The short story “After
Twenty Years” is written by O’ Henry. The story talks about genuine friendship
and sincerity towards work. The story sets in New York. The story begins by
narrating a winter night where a policeman patrols his street which consists of
commercial buildings at 10 o’clock. As it is a winter night, due to chillness
there are less people on the streets. Hence
most of the stores are closed. The policeman notices a man standing outside a
closed hardware store. The policeman walks towards him to check that everything
is fine. By finding the policeman, the man assures that everything is fine and
says that he is waiting to meet his friend. The place where the hardware store
is now was then a restaurant named Big Joe Brady. The Policeman says that the
restaurant was closed 5 years back. At that time the man lit a cigar and in the
light of the matchstick the policeman could see his face, a white scar near his
eyebrow and a large diamond on his scarf pin. He introduces himself as Bob and
says that this appointment was made with his friend Jimmy Wells 20 years back.
The two friends Jimmy Wells, 20 years old and Bob, 18 years were like brothers and
always spent time together. Jimmy did not want to leave New York and decided to
settle there whereas Bob wanted move towards West to become rich. Twenty years
back they dined at Big Joe Brady’s restaurant and decided to meet after 20
years at the same place. The policeman asked whether they had contacted later.
Bob replied that they communicated for some time and eventually they stopped. He
mentions that he has travelled over a thousand miles to meet his friend and he
is confident that his friend will come to meet him. He looks at his watch and
the policeman finds diamond stones on the lids of the watch. The policeman
realises the man as rich and asked him how the West treated him. He replied
that the West makes one sharper. The policeman leaves the place and Bob waits
for his friend.
After 20 minutes a tall
man asks whether he is Bob and claims himself as Jimmy. Bob tells Jimmy that he
has changed a lot and grown taller. They start to talk about their life and
holding each other’s hand they start to walk. Under the bright light at a drug
store the look at each other. Bob releases his hand from the other person and
tells that he cannot be Jimmy Wells, because Jimmy had a sharp nose which
cannot change in 20 years. The tall man replies that people change in 20 years.
He says that he is a policeman came in plainclothes to arrest ‘silky’ Bob, a wanted
criminal in Chicago, and Bob was under arrest for the past 10 minutes. He then gives Bob a letter from Patrolman
Wells.
Bob begins to read the
letter. His steady hand begins to tremble as he completes reading the letter.
The letter is from his old friend Jimmy Wells, who was the policeman Bob was
talking to earlier. Jimmy Wells recognised Bob as a wanted criminal. As he did
not want to arrest his friend, he sent another police in plain clothes.
Jimmy is a loyal
friend. He waited for Bob for twenty years and he came early to meet his friend
at the appointed hour. But when he realised that Bob was a wanted criminal, he
did his duty as a Police officer. Jimmy is a good friend and, at the same time,
a dutiful person. Unfortunately, Bob became rich through illegal means. But
Jimmy Wells’ letter enables Bob to realise his mistake and to understand Jimmy
Wells’ friendship.
