A Retrieved Reform Page: 632
This prose (fiction) is part of the collection entitled: O. Henry Project and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.
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F NETRIVED REFORM
_,j,_________r IVnijyA (; IAI f) ca Ie to tliv LrisI sh ,-shop,
w..ere. Jinml y Vaillntiw was assidll-
olly stitchin uppers, and escort-l d him 1to
the front police. There the warden handed
,Jinanv his pardon, which had heen signed
tha t IoIlIlrnin'l by the 'overn(r' . .liIltl
tik it in a tired kindL of wayL . I(' hul
served n('earlV tllen Inltls of ai four-lear lll
sentLenco. IH hlad expected to stay r'only
albLout three mouths. a lte lowest. When
harl.
"' ow, Val tillnL" said tilhe wardIl en.
iiyou'll o out i i ihll L moruni ll. Brace up.
and mlaket a i n of oir'self. You're not
a had follow ;it heart. Stop cracking
safes, and livce straight.'"
310f' said .intm , in surprise. "W hy.
I Inever cr'ked a safe in my life. Li
' )lh, no'" lall' Ied t ie ward en. "Of
course not. Let's Se, now. ho was
it ynu happened to get sent up on that
Sprinli"Ild job? Was it lenuse you
wouldn't prove :in alihi for fear nf compro-
misag isoni X dyL inl extremly high-ton ,ed
society? ( )r was it sinlply a cas, of a mean ,
old jlury lthait had i i n for yu It's al-
wsLr eL olilrl tihe ot rl with ou innocent ,
,Mt '3 said Jinun . still hlI klv virtu-
O liS tl h y. 'i Ld n. I never was in
Spriilichl inL n l life L"'
"'Take him hatk, ('ronin, smiled tte
wardlen, ;and lix him up with u 1'0i ,
Clothes. 1 nack hinm at seven in thl mi nlli-
ta let him Conte to the hul1-pen.
Btteur think over nl}lV advice. Vahctine."
A a ulllarter past seven oIl the lext lli 'I-
inl Jienle stlod in the warden's muter
ously-tttin ~, r lyad-made clothes and a pair
of the still. sltuaky shoes that the stateguests.
The ceirk handed him a railroad
and the 1 five-dollar ' illit h which til i
expL ct'i d him l o rCehll iitate himself
,ood citizenship aud prsperily,
warden a ehll l L li ll ('i I.ar. a l 'shonkh li:
Vahlntine. 9 ;G2, was chronicled on
xooks "'I''ardoned ) L, Governor." al ,
,:Lmls ' atle ltine wl al l; d out into tile
shine.
)isregardin th son of the hink
wavII IeenII trees and the sintll ,
ilvers, .llllll headed straigi ht for a
LLt al t. There h e tasted tL ILt fir sl s
chicken and a bottle of witll: wine-:
lowed I i ai cigar a -r T de better ti:
one I ile wardei n l had gien hlin. f:
there he proceeded leisurely to the (l
Ie tossed a q rll l r il o the at of a
malll sittiingl by the do r, a1 t ll IL ardi.
Lrain. T'hr ee ]tours setl hitm down i:
little tow neart the s' tate lin . Ilet.I
to the (';af, of ine like I)oln aud Ib
hands with Mlike. who was alone he]E
the bar.
"'Sorrv we couldn't make it son
Jlimnmy. me ho." said 3iko. "IAn
had that protet. from Sprin lild tok
a!.atnst, andI the governor nearly halk_
Feeling all riht ?'
"Fine," said .Timinv. "'Ulnt my lo"
Ile got his k e v and went up-stairs. un,
ing the dour of a room) at the r,;r. Ev :
thing was just as he had l(ft it. 'Ther,
the floor was still lIon Pric,-'s collar-k,
ton that had Len torn from that elil:
letective's shirt-band when they had o':
powered .Jimmv to arrest him.
Pullin- olut from the wall a folding-N,:
Junilnl slid back a planlo in the walla
< rall- out a dust-covered shit case. I!
opened this and gazed fondl at the tc
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Henry, O., 1862-1910. A Retrieved Reform, prose (fiction), April 1903; New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth139411/m1/2/: accessed June 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.