quite in the spirit of the writer's stories, and therefore was remembered. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! War and poverty is understandable, but that she had already “experienced” love was a discovery. Then my daughter re-read a lot of O'Henry's stories, his stories helped a lot at that moment. If there was a collection where there was at least one story that had not been read before, she begged to buy or download it by e-mail. It seemed to me that we read everything written by the writer! But it turns out not! Because the stories from the collection of the publishing house "ENAS-KNIGA" "Leader of the Redskins" have never been seen before (the exception is the story that gave the name to the collection). And it's great that to this day we can discover new stories from our favorite author.

The collection contains three stories: "The Leader of the Redskins", "Prince from the High Road" and "With a Courier". All of them are united by heroes-children. The first story needs no introduction. The plot of this story has been played out more than once in films and cartoons: the children's favorite "Imp with a fluffy tail" is the same "Leader of the Redskins". Two robbers decided to kidnap a boy from a wealthy family for ransom. But he turned out to be so spoiled that the robbers were also willing to pay extra themselves so that the child was taken back to the family.

The heroine of the second story, 11-year-old girl Lena, is forced to work at the Kamnetes Hotel and do the hardest work. She is the real Cinderella. She believes in fairy tales and is waiting for a handsome prince! And the prince does appear. True, he smells of schnapps, and he has stubble on his cheeks, but without a doubt, this is a real Prince!

The third story reminded me of the famous "Gift of the Magi": here we also see two lovers. They are in a quarrel because of a misunderstanding. And the link between them was a little boy who happened to be nearby, who agreed to become a courier for loving people. And now the problems are solved, and the heroes will definitely be happy.

It is noteworthy that the last two stories were translated specifically for this edition, that is, they are printed in this translation for the first time. The stories are ideal for reading 10+ (you can do it earlier, but it seems to me that the writer’s humor is better understood from the age of ten). They are funny (which schoolchildren love very much), but at the same time, there is always a note of sadness and a kind of “homemade truth” in the text. Well, plus everything, O'Henry's stories are studied at school and are recommended for extracurricular reading.

The book was published in the "Children" series. Hard cover, offset paper, color illustrations by N. Panin.

The leader of the Redskins

* * *

Prisoner No. 34 627

The history of world literature knows not so many names of true masters of the short story. Among them are such renowned names as Anton Chekhov, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Horacio Quiroga, Stephen King, and William Sidney Porter, who chose the literary pseudonym O. Henry (1862–1910), is rightfully included here.

A short story is not at all insignificant literary genre on the contrary: many authors tried their hand at it, but few succeeded. Several pages containing collisions whole life, with convexly outlined heroes and vivid characters, with subtle humor and deep feelings, full of surprises and plot wit, - this is the "aerobatics" of literature, honed craftsmanship, accurate and truthful transmission of reality, simplicity and brilliance of style, as they say, "in one vial."

As for the knowledge of life, then Bill Porter was not interested in it. In less than 48 years, full of dramatic events, he saw and experienced everything that fate could prepare for a man from the bottom in America late XIX V. Orphaned at the age of three, he was brought up under the care of his paternal aunt, studying to become a pharmacist, and at the same time worked in a pharmacy owned by his uncle. And a few years later, the future writer went to Texas, where he tried many professions and occupations: he worked on a ranch, served in the land administration, was a cashier and an accountant in a bank. In 1894, Porter began publishing the humorous weekly Rolling Stone in the Texas city of Austin, almost completely filling its pages with his own essays, miniatures, jokes, poems, and even drawings. The magazine lasted only a year, and then an event occurred that radically changed the life of its publisher.

The bank, where Billy Porter still worked, had a shortage. It was on the eve of the audit, and there was no time to look for the real culprit. It became clear that all the blame would be placed on the cashier. Billy did not wait for the accusations and preferred to hide, leaving his young wife in Austin. First, he moved from city to city, hiding under false names, and then waved across the Mexican border.

Thus began his wanderings in Central and South America, where Porter found himself among the Yankee adventurers who traded in various dubious ways among the gullible natives. In 1898, news of his wife's serious illness caught up with him, and he immediately returned to the United States. Unfortunately, his wife had already died, and before the voice of the priest who led the funeral service had ceased, Porter was arrested, convicted and taken to the prison in Columbus, Ohio, where he spent the next three years as prisoner No. 34,627.

In prison, William Porter worked in the infirmary and the prison pharmacy, at the same time he began to write stories - a completely different content than those that were once published in his magazine: thin, riddled with sad irony, with unexpected endings. Their heroes were those with whom he lived side by side - people of the American bottom, vagrants, swindlers, swindlers and petty gangsters. The first of these stories, Whistler Dick's Christmas Present, was published in the popular McClure's Magazine in 1899 under the pseudonym O. Henry. The real name of the author remained unknown to the editors, and the fee for the story received by the prisoner was spent on a Christmas present for his only daughter, who was brought up by distant relatives.

However, fate prepared a new surprise for the writer - this time much more pleasant. Readers noticed the new author, and by the time he was released, the mysterious O. Henry, who sent his stories to the editors through third parties, was famous, and publishers literally hunted him. But for another two years he remained in the background and only in 1903 he arrived in New York, where one of the major magazines offered him a contract - to write a story a week.

So the prisoner No. 34 627, aka William Sidney Porter, ceased to exist, and the outstanding American writer O. Henry was born.

His literary heritage is 18 volumes - these are 273 stories and the novel "Kings and Cabbage". Shortly before his death from a serious illness, O. Henry himself claimed: “Everything that I have written so far is just pampering, a test of the pen, compared to what I will write in a year.” And this self-assessment turned out to be completely wrong: its exclusive place in the history of literature of the early 20th century. the writer took on as a brilliant master of the "small" genre, the creator of unique plots, magnificent dialogues and unexpected endings, in which the voices of all America sounded - from millionaires and politicians to laundresses, small speculators and clerks. But the main thing in these stories is not even plots, but warmth and genuine humanity, which are felt literally in every line that came out from under his pen.

From the collection "Noble swindler"

Personal magnetism

Jeff Peters owned a wide variety of ways to make money. He had about the same number of them as in South Carolina rice recipes.

I loved listening to him talk about the days when he was young, peddling rheumatism ointments and cough powders, starving, and sometimes betting the last copper to play dice with fate.

“I showed up once in the village of Fisherman Hill in Arkansas,” he said. “I was wearing deer suede pants, moccasins, long hair, and on my finger a ring with a diamond the size of a hazelnut, which I received from an actor in Texarkana in exchange for a penknife.

At that time I was called Dr. Wuf-Hoo, a famous Indian medicine man and healer, and in my hands I had nothing worthwhile, except for one drug - "Resurrection Tincture". It consisted of herbs, allegedly discovered by the wife of the leader of the Choctaw tribe named Ta-qua-la. Beauty was picking herbs to decorate a traditional dish served during the Corn Festival when she stumbled upon this herb.

In the town where I had been before, things were getting worse than ever: I had only five dollars left. So when I arrived at Fisherman Hill, I went to the pharmacy and borrowed a hundred bottles. Labels and other supplies were in my suitcase. I rented a hotel room with a sink and faucet, and soon bottles of Resurrection Potion began to line up on the table in front of me. Life seemed to me quite acceptable again.

Scam? No way, sir. After all, there was not only water. I honestly added two dollars' worth of quinine and ten cents worth of harmless dye to it. Many years later, when I again visited those parts, people annoyed me with requests to sell them another portion or two of the magic remedy.

Toward evening I got hold of a cart, wheeled it out on Main Street, and started trading. You should know, sir, that Fisherman Hill is located in a swampy and extremely unhealthy area. That's why my tincture went briskly, like ham sandwiches at a vegetarian dinner. I managed to sell two dozen bottles for half a dollar apiece, when I suddenly felt that someone was pulling me from behind by the floor.

Should I not know what that means! Without thinking twice, I slipped a five-dollar bill into the paw of a fellow with a silver star on his chest.

“Sheriff,” I say, “it’s been a wonderful evening today!”

And he replied:

- Do you have a patent from the city authorities for the right to sell the poison that you impudently call medicine?

“Of course not,” I say, “because I didn’t know it was a city. If so, I'll take care of the patent tomorrow.

“In the meantime, I have to shut down your business,” says the policeman.

I stopped trading, and on my return to the hotel I told the owner what had happened.

“Yeah,” he says. “We won’t let you turn around here. Do you know why? The mayor's son-in-law, Dr. Haskins, is the only doctor in town, and the mayor won't let some impostor steal his patients.

“Well, I don’t go in for medicine,” I say. “I have permission from the state government to retail, and when the local authorities require a special patent, I just pay for it, that's all.

The next morning I go to the mayor's office, but they tell me that he has not yet appeared and when he will appear is completely unknown. So Dr. Woo-Hoo has to go back to the hotel again, sit back, light a cigar, and wait.

Soon a young man of pleasant appearance in a blue tie sits down next to me and is keenly interested in what time it is.

“It's half past ten,” I answer, “and you are Andy Tucker. I know some of your dealings. For example, Cupid's Universal Package, which you ate in the South. Let me remember what it was... Yeah, a Peruvian diamond engagement ring, a wedding ring, a potato grater, a bottle of soothing drops, and a portrait of Dorothy Vernon. All together - half a dollar.

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The leader of the Redskins O.Henry

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Title: Leader of the Redskins
Author:
Year: 1907
Genre: Stories, Humorous prose, Foreign classics, Foreign humor, Literature of the 20th century

About the book "Leader of the Redskins" by O. Henry

For more than a hundred years, O. Henry has been the most widely read novelist in the world. And the story "The Leader of the Redskins", which was first published in the book "Colorotation" in 1910, is, without a doubt, his most famous work.

The plot of the story is, of course, known to you. "Leader of the Redskins" was filmed more than ten times. Including in the wonderful comedy by Leonid Gaidai "Business People" and in one of the series of the modern animated series "Masha and the Bear".

We are talking about two criminals who kidnapped the son of a wealthy industrialist Johnny for ransom. But after a few hours, the bandits, who are no longer able to endure the game of Indians, let the boy go home. Alas, the "leader of the Redskins" always returns to continue the exciting game.

Then the bandits reduce the amount of the ransom by half, three times, ten times. But the boy's father is silent. When Sam and Bill finally contact him, he refuses to take Johnny for free, demanding $250 from the criminals.

After some time, absolutely demoralized robbers have to agree. But the boy's father sets another condition: bring him at night so that the neighbors, who are just celebrating the disappearance of Johnny, do not see.

However, returning Johnny to the bosom of the family is still not easy. The boy decided that he had more fun with the robbers, and wants to continue the game at all costs. The boy's father, who is already imbued with sympathy for the robbers, agrees to keep him while Sam and Bill run away, but he cannot guarantee them more than ten minutes of a head start ...

Reading the story "Leader of the Redskins" is a must! No film conveys the brilliant humor of O. Henry. In addition, The Leader of the Redskins is not just a story, it is a cultural phenomenon. How can one short story, which will take you less than half an hour to read, affect the entire world culture, become the basis for thousands of other stories? What is the magic of O. Henry's prose?

However, literary critics all over the world have been looking for answers to this question for more than a hundred years. Hundreds of books have been written about this short story of just three and a half thousand words.

American professors and students have been trying for a hundred years to break it down into its components and derive the formula for an ideal work.

But there is no formula. There is the genius of novelist O. Henry, an author who began writing at a mature age and in just a few years became the most popular writer in the United States.

On our site about books, you can download the site for free without registration or read online book"Leader of the Redskins" by O. Henry in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and a real pleasure to read. Buy full version you can have our partner. Also, here you will find last news from literary world, find out the biography of your favorite authors. For novice writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you can try your hand at writing.

Quotes from the book "Leader of the Redskins" by O. Henry

Bill and I took paper and pencil and began to compose a letter, while the Chief of the Redskins, meanwhile, paced back and forth, wrapped in a blanket and guarding the entrance to the cave.

“Ah, damned pale-face, how dare you come to the camp of the Chief of the Redskins, storm of the plains?

Then we sat down to supper, and the boy, stuffing his mouth with bread and brisket, began to chat. He gave a speech like this:
- I really like it here. I've never lived in the woods before, but I've had a pet opossum once, and on my last birthday I was nine years old. I can't stand going to school. The rats collected sixteen eggs from Jimmy Talbot's aunt's pockmarked hen. Are there real Indians here in the forest? I want more gravy. Why does the wind blow? Because the trees sway? We had five puppies. Hank, why is your nose so red? My father's money seems to be invisible. Are the stars hot? On Saturday I beat Ed Walker twice. I don't like girls! You can't really catch a toad, except with a string. Bulls roar or not? Why are oranges round? Do you have beds in the cave? Amos Murray - six-fingered. The parrot can talk, but the monkey and the fish can't. A dozen is how much?

It must have been, as Bill used to say later, “I found a temporary clouding of the mind,” only we guessed about it much later.

I come closer to the cave and see that Bill is standing, pressed against the wall, and barely breathing, and the boy is going to fuck him with a stone almost the size of a coconut.

The son was a boy of about ten, with prominent freckles all over his face and hair about the color of the cover of the magazine you usually buy at a kiosk on your way to the train.

Yes, sir, the boy seemed to be enjoying himself with might and main. He liked living in a cave, he forgot to think that he himself was a prisoner. He immediately christened me Snake-Eye and Spy, and announced that when his brave warriors returned from the campaign, I would be roasted at the stake as soon as the sun rose.