Published by Good Press, 2019

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      EAN 4064066180850

Table of Contents

       INTRODUCTION

       EACH IN HIS GENERATION

       "CONTACT!"

       THE CAMEL'S BACK

       II

       III

       IV

       V

       BREAK-NECK HILL

       BLACK ART AND AMBROSE

       THE JUDGMENT OF VULCAN

       THE ARGOSIES

       ALMA MATER

       SLOW POISON

       II

       III

       THE FACE IN THE WINDOW

       A MATTER OF LOYALTY

       PROFESSOR TODD'S USED CAR

       II

       THE THING THEY LOVED

       BUTTERFLIES

       NO FLOWERS

       FOOTFALLS

       THE LAST ROOM OF ALL

INTRODUCTION

       Table of Contents

      O. HENRY MEMORIAL AWARD PRIZE STORIES 1919, in its introduction, rendered a brief account of the origin of this monument to O. Henry's genius. Founded in 1918 by the Society of Arts and Sciences, through the initiative of Managing Director John F. Tucker, it took the form of two annual prizes of $500 and $250 for, respectively, the best and second-best stories written by Americans and published in America.

      The Committee of Award sifted the periodicals of 1919 and found thirty-two which, in their opinion, were superior specimens of short-story art. The prize-winners, determined in the manner set forth, were Margaret Prescott Montague's "England to America" and Wilbur Daniel Steele's "For They Know Not What They Do." For these stories the authors duly received the awards, on the occasion of the O. Henry Memorial dinner which was given by the Society at the Hotel Astor, June 2, 1920.

      Since it appeared to be a fitting extension of the memorial to incorporate in volume form the narratives chosen, they were included, either by title or reprint, in the first book of the series of which this is the second. Thus grouped, they are testimony to unprejudiced selection on the part of the Committee of Award as they are evidence of ability on the part of their authors.

      The first volume has met favour from critics and from laymen. For the recognition of tedious, if pleasant, hours necessary to a meticulous survey of twelve months' brief fiction, the Committee of Award are grateful, as they are indebted to the generous coöperation of authors and publishers, but for whom the work would have been impossible of continuation.

      The committee express thanks for the approval which affirms that "No more fitting tribute to the genius of William Sidney Porter (O. Henry) could possibly have been devised than that of this 'Memorial Award,'" [1] which recognizes each story as "a definite expression of American life—as O. Henry's was," [2] which knows by inescapable logic that a story ranking second with five judges is superior to one ranking first with only one of these. A number of reviewers graciously showed awareness of this fact.

      [Footnote 1: New York Times, June 2, 1920.]

      [Footnote 2: Chicago Tribune, Paris Edition, August 7, 1920.]

      The Committee of Award for 1920 consisted of

      BLANCHE COLTON WILLIAMS, PhD., Chairman |

       EDWARD J. WHEELER, Litt.D. | JUDGES

       ETHEL WATTS MUMFORD |

       MERLE ST. CROIX WRIGHT, D.D. |

       and JOHN F. TUCKER, Managing Director of the Society,

       Founder of the O. Henry Memorial.

      As in preceding years the Committee held regular meetings at which they weighed the merits of every story-candidate presented. By January, 1921, one hundred and twenty-five remained, among which those rated highest are as follows:[3]

      Babcock, Edwina Stanton, Gargoyle (Harper's, Sept.) Barrett, Richmond Brooks, The Daughter of the Bernsteins (Smart Set, July). "Belden, Jacques," The Duke's Opera (Munsey's, October). Benét, Stephen Vincent, The Funeral of John Bixby (Munsey's, July). Brooks, Jonathan, Bills Playable (Collier's, September 18). Burt, Maxwell Struthers, A Dream or Two (Harper's, May); Each in His Generation (Scribner's, July). Cabell, James Branch, The Designs of Miramon (Century, August). Child, Richard Washburn, A Thief Indeed (Pictorial Review, June). Clausen, Carl, The Perfect Crime (Saturday Evening Post, Sept. 25). Cram, Mildred, The Ember (McCall's, June); Odell (Red Book, May); Wind (Munsey's, August). Dobie, Charles Caldwell, Young China (Ladies Home Journal, August). Edwards, Cleveland, Pride o' Name on Peachtree (Live Stories, Feb.). Ferber, Edna, You've Got to Be Selfish (McClure's, April). Fitzgerald, Scott, The Camel's Back (Saturday Evening Post, Apr. 24); The Cut-Glass Bowl (Scribner's, May); The Off-Shore Pirate (Saturday Evening Post, May 29). Forbes, Esther, Break-Neck Hill (Grinnell Review, September). Gilpatric, Guy, Black Art and